I’m reprogramming my brain, letting go of the use of guys as a generic term. This is hard. I’ve used guys frequently in conversation. It’s also controversial. I get it – most of us use guys to mean the entire group. And yet… Guys carries some ugly, old baggage. To me, the term represents outdated… Continue reading Letting Go of “Guys”
April showers bring poetry! It’s National Poetry Month and for the past several years, I’ve been happily immersing myself in the world of poetry for the month. This year, I am writing a poem a day (NaPoWriMo), sharing a poem with the people I meet on Poem in Your Pocket Day, reading lots of poems and… Continue reading National Poetry Month
When I say “haiku,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Did you think 5-7-5? Most Americans do, me included. I first learned of haiku in about 3rd grade. It’s a useful tool for teaching both syllable count and poetry, a double win. Most of us go on, then, thinking about haiku on rare… Continue reading Exploring Haiku
I remember being very nervous the first time I attended a writing circle. I was concerned that my writing would seem immature or unpolished. I worried that I would be criticized or embarrassed. I was SO WRONG! An underpinning of the Women Writing for (a) Change experience is celebration of the individual voice. Our writing circles… Continue reading The Writing Circle Experience
As I enter year two of Women Writing for (a) Change, Willamette Valley, I am grateful for the advice from a mentor to allow this work to “grow slowly.” Granting myself the gifts of thinking, pausing, reflecting and considering – these feel like radical concepts juxtaposed with our culture’s supercharged pace of life. In the past year,… Continue reading Growing Slowly
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