Please join us for RISE: A Feminine Approach to the Craft of Art, a new art show opening Friday, Sept. 7, from 5:30- to 8:30, at 1610 Osceola Streeet., Jacksonville, FL 32204. Women Writing for (a) Change, Jacksonville, is featuring more than 20 different local female artists and their approach to the artistic process. Men welcome to attend this event. Large and small works of art will be offered … [Read more...]
Crafting A New Whole: New Non-Profit Status Will Help Us Grow!
“At every step of the process—whether conceiving, designing, making, maintaining, or repairing—we must always be concerned with the whole....We look at this wholeness, absorb it, try to feel its deep structure. We ask, Which kind of thing we can do next that will do the most to give this wholeness the most positive increase of life?” —Christopher Alexander, cited in The Nature of Poetic … [Read more...]
Why I Do This Work: Writing for (a) Change
Our Writing Topic was Gratitude I could not ask for a better endorsement of what I do than this essay written last Friday by one of the women inmates I work with at the Community Transition Center in downtown Jacksonville. Our writing topic was Gratitude. “Someone told me that there was no Writing for a Change class today, that it was every other Friday. I was disappointed. So I guess they were … [Read more...]
Spring Has Sprung! New Classes, New Oppportunities
“This morning, in the fresh field, I came upon a hidden nest. It held four warm, speckled eggs. I touched them. Then went away softly, having felt something more wonderful than all the electricity of New York City." —Mary Oliver, from the poem With Thanks to the Field Sparrow The Promise of Spring Dear Friends, I’ve been having so much fun watching the birds this spring! … [Read more...]
Truth-Tellers: New Art Show Highlights Women‘s Stories
Truth: There’s More to the Story At a recent writing circle, someone said, “When a woman tells a story, you know you're only hearing the half of it.” The truth is, our lives are complex and complicated. Revealing all the details can sometimes overwhelm the story (and ourselves!). If we decide to leave something out, that’s our prerogative. But when our stories are marginalized, re-worked, … [Read more...]
Happy Holidays: Finding the Joy this Season
“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” — Joseph Campbell Happy Holidays! Celebrating a Year of Joy Each year, I pick a word or phrase that carries me through the year—as many of us do. This year, I was surprised when the card I drew to determine my special word was blank. Through poetry, the phrase, “bountiful opportunities for joy” emerged. Indeed, … [Read more...]