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November 30 – Five Poets Read in Celebration of Native American Heritage Month

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Tuesday, November 30th, 2021
Five Poets Read in Celebration of Native American Heritage Month
5:00 – 6:30 pm/ PT
FREE Virtual Event!

Five contributors to Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California (Scarlet Tanager Books) will read in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. California has the largest Native American population of any state, and possibly the most diverse, representing Native Nations from across the U.S. as well as those indigenous to California.

 

Poets Reading:

 

Lucille Lang Day (Wampanoag) is the author of eleven poetry collections and chapbooks, most recently Birds of San Pancho and Other Poems of Place, and coeditor of Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California and Fire and Rain: Ecopoetry of California.

 

 

Jennifer Elise Foerster (Mvskoke) has two poetry collections from the University of Arizona Press: Leaving Tulsa and Bright Raft in the Afterweather. She coedited When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry with Joy Harjo and Leanne Howe.

 

 

 

Dave Holt (Ojibwe), originally from Canada, is a musician and songwriter in addition to being a poet whose book Voyages to Ancestral Islands received an Artists Embassy International Literary / Cultural Arts Award.

 

 

Linda Noel (Koyoonk’auwi), former Poet Laureate of Ukiah, has worked in When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through, The Dirt is Red Here, and many other anthologies.

 

 

 

Stephen Meadows (Ohlone) is a Californian of pioneer and Ohlone descent. His first poetry collection, Releasing the Days, was published by Heyday. His new collection, Winter Work, will be out soon.

 

 

 
Join us for WNBA-SF’s Native American Heritage Month poetry event!
Register below to receive the Zoom link:

How to Write About Grief and Loss | Emily Thiroux Threatt

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How to Write About Grief and Loss
by Emily Thiroux Threatt
Author of “Living and Loving Your Way Through Grief”
https://lovingandlivingyourwaythroughgrief.com/

Books and articles are being written at a faster rate than ever before. I am sure this is in part because of the pandemic. This increase also comes from more people seeking help to deal with their grief. Grief used to be something we experienced silently, not sharing thoughts or feelings with others, but now with many people seeking comfort, they are wanting to know if other people are having the same feelings they do, and they want to know what can help them feel better to help them emerge from their pain.

By working with people who are dealing with grief, I have found some common issues to consider when you want to write something about grief.

  1. Grievers want to know that who is writing about grief has experienced or is experiencing grief. The readers who are seeking something to read about grief want to know that the writer relates to grief in a way they can relate to. You can do this by writing from the perspective of someone speaking to directly to the one person who is reading what you say at that moment.
  2. As self-publishing has become easier to do and having a traditional publisher isn’t as essential as it used to be, lots of memoirs about the death of a loved one or grieving a loved one are showing up. If you are choosing to write a memoire in this area, be sure to have a great hook. What makes your story different and appealing? Why would someone choose to read your story as opposed to all the other memoirs out there?
  3. I have found the people who are grieving are wanting guidance. Instead of just reading a story, they want suggestions on what they can actively do to deal with their grief. They want to know that there are people they can share their experiences with. Grief can be a lonely place.
  4. Find a way to include the stories of other people who are grieving so that if the reader can’t relate specifically to you, they can relate to the experience of someone you include in the book. For instance, if you are writing about your experience of having a daughter who died, you may want to include the experience of a daughter who had a mother who died.
  5. Another approach is to write about is a specific kind of grief. I have been hearing from many people who are dealing with suicide, especially the suicide of a child.  This is a niche that could be filled if someone actually has a way to comfort people who are dealing with this kind of loss. The intensity of this kind of loss seems to last a long time, so things that could help over time would be much appreciated.
  6. Grief has surged with the surges of the pandemic. This is a different kind of grief than we are used to. People are tending to look for someone or something to blame from the people who won’t wear masks, to the people who don’t get vaccinated, to the hospitals that are over filled, to the politicians who they feel didn’t do enough or don’t things fast enough.  While blame seems inevitable, when you write about grief and the pandemic, it is better to focus on the people who are grieving than on the people who may be causing the grief. Give them the same love and solace as any other person grieving, and look at their situation independently instead of lumping together all the people affected by the pandemic. Their individual loss is what they are focusing on and they will appreciate you focusing on them, too.

