Writing Circles
“Our deepest rhythms are cyclical and repetitive. We learn to hold the completions as sacred as the starts.
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Our rituals are therefore circular. We sit in circles. We create beginnings, middles, and ends. We promise each other we will meet again.”
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- Adapted from C.M Edwards,
The Storyteller's Goddess
Words Run Wild
Weekend workshop: June 21-23, Fri 6-8pm & Sat/Sun 9-11:30am (Washburn, WI)
In a time when grammar apps litter sentences, autocorrect hijacks words, and AI spews out paragraphs at a single stroke, it feels vital to squelch our meddlesome editors and just let our words run wild.
This mini-retreat is a welcoming space to do just that. The process is simple: we center, we put our feral pens to page, and we see what magic spills from them. The writing is unbridled—no editor, no inner critic, no expectations. This practice is not (necessarily) about creating a polished poem, a revelatory character, or even a well-crafted sentence, but simply awakening the wild, gushing voice that is the “very heart-beat of life”—the birthplace of our most authentic creations.
During our time together, we’ll draw from the foundation of wild writers like Natalie Goldberg, trace the ideas of wild thinkers like David Abram, and tap into the wisdom of our own wild cells. Throughout, we’ll use physical practices like meditation and breathwork to tease open the unsung channels between our subconscious and our pen.
This will be a safe and nurturing space in which to explore our words, but it can also be a brave one. The center of this kind of writing is vulnerability. While sharing is optional, it can be deeply empowering to speak aloud what unfolds on the page.
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Each day will include a grounding practice, whether meditation, movement, or breathwork. We might also incorporate collaborative writing or other spontaneous hatchings.
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This is one of a three-part offering in conjunction with poet, songwriter and journalist Hope McLeod and Wisconsin Poet Laureate Denise (Dee) Sweet.
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For more information contact cometothegardenworkshops@gmail.com or visit Come to the Garden: Writing Workshops in Nature on Facebook or @come2thegarden on Instagram.
Writing with the Wheel of the Year
Next Circle: Summer Solstice, June 20 @ 4:50pm EST (Zoom)
We're surrounded by cycles. Each day, the sun climbs the Eastern horizon and sets in the West. The moon waxes and wanes. Tides flow in and out in 12-hour windows. The Earth's tilt defines our proximity to the Sun. Daylight shifts, plants emerge and go dormant, wild things hibernate, new things are born.
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There are also cycles within. Our bodies have their own waxings and wanings, as do our hearts. People come in and out of our lives, to varying degrees. We welcome new experiences and let go of others. We create. We surrender. We rest. We mend. Some seasons bring us to our knees. Others push beauty from our seams.
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This writing circle celebrates the ebb and flow of life.
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Beginning with Beltane (May Day), we meet 8 times a year at the 4 solstices and equinoxes (solar holidays) and 4 points between (cross-quarter days). While rooted in pagan Germanic and Celtic traditions, these are moments that resonate with cultures and religions worldwide.
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Meetings are virtual.
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What is a writing circle, anyway?
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I like to think of writing circles as co-held spaces in which to safely explore our voice through words. Though facilitated, they're not designed to "teach" anything--at least, not anything we don't already know. Rather, they help us open to our own inner knowing.
Circles are for writers and "non-writers" alike. Simply put, they're an opportunity to gather and explore the power of our raw and wild words. We connect, we center, we write, we share, we listen, and we see what unfolds. The writing we do is wild and free--no editor, no inner critic, no expectations. Sharing is always optional. While it can be deeply empowering to give voice to what happens on the page, some words are meant to be kept sacred.
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This circle will be facilitated in collaboration with Gina Song, holistic nurse, consciousness advisor, and my own sounding board, friend, and writing partner.
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Our job is simply to set the container. The circle does the rest.
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Typical format:
Opening check-in
Guided meditation
Prompt
15-20 minutes of writing
Sharing (optional) and co-listening
Closing
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Dates:*
April 30-May 2: Beltane
August 1-2: Lughnasadh
September 20-24: Mabon (Autumn Equinox)
October 31 – November 1: Samhain
December 19-23: Yule (Winter Solstice)
February 1-2: Imbolc
March 19-23: Ostara (Spring Equinox)
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* Specific days/times will be posted roughly one month before each circle.
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There's no need to attend every circle, though continuity in self-care (and creative expression is indeed self-care) can be a good thing. ✨
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Each circle lasts between 1.5 and 2 hours and will be kept to roughly 10 people.
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Cost:
Participation is free. Your creative presence is a gift. However, if you feel moved to express your gratitude for those that hold this space, offerings are always welcome. Any money raised will go towards the annual Zoom membership that protects the length of our circles, and further training to help others tap into their full creative potential.
If you would like to make an offering, you can do that here.
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Interested?
Contact info@root-words.com or ping me on Whatsapp.
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About me:
My writing life is a pendulum between nitpicking syntax and releasing into creative flow. As a freelance translator and editor, my work traces the unexpected lines between academia, international development, and art. As a writing doula, I bring my experience alongside other writers in the intuitive birthing of words. Between it all, I walk my dog, mom my two kids, snuggle with my husband, and try to find time to make poems.
Feel free to browse my website here.
