You Are A Writer
We all have a story inside of us. There’s a tale of how you became the person you see in the mirror today. There are challenges you have overcome; some are visible and others are only for you to know.
You had hopes, wishes, and dreams.
Some came true.
Some faded away.
Some are still out there waiting for you to capture them.
I don’t know every Older, Bolder & Better! reader personally. Why am I so confident you are a writer? According to Pat Schneider, founder of the Amherst Writers & Artists™ method, “If you write, you are a writer.” It is one of five essential affirmations of the method. Reading her book, Writing Alone and With Others, (Oxford Press, 2003) I interpreted it to mean, that everyone’s voice deserves to be heard.
I met a poet in an essay writing class a few years ago. Somehow, we made a connection via Zoom. We met “live” a year later. My friend was a long-time AWA enthusiast and encouraged me to join her 4-week writing group. She and her daughter experienced writing with Pat Schneider before she died in 2020. I began the training program the first month of my retirement and became an affiliate facilitating writing groups.
Among the things I hope to accomplish during retirement is to help others have that A-HA moment when they write without apology. My dream is to assist others in dropping negative preambles:
“I know this isn’t good”
“You know, I’m not really a writer”
“This is all I could come up with”
Next month, AWA begins our biggest fundraiser of the year, Write Around the World!
Join a writing group for a suggested donation of $20 or buy a discounted package and attend several programs. The donations support our social justice programs. I currently have two workshops available. My theme is Happiness!
This link will take you directly to the AWA events page. https://amherstwriters.org/write-around-the-world/#!calendar/r
If the May 15th and May 23rd classes fill; I will offer an additional writing group in May.
Whoo hoo to ALL of this!