Grief can be a tricky subject to write on. What I have seen in the reactions to all the writing I have been doing shows me that when I focus on providing support, comfort, and love in what I write as well as showing my readers how they can find happiness while they are dealing with grief, they are grateful that you care enough to lighten their burdens some and give them something positive to think about. Just show them that you care.

***

Emily Thiroux Threatt is the author of Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief: A Comprehensive Guide to Reclaiming and Cultivating Joy and Carrying on in the Face of Loss, winner of the Bookauthority Best New Grief Book and the Silver Medal for the Living Now Book Awards.

Emily has much experience in the grieving process and has learned to face life with love, optimism, and joy. Her mission is to comfort and support those dealing with grief and loss focusing on happiness.

October 29 – Ready, Set, NANO! National Novel Writing Month Prep Session

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WNBA-SF Lunch n’ Learn
Ready, Set, NANO! National Novel Writing Month Prep Session with Award-winning author and fifteen-time NaNoWriMo winner Nita Sweeney
Friday, October 29, 2021 at Noon PT

Congratulations on signing up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! No, you can’t write yet, but you can PREPARE! In this fun lunch n’ learn, Nita Sweeney, award-winning author, writing and meditation coach, and fifteen-time NaNoWriMo winner will help you prepare NaNoWriMo success.

Bring paper and pen or your trusty laptop. We’ll brainstorm and chat. Whether you’re a plotter, a pantser, or a plantser, every bit of preparation will help carry you across the NaNoWriMo finish line. No matter if it’s your first Nano or your fifteenth, this session will help you start strong.

Nita’s first book, the running and mental health memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink was a multi-year NaNoWriMo project. Her second book, You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration & Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving, coauthored with Brenda Knight, offers author wisdom to help you on your NaNoWriMo journey.

In this workshop Nita will discuss:

  • How to choose a NaNoWriMo project
  • What to do now (before you start writing in November)
  • Plot, characters, theme, oh my!
  • Build community to help (or hinder) your November progress
  • What “fuel” to stock up
  • How to prepare your writing “machine”
  • And much more!

About Nita:

Nita Sweeney is the award-winning wellness author of the running and mental health memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink and co-creator with Brenda Knight of the writing journal, You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration & Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving. A certified meditation leader, mental health advocate, ultramarathoner, and former assistant to writing practice originator Natalie Goldberg, Nita founded the groups Mind, Mood, and Movement to support well-being through meditation, exercise, and writing practice, and The Writer’s Mind, to share using writing practice to produce publishable work. Nita also publishes the writing resource newsletter, Write Now Columbus. Nita lives in central Ohio with her husband, Ed, and their yellow Labrador retriever, Scarlet. Download your free copy of Nita’s eBook Three Ways to Heal Your Mind.

Register here to receive the Zoom link:

October 14th – Afrosurrealism and Afrofuturism

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Thursday, October 14
6-7:20 pm/PDT
FREE Virtual Event!

Afrosurrealism and Afrofuturism:
Reimagining Our Past and Dreaming Our Future
Join WNBA-SF Chapter for a panel of readings and discussion of speculative literature of the African diaspora. 
How does the genre contribute to healing and to hope?

Moderated by Ellen McBarnette

Ellen McBarnette, moderator, writes in the Afrosurrealist and Afrofuturist tradition of Octavia Butler, in which the Black experience is the basis for reimagining the past and dreaming the future. Her novella, Negrita, is coming out in the Midnight and Indigo, Speculative Edition Volume II, in February 2022. She is committed to peer supportive communities of writers as a necessary part of the writer’s experience and is active in the San Francisco literary community. She runs the Afrosurrealist Writers Workshop of Oakland and the Beta Writers and Readers Group in Hayward. She is active in the WNBA-SF chapter and lives in Hayward, California with her partner, Ben and their cat, Java.

