A Writer's Community
Through my annual writing retreat, Writing, Creativity and Ritual, a community of nearly 100 women has formed. We call ourselves the Turtleweavers. Turtle because like the turtle, creativity is a slow process and you have to stick out your neck to get any place! And weavers, well, that's easy -- because we weave stories.
Many of us Turtles, as we call ourselves, stay linked through email and get togethers like the one we had last weekend in New York City. Not everyone can make these get togethers because we come from all over the world. From New York to California, to Australia, Italy and the Netherlands. But when we meet, no matter how few, we always feel the creativity of the circle of Turtleweavers.
Last Saturday we met in one of the women's apartments for a Musicale. Sheila is a concert pianist and Marti a professional singer who had all but given up singing. And then she came on a retreat. She wasn't a writer but she came anyway, and over the years of her returning to retreats, she gradually began singing again. But her great coming out was this weekend at our Musicale. What a glorious, inspiring and fun afternoon!
The Musicale was held in the memory of a dear Turtle, Sue Southward, who has quite suddenly died two days after Christmas. We began our afternoon with a Turtleweaver circle for Sue and also Teresa, who died earlier in the year. It was so wonderful being in the circle once more. We felt together, a community. Every Turtleweaver who had ever been on a retreat was with us in the circle... at least her Inner Writer was... and our creative fires filled the room as we said goodbye to Sue. Yet we knew that Sue, like Teresa, will be with us always. They are part of a community of women who are driven by their passion to write.
Then the glorious strains of Marti's voice and Sheila's piano filled the room and rose up from the floor, vibrated through the air and brought us all to amazing heights. Being in such a small space with such powerful music, so close it literally vibrates your body, is a truly amazing experience.
As I sat listening to the creativity and talent of Sheila and Marti and the joy of their performance, I thought, yes, this is what the retreat is about. This uniting, this dance is what our writing and our community and our friendships are about. More than anything, it is an expression of the fullness of our creativity and the joy with which we share it.
Thank you, Marti and Sheila. You are talented, creative, beautiful women!! Thank you for the show!
I urge you all to find people who share your joy of writing and creativity. It makes all the difference.
on the journey!
Emily
Emily has been teaching creative writing for over twenty-five years. She is the author of eight books of fiction, including Petersburg, (Putnams) which was translated into several languages and reached the best sellers list in England. Her latest book, The Art of Fiction Writing or How to Fall Down the Rabbit Hole Without Really Trying, is based on her twenty-five years of teaching creative writing and leading writers on the creative journey. Her novels, The Swing and The Wing and the Flame have been re-released. Her weeklong writing retreat for women, Writing, Creativity and Ritual, will be held in Montana, August 7-14 2004 and in Glastonbury, England in July, 2005. Her ongoing writing workshops are in Westchester County, New York. Emily works with writers around the country on the phone and teaches at the International Women’s Writing Guild conference at Skidmore College.
Many of us Turtles, as we call ourselves, stay linked