writing circle
Crew of Collaborators: Carol Xu & Meg Buzzi
Origin Date — January 2021
The Writing Circle is an incubator for finding and expressing your voice as a person, as a practitioner, as a thought leader, as a member of society. You can come here to ground yourself in your body, in your curiosity and tap into the innate creativity that is already within you, Come here to hear your voice, celebrate your voice and allow your authentic self to emerge amongst other emerging authentic selves. “Writing” here is broadly defined -- while many of us do choose to express ourselves in words during this time, we value all forms of self-expression. Sometimes we draw, or move, or sing, or…
The Writing Circle is a place to create, tell & embody new stories -- our world, our systems, our institutions are built on the backs of stories. Stories that we all choose to believe in (often unconsciously). These stories are powerful -- they often determine our individual and collective values, where we live, the careers we pursue and the work that is valued in the world. What happens when we write from our bodies? Do new stories get told? What happens when we tell the stories of the world we yearn to bring into being?
The Writing Circle is a place to manifest life-affirming work that aligns with your story -- when we hear our voice & give it legitimacy, when we breathe oxygen into a new story, new paths and opportunities reveal themselves. What once felt like a dual or triple existence starts to meld into one aligned, whole being. Forever messy & complex, yet aligned in inner work, life’s work and task work. On what, with whom and where do you want to spend your limited, precious energy?
“Writing is an opportunity to celebrate”, said Carol. “An opportunity to slow down, look back and see what you’ve done. So much is lost when we withhold the gems of learnings in our work and life journeys… everyone has a story to tell and everyone can be a thought leader in something.”
How we gather
Tuesdays every other week — 4:00pm-5:30pm Pacific Time // 7:00pm-8:30pm Eastern Time
Fridays every other week — 10:00am - 11:30am Pacific Time // 1:00pm - 2:30pm Eastern Time
The Writing Circle meets twice a week, every other week for 90 min on Zoom. We begin each session with a moment of embodied grounding, after which we offer an optional prompt to begin your writing and expression. We then take ~45 mins to write, express, create. Some of us might go into breakout rooms together to co-write (we offer a structure for this). We then come back together for an echoing -- a magical time, when we get to share what has emerged for us, and hear our resonant words echoed back to us. It’s so simple, yet profound.
The writing circle’s structure is inspired by the Gateless Method, which Stephanie was exposed to through an embodied writer’s retreat with her teachers Kate Gray and Sarah Byrden.
Invite us into your water.
Invite us into your dreaming.
Let us make space for new understandings.
Let us explore the picture together.
Let us tend to fledgling aspirations so that they may light your way more brilliantly.
Let us bring language to the ephemeral and idiosyncratic process of becoming and learning.
Let us commune with ideas and untangle the gifts and gems inside our thoughts.
Let us be channels for clarity of feeling and for the highest expressions of creativity.
May we invigorate and grow the magic seeded in your invention.
May we be, together, verbal cartographers of this new world.