Panelists

WNBA-SF Chapter is honored to host the incomparable Sheree Renee Thomas and Bay Area Afrofuturism and Afrosurrealists and others for an evening of readings and discussion about the modern era of speculative literature of the African diaspora. Questions welcome, such as how are the two genres connected and how does speculative fiction contribute to healing and to hope?

Sheree Renée Thomas is an award-winning speculative fiction writer, poet, and editor. She edited the two-time World Fantasy-winning Dark Matter anthologies and has tales in The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry (Blair, November 2021), The Big Book of Modern Fantasy (1945-2010), Marvel’s Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda, Slay, and Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Vol. 2. and in the Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (Djembefola 2021). Thomas was honored as a 2020 World Fantasy Award Finalist for contributions to the genre. She is the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, founded in 1949 and associate editor of Obsidian, founded in 1975, and a member of Carnegie Hall’s Curatorial Counsel for the special 2022 NYC-citywide Afrofuturism festival. Visit www.shereereneethomas.com or follow her on Twitter @blackpotmojo, IG: @shereereneethomas       

 

A member of the Afrosurrealist Writers Workshop of Oakland, Gabriel Akata is an Afrofuturist Fantasy writer who loves to imagine how the world could be. Born in Brooklyn in ’89, a lifelong lover of books, in the written word Gabriel found a window into the often baffling actions and motivations of others, as well as a way to make himself understood. He began writing stories and journal entries early. A Forum-Based Role Playing Games built on the childhood series, Animorphs was pivotal in his development as an author. Empowered by academics, he writes speculative fiction but also nonfiction in the areas of History, Social Theory, Politics, and Race.  Click here for more: Link

Glenn Parris writes sci-fi, fantasy, and medical mystery. Originally from New York City, Glenn Parris is an alumnus of The Bronx High School for Science, Fordham University, and SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine. The Renaissance of Aspirin, his debut novel, which garnered rave reviews, and paranormal fantasy, Unbitten: A Vampire Dream, have been adapted to screenplays. Over the past 30 years, Glenn Parris has taught at Emory School of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine, and Philadelphia School of Osteopathic Medicine. He is also Medical Director of a large rheumatology practice in the northeast Atlanta suburbs. You can find out more about Glenn Parris at www.glennparris.com.

Audrey T. Williams is the former organizer of the Afrosurrealist Writers Workshop of Oakland, and a leader in the speculative fiction writing community of the Bay. She earned her MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Her poetry can be found in Space & Time Magazine, FUNGI, and is forthcoming in Conjuring Worlds, the first-ever Afrofuturist homeschool textbook for middle grades. Audrey is a nonfiction contributor to Lightspeed Magazine and is Founder of the nonprofit Ancestral Futures, where she co-facilitates a mentorship for BIPOC speculative writers that matches them with professional authors in their genre of choice. AncestralFutures.org

Register here to receive the Zoom link:

September 9 – How to Follow Up with a Literary Agent

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Thursday, September 9, 2021

12pm

Are you looking for a literary agent? Have you sent your query out only to get a polite form letter back wishing you well on your publishing journey?

Here’s the reason: Literary agents are overwhelmed. Some receive 1500+ queries a month. But there’s an even bigger reason as to why you are not getting the traction you want.

Join book broker, Randy Peyser, http://www.authoronestop.com, for a Lunch and Learn for the Women’s National Book Association – San Francisco Chapter and learn the best practices for following up with a literary agent! Randy will share the one thing she does – that no one else does – that consistently compels agents to open her emails.

If achieving literary representation for your manuscript is your goal, let Randy guide you with her insights and advice to get to a “yes” with the agent of your dreams! Randy will share exactly what agents respond to positively, what topics are hot; the quickest way to get agents to stop in their tracks; the one thing to absolutely not do if you are serious about getting a literary agent, and much more.

