The ROAR that leads to writing/righting the world
When your outrage and sorrow cracks you open....
Flaco, the giant Eurasian Eagle Owl who escaped last year from the Central Park Zoo, died this week after crashing into a glass-lined building that he couldn't see.
His death prompted a long article in the New York Times about how glass towers are ceaseless death factories for birds of all sizes, all the time.
When I learned that we have the technology to make the glass visible to birds without impeding the view of humans on the inside, my inner child stamped in frustration. If we have the technology to stop this on-going massacre of birds, why aren't we using it?
Apparently, co-op boards and tenants are arguing about this issue. To me it seems quite black and white. Bird populations are crashing because of human pressure everywhere in the world; here is a small piece of the problem that we know how to solve. Let's do it!
Waking to the bleak news of Flaco's oh-so-avoidable death propelled me to sit down and my desk and write my outrage and sorrow.
Sadly, it often it takes a shocking event to wake me out of whatever self-absorbed stupor or complacency I tend to fall into, going about my routinized days.
There is so much to be outraged about these days.
The senseless death of Flaco followed hard upon the far more tragic deaths of trans teenager Nex Benedict and imprisoned political activist Aleksei Navalny, and all the while the bombs keep exploding in Ukraine and Gaza.
Again, my inner child wails: why are humans so vicious to each other? Why can't we respect and accept each other? Why can't we talk through our differences, instead of reverting to tribalism and violence?
And meanwhile, as we humans continue shouting at each other and resorting to violence, the planet continues to blow past all known tipping points of climate heating—another problem that we know how to fix, if only we could come together in common purpose and get the job done.
It is easy for me to become overwhelmed with all the problems of the world. To maintain my sanity, I try to zero in on what I can do in my own little sphere, trusting that the ripples from my small action will go out and create broader change.
For example, when I witnessed the death of a bird who crashed into my kitchen window after leaving my bird feeder, I used materials at hand to make my window more visible.
Sure, it's a little unsightly for me, but it's so much better than standing by and doing nothing as birds continue to mistake my window for the open air.
If you pay attention to what is happening in our world, it's likely that at some point your heart will crack open, and out of that pain will come the fierce desire to take action, if only by picking up your pen and sharing your pain and outrage with others.
In 2024, this year of the Dragon, I suspect we are all going to be moved quite often to ROAR.
My four-session Bioneers Learning class, "Speak Your Truth!" will focus on using writing and public speaking to move others and turn your little ripple into a broader wave of action for social and environmental justice. It starts on March 1 and you are most welcome to join!
Now is our time to do what we can, where we are, with what we have—to honor the fallen by holding them in our hearts, where they will catalyze our work to make a better future for all.
yours in the heartache,
Jennifer
Come Write and Speak Your Truth with Me this March!
In my new four-session Bioneers Learning course, Speak Your Truth! Leadership, Writing & Public Speaking for Social and Environmental Justice, you’ll learn how to channel your passions into eloquent, persuasive writing and speech.
March 1 is the first of four Friday morning online sessions, culminating with an optional in-person gathering at the 35th Annual Bioneers Conference in Berkeley CA at the end of March. Class participants will receive 75% off registration to the 3-day conference!
Register for the conference here.
Register for my four-session Speak Your Truth course here.
Come ROAR with me!
Come with me to Tuscany this spring!
If purposeful memoir is more your style, you are welcome to join me for a fabulous Il Chiostro writing workshop May 25 - June 1, 2024 at the luxurious Borgo San Fedele, a meticulously restored monastery set in exquisite gardens amid a classic Tuscan landscape of olive groves and vineyards.
Our days will unfold in a perfect balance of guided writing and productive sharing; excursions guided by our Il Chiostro hosts to nearby picturesque medieval towns; coming home to San Fedele to relax by the pools and gardens, eat delicious meals and visit with new friends; and taking time for your own contemplative writing and thinking.
You’ll come away from this magical sojourn simultaneously enlivened and relaxed, with a deeper understanding of your purpose in writing memoir, along with many pages of new writing providing a plethora of potential doorways into the story of your life.
More information (and beautiful photos) here.
Ready to book? Click here.
Come Riding & Writing with me in Iceland this June!
Give your creative spirit the tonic it needs with an all-inclusive week of RIDING and WRITING in the spectacular Icelandic countryside, in the height of the bright summer season, June 10 – 16, 2024.
Every day we’ll ride out on sturdy, sweet Icelandic horses through the expansive rolling vistas of western Iceland, led by our experienced guides from Hestaland. Once you’ve experienced the exhilaration of the fast, smooth tolt, a gait unique to Icelandic horses, you may not want to go back to the trot!
We’ll eat delicious meals together at the beautiful Hestaland Guesthouse and participate in thoughtful, open-hearted guided writing sessions.
There will also be plenty of time for sharing and discussing your writing projects and visiting the nearby hot spring spa at Krauma.
Learn more about costs and accommodations on the application form.
Whether you’ve been to Iceland many times, or this will be your first experience there, this trip is sure to be transformative!
More information (and beautiful photos) here. Email me with any questions!
Friends, it’s my pleasure and my passion to support you as we stretch towards living our lives creatively and to the fullest.
The motto of my author consulting business is “Writing to Right the World,” and the motto of my book publishing business, Green Fire Press, is “Books that Make the World Better.”
If these intentions resonate with you and you are working on a book, or have one in mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Supporting creative people bring their work more strongly out into the world is one way I try to make the world better….
Well said!! And so true….