Transforming Silence into Language and Action
Becoming a shepherd of truths as I return again to the wisdom of Audre Lorde
Once again this year I am starting off my global online “Women Write the World” class with the inspiring words of the great Audre Lorde, who was never afraid to say what needed to be said.
In “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action,” originally delivered as a talk at the 1977 Modern Language Association conference, she begins by talking about her scary cancer diagnosis, back in the days when breast cancer was almost always a death sentence.
She realizes that what she would regret most, upon death, would be those moments when she had remained silent, though she had something to say.
Determined to give herself permission to speak her truth, despite her fear, she says:
My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you….
But that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is also the source of our greatest strength. Because the machine will try to grind you into dust anyway, whether or not we speak. We can sit in our corners mute forever while our sisters and our selves are wasted, while our children are distorted and destroyed, while our Earth is poisoned; we can sit in our safe corners mute as bottles, and we will still be no less afraid….
We can learn to work and speak when we are afraid in the same way that we have learned to work and speak when we are tired. For we have been socialized to respect fear more than our own needs for language and definition, and while we wait in silence for that final luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us.
Last week I shared Lorde’s words with a class of young people from troubled places like Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and the United States, where the fear of the visibility that comes from speaking one’s truth is very real.
When I taught this class last fall, several brilliant young women from Afghanistan joined us. This year there are no students from Afghanistan, and for me their absence, their silencing, speaks volumes.
In so many places in the world, we live in such a polarized social landscape that whatever you think or say, it seems that about half the population will disagree with you. And in many places, the escalation from disagreement to disappearance, from words to weapons, is terrifyingly rapid.
Can I, in good conscience, encourage the young people I am working with to follow Lorde’s advice to speak up, to become visible, despite fear of the consequences?
No.
What I can do, and am trying to do, is to create a safe space within our online classroom, where each of us can speak honestly with each other, knitting together the kind of circle that Lorde spoke of when she wrote:
For every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences.
And it was the concern and caring of all those women which gave me strength and enabled me to scrutinize the essentials of my living.
It is essential to have the support of a community to help you gain the confidence to speak your truth. It can be crucial at first—and maybe for a long time—to build up your strength by preaching to a trusted choir.
There is not a whole lot I can do to calm the raging waters of the digisphere writ large.
But I can “transform silence into language and action” in my own little corner of the world—physical and virtual—by speaking my truth when and where I can, encouraging others to do the same, and creating small pockets of safe space where these truths can emerge.
Part of my role, as a shepherd of truths, is to welcome the half-formed, the inchoate, the incoherent, the messy—the draft.
Truth-telling is a process, and there is nothing easy, smooth or facile about it.
In order to begin to understand your own messy truths, and to develop the ability to shape those truths into a form that others will be able to hear and take into their hearts, sharing is essential.
All this to say that in this week of turmoil and danger out in the physical and virtual worlds, I am at once honoring the importance of speaking one’s truth, and recognizing the necessity of creating safe spaces of caring people with whom you can blow gently on new sparks of insight, coaxing them into steady light.
That is what we’ll be doing together in the darkness of the New Moon this September 21, which also marks the Fall Equinox and a powerful solar eclipse.
With Balance as our theme, I’ll offer some thought-provoking prompts for an hour of writing and reflection, aimed at providing nourishment for the month ahead.
Come join us!
Yours in the transformation of silence into language and action,
Jennifer
Come Riding & Writing with me in 2026!
Drumroll please for Riding & Writing in Italy, May 24-31, 2026!
Come with me for a week at an ancient castle turned into a luxurious equestrian resort, tucked into the rolling hills near Orvieto where Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio meet.
We’ll ride out into the countryside in the morning (there is also an arena for those who prefer lessons); write after our delicious lunch at the castle; and hop in the van to explore the region in the long late afternoons of springtime, including a trip to the fabulous hot spring spa at Vulci.
It’s a creative tonic and a boost for mind, body and spirit! Non-riders also welcome, there are many other delights to enjoy at the Castello di Santa Cristina!
Click here for all the details, including the RSVP link to hold your spot. Space is limited—if you want to join, don’t delay!
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.