 

 

Randy Peyser is the Founder and CEO of Author One Stop, Inc.

Randy is the creator of the Write-a-Book Program, and is one of only a few people in the country who specializes in representing authors in finding literary agents and publishers at Book Expo America (BEA) in May every year. Randy is a dynamic speaker who is frequently featured on stage for business organizations, writer’s organizations, and spiritual organizations nationwide. She is a revered lecturer on a variety of topics related to publishing for CEO Space International..

Randy is the former editor-in-chief of a national magazine and an SF/Bay area magazine, as well as the long time features writer for Awareness Magazine in Southern California. Her interviews include New York Times best-selling authors: Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Marci Shimoff, Suze Orman, Marianne Williamson, Caroline Myss, Neale Donald Walsch, Esther Hicks, Judith Orloff, John Bradshaw, Bernie Siegel, John Gray, Joan Borysenko, Dannion Brinkley, Jean Houston, and more.

Randy has edited books from business, to spirituality, self-help, children’s, to fiction and nonfiction – including Guerrilla Wealth by Loral Langemeier, which is part of the international best-selling series of Guerrilla Marketing books by Jay Conrad Levinson.

What: How to Follow Up with a Literary Agent

Where: Zoom (Zoom link provided via email when you RSVP)

When:  September 9, 2021

Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay!

RSVP for the discussion; we are limited to 100 total attendees, so please let us know early!

 

Interview – Ruth Weiss

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WNBA-SF Past President Brenda Knight interviewed Ruth Weiss in 2017. Now that we near the first anniversary of her passing, we wanted to bring you this interview of hope and writing…

ruth weiss Can't Stop the BeatBeat poet and jazz spoken word innovator Ruth Weiss started writing as a teen and, at the age of 88, has not stopped. A contemporary of Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsberg, Weiss is one of the most important voices of the Beat Generation whose work remains fresh, relevant and more modern than ever. A holocaust survivor, she urges writers to “be truth tellers in your work and in your words.” Below is an interview of Weiss with WNBA-SF President Brenda Knight, author of Women of the Beat Generation, and includes a discussion of Weiss’s advice to young writers and scribes of all ages.

BK: How did you come to America?
RW: My family was on the last train out of Vienna before the Nazis put the Jews in the camp. Most of our family died in the concentration camps. We knew we had to get out of Europe if we were to survive. We were silenced. I will not be silenced.

BK: When did you know you were a writer?
RW: I think I always knew it; Vienna was a center for the arts before the war. Inspiration was everywhere. In America, everything was wide open. You could do anything, be anything.

BK: Is it fair to say you hit the road way before Jack Kerouac?
RW: Yes, and he and I talked about that. He liked the idea of a girl with green hair hitchhiking back and forth across America. I’ve been dying my hair different colors almost as long as I’ve been writing poetry. Jack and I really connected over haiku and would spend hours talking about the beauty of that form and would read and write haiku together.

BK: Are you particular about your writing desk you tools and environment for composing?
RW: I still use an Underwood typewriter and make sure my writing space is in good order. I never know when inspiration might strike and can sit down, put in a sheet of paper and write a new poem.

BK: Did you experience any problems as a young woman in the San Francisco poetry scene?
RW: Oh, yes. Most of the other poets were very accepting and encouraging, but a few wanted control. Allen Ginsberg was very competitive and even tried to keep me from reading sometimes and physically blocked me from the stage once. I know that will shock some people but it is the simple truth. For the most part, all the poets on the scene over time have been beautiful, peaceful, loving people. I have gotten a lot of support over the years and count these poets as my friends.

BK: What is the story behind your decision to keep your name lower case?
RW: Every time I sign my name, it is a revolutionary act, my way of standing up to the control of the “law and order” Germans in the ’30’s whose demand for control led to WWII and Nazis murdering millions of people, including my family. My name is a form of resistance.

