HerStories March Writing Workshop

I took the plunge and decided to participate in the HerStories March Writing Workshop – I knew I wouldn’t be able to attend a lot of the sessions live because, work. But I would at least revisit the recordings.

HerStories is a group of midlife women writers — the first venture back into the world of words after the election was participating in a group zoom with these women. Healing.

Despite the crazy of the world and life and work – I really felt like this particular topic “Finding Your Voice During Hard Times” a wee bit too exactly what I needed as a reminder.

My Intro

• Where are you located? – Weber Wonderland – a rural homestead tucked among the trees in the Southern Tier of Western New York – Springville! (About 27 miles south of Buffalo, NY)
• What are your goals for the month? – Make it through the month! I kid, but not really…life, the universe and everything has been a lot – taking it day by day and hoping to ease back into a more regular writing practice.
• What do you write? – Words on the page. And laptop. And blog. Prose, personal essay, memoiresque plans for the future. Short stories.
• What do you like to do with your spare time? In addition to writing – spending time in my red rocking chair/hammock on the wraparound porch watching birds, reading (so much nonfiction, but I do try to balance) gardening (medicinal herbs!), singing, community theater, baking, cooking, homesteading, resisting & dissenting. I’ve worked in the nonprofit world my entire professional life – the many endless hours spill over and blur with service in the community.

Ah yes – All Things Jennifer.

And now a time for a bunch of notes I captured from a few sessions.

• It all begins with you, pay attention to where your energy goes, how you communicate, self- awareness, self-reflection.
• Your voice of experience is what people will gravitate towards…
• The revolution starts here! Radical love is choosing how you want to live your life and how you want to have an impact.

My core values – Community – Connection – Justice – Passion – Service.

What is the hardest part for me – finding balance. If you wait until there is time to write you won’t ever write. PLAN – make it a priority.

What does this look like in practice?

• Daily: Morning Pages, Blogging
• Weekly: Journaling/Shadow Work, Read, Read, Read for inspiration.

What do you love to read?

• Nonfiction – Current Events, Politics, Law, (need more History)
• Memoir/Biographies
• Classics/Banned Books
• Dystopian Fiction (anything time travel!)

How do you want to spend your free time?

• Home – at Weber Wonderland.
• Wrapping Loved Ones/Community in Mutual Aid/Resistance

What skills do you want to learn?

• ASL
• CPR/Advanced First Aid
• Crochet
• Gun Safety/Pistol Permit
• Play Piano/Cello
• Spanish (Fluent)

What questions do you want to explore deep down?

• Ancestral intuition/spiritual nature…spidey sense!
• Drive to serve – share – passion sense of justice?

How do you define your seasons?

• Traditional Calendar
  • SPRING – Seeds
  • SUMMER – Garden
  • FALL – Harvest
  • WINTER – Rest

• Wheel of the Year (Ish)
  • Yule: December 19-23
  • Imbolc/Midwinter: February 1-2
  • Ostara: March 19-23
  • Beltane: April 30 – May 1
  • Litha/Midsummer: June 19-23
  • Lughnasadh: August 1-2
  • Mabon: September 20-24
  • Samhain: October 31 – November 1

Where would you like to be in 6 weeks on your writing journey?

• Tracking Writing Goals in Silk & Sonder
• Weekly/Monthly Blog Roundup – Newsletter
• Freelance Writing for Local Publications?
• Enrolled in another writing seminar…