BK: We have a so-called “law and order” president of the United States now; what do think about that?
RW: I take it as a warning and I have also noted that writers, artists and poets are sounding the calls to action.

BK: What is your best advice for writers, particularly women and young people?
RW: Many writers suggest you write every day at a certain time and I know that works for a lot of people. My advice is “less is more.” Never overwrite or just keep writing. Spare use of language, only using the right words will lead to better work, get you closer to greatness. Tell the truth in your truest voice and your work will be pure and beautiful.

Following in an excerpt from one of Ruth’s poems upon moving to San Francisco:

i’m 22.
don’t think i’ll make it to 30. don’t think. write.
words are my friends. words are wings. protect.
i have a room of my own. i shall always have a room of my own. that i will. this cancer girl gotta have a room of her own.
one by one the ones who must play—enter.
the search for that note—that only one. it’s a jam for the
heartbeat. no feet tapping. no hands clapping.
i walk slow through daybreak-blue. back to north beach.
my lids fold around my whole being.

7 Ways Authors Can Support Their Author Friends: Kindled Spirits

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By Debra Eckerling, author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals 

As authors, we have an advantage in the online world, whether we realize it or not. Fiction. Nonfiction. Screenwriting. Poetry. Essays. Articles. It applies to all. 

In order to connect with our audience, authors must be active on multiple platforms – websites and social media – as well as on live and virtual stages. This leads to a plethora of opportunities to collaborate, support, and highlight our author friends. 

When Dr. Meg Haworth (author of Get Well Now; Healing Yourself with Food and The Power of The Mind) interviewed me for her YouTube series in June, I noted how in three months, we will have collaborated five times. 

As “Kindled Spirits,” as Dr Meg calls it, we know there is more to come.

Here are 7 easy ways authors can support each other through collaboration: 

  1. Create a Joint Blog. Writers on the Move is a great example of authors coming together to share their knowledge.
  2. Trade Book Reviews. On Amazon, Goodreads, or write one on your blog.
  3. Do Interview Swaps.This can take place on a blog, live show, video, or podcast.
  4. Spread Social Media Love. Make a point to tweet or post about an author-friend at least once a week … once a day is even better. Share their books, an article, or a photo. You can also take the time to comment on their posts.  
  5. Curate Panels and Events.Create events with author friends in mind, so you can ask them to participate.
  6. Send Ideas. Do you receive a newsletter that shares podcast interview opportunities? Are you part of a cool networking group or meetup? Share the deets with author friends who would get the most out of it! 
  7. Refer and Recommend. When someone asks for a referral – whether it’s a speaker for an event, a book for a book club, or an author interview – think of who you know who would be a good fit and make an intro. Keep a list of author friends, along with their specialties. Don’t know what they focus on? Just ask.

* * *

As an author, getting out there is a lot about the power of relationships. Authors’ relationships with other authors: priceless!

* * *
How do you support your author friends? What collaboration opportunities get the best results? Please share in the comments.

 

This article was originally posted on the Writers On the Move Blog: https://www.writersonthemove.com/2021/06/7-ways-authors-can-support-their-author.html

* * *

Goal-Setting expert Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning & Achieving Your Goals (IPPY 2021, Silver Medalist, Self-Help) and founder of The D*E*B Method, which is her system for Goal-Setting Simplified. A professional writer, project catalyst, and corporate wellness consultant, Debra helps entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives figure out what they want and how to get it through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. She is also the founder of the Write On Online community; host of the #GoalChat Twitter chat, the #GoalChatLive show, and The DEB Show podcast; and VP of the WNBA-LA Chapter.

Connect on LinkedIn and learn about Debra’s #SummerGoalChallenge.

July 23 – Self Care for Writers and Authors

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Friday, July 23, 2021

12pm

Personal and professional goals are often intertwined. 

When you feel good – and prioritize self-care – you are happier, more productive, and feel like you can do anything … or at least finish that book, essay, article, screenplay, etc. that you have been meaning to complete!

To help you prioritize self-care, the Women’s National Book Association – San Francisco chapter put together a panel of amazing experts for a Lunch N Learn.

Discover how to:

  • Choose yourself
  • Decide what self-care goals are right for you
  • Find better work-life-writing balance
  • And more

 

Goal-setting expert Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals (2021 IPPY Silver Medalist, Self-Care) and founder of the D*E*B METHOD®, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A professional writer, communications specialist, and project catalyst, she works with individuals and businesses to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. Deb is also the founder of Write On Online, a website and community for writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, as well as host of the #GoalChat Twitter chat, GoalChatLive show, and The DEB Show podcast. She is Vice President of the WNBA-Los Angeles Chapter.

Saeeda Hafiz is a yoga teacher and wellness expert with certifications from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers and the Natural Gourmet Institute. As a holistic health educator with the San Francisco Unified School District, she focuses on sharing her knowledge of physical and mental wellness with diverse groups. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The author of The Healing: One Woman’s Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches. 

 

Dr. Meg Haworth is the founder of The Holistic Academy of Intuitive arts and sciences with a signature course, “Evolving Intuition: Building Self Trust for Life.” She is a transpersonal psychologist and holistic nutritional chef. Holistic medicine is her world and helping people heal the connection between trauma and illness is her specialty. Meg’s latest book is Get Well Now; Healing Yourself with Food and The Power of the Mind. She’s had over a dozen chronic illnesses and traumas that she healed with holistic methods and has had the pleasure of helping thousands of others do the same over the last two decades. 

Mytrae Meliana (pronounced “My-thray-yee”) is a women’s empowerment and spiritual teacher, holistic psychotherapist, trauma expert, speaker, and author. She empowers women to heal from trauma, liberate themselves from patriarchy, and connect with the Divine Feminine so they can live true, bold, inspired lives. Mytrae is also Founder of Temple of Sound Healing, which offers sound healing trainings and Certifications for health/wellness practitioners and social justice community leaders. A WOC immigrant from India, Mytrae shares her story of healing, empowerment, and awakening in her memoir Brown Skin Girl: An Indian-American Woman’s Magical Journey from Broken to Beautiful. She healed from Lyme disease using holistic and spiritual healing modalities

Elise Marie Collins, the current president of the WNBA-SF chapter, teaches yoga online right now and lives in a multi-generational household with her parents. She writes about yoga, Ayurveda and aging (healthfully). Her latest book is Super Ager, You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, A Better Memory, and Live a Long, and Healthy Life.

 

What: Self Care for Writers and Authors

When: July 23 at 12pm PT

Where: Zoom (Zoom link provided via email when you RSVP)

Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay!

Click the button below to RSVP for the discussion; we are limited to 100 total attendees, so please let us know early!

 

July 9 – How To Be Creative When You Have Depression or Anxiety

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Friday, July 9, 2021

12pm

Many creative people live with depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Despite common misperceptions, these conditions do not have to prevent artists from engaging in their artforms, producing work for the public, or “put themselves out there.” Award-winning author Nita Sweeney and best-selling author Karen C.L. Anderson, both live with the challenges these conditions present. Join them in this lunch n’ learn where they share tips for creating your work regardless of the story your mind may tell you. 

In this program participants will learn:

  • The role your nervous system plays (because it’s not just a mindset issue)
  • Simple practices for calming and/or moving energy
  • Different ways to think about your mental health condition (this is the mindset piece)
  • A surprising reframe that will help you see yourself and your mental health differently
Your guides for this journey:
  Nita Sweeney is the award-winning wellness author of the running and mental health memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink, co-creator with Brenda Knight of the writing journal, You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration & Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving, and of the free ebook Three Ways to Heal Your Mind. A long-time meditator, three-time marathoner, and former assistant to writing practice originator Natalie Goldberg, Nita founded the group Mind, Mood, and Movement to support mental well-being through meditation, exercise, and writing practice, and The Writer’s Mind, to share how to use writing practice to produce publishable work. Nita also publishes the writing resource newsletter, Write Now Columbus. She lives in central Ohio with her husband, Ed, and their yellow Labrador retriever, Scarlet.

 

Nita Sweeney is the award-winning wellness author of the running and mental health memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink and co-creator with Brenda Knight of the writing journal, You Should Be Writing. and of the free ebook  Three Ways to Heal Your Mind. A long-time meditator, three-time marathoner, and former assistant to writing practice originator Natalie Goldberg, Nita founded the group Mind, Mood, and Movement to support mental well-being through meditation, exercise, and writing practice, and The Writer’s Mind, to share how to use writing practice to produce publishable work. Nita also publishes the writing resource newsletter, Write Now Columbus. She lives in central Ohio with her husband, Ed, and their yellow Labrador retriever, Scarlet.

Karen C.L. Anderson serves smart, creative women in using the difficult relationships they have with their mothers as a catalyst for growth. Author of Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters: A Guide For Separation, Liberation & Inspiration (March 2018); The Difficult Mother-Daughter Relationship Journal (January 2020); and Overcoming Creative Anxiety: Journal Prompts & Practices For Disarming Your Inner Critic (June 2020), Karen incorporates story-telling, journaling, awareness tools, shadow work, and simple energy and somatic practices in her Mother Lode 1:1 mentorship program. Her approach is safe, fun, and effective. Karen recognizes that what is possible personally is what is possible collectively, and that “the Mother Wound” is not actually about mothers, but about systems that oppress all women. She understands the adage, “hurt people, hurt people,” while also acknowledging that cultivating compassion and empathy does not have to equal access, and that healthy boundaries (up to and including going “no contact”) are at the heart of healing. She lives on the Southeastern Connecticut shoreline.

What: How To Be Creative When You Have Depression or Anxiety

When: July 9 at 12pm PT

Where: Zoom (Zoom link provided via email when you RSVP)

Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay!

Click the button below to RSVP for the discussion; we are limited to 100 total attendees, so please let us know early!

 

June 15 – Make a Meaningful Gift for Dads, Grads, Grooms, ’n Brides!

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Tuesday, June 15, 2021

6pm

It’s summertime and that means you likely need a special gift for a Dad or Grad in your life. Or, you might be headed to a bridal shower or a wedding and want to do something with extra heart — instead of the same ole registry gifts. 

WNBA Member Sherry Richert Belul, author of Say it Now, has a great gift idea that is simple to make and can stand alone or pair with something you’ve already bought. 

Sherry will be leading us in an interactive, joyful, and connecting activity of creating Love List Gifts. 

What’s a Love List? It is a brainstorm of specific reasons you love someone and what makes them unique. A Love List is sweet, funny, sexy, or serious. It can include any number — from five to fifteen to fifty — of loving attributes, characteristics, or memories about someone. It is one of the most simple —yet profound— ways to show someone what makes them unique and why they matter. 

All too often, people wait until funerals to express their love and appreciation. Sherry encourages you to say it now, while the person can hear it. “I believe that what we all want most in life is to know that we make a difference and that we’re loved for exactly who we are,” Sherry says. 

Sherry will be leading us through the process of creating this one-of-a-kind gift. She’ll offer some prompts as we create our Love Lists. So come to the meeting with some paper and a pen. Or, you can download Sherry’s free printable and bring that to fill in as we go: https://simplycelebrate.net/love/

We promise that this will be a joyful process for YOU — and will make a wonderful gift for someone you love! 

What: Make a Meaningful Gift for Dads, Grads, Grooms, ’n Brides!

When: TUESDAY, June 15 at 6pm PT

Where: Zoom (Zoom link provided via email when you RSVP)

Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay!

Click the button below to RSVP for the discussion; we are limited to 100 total attendees, so please let us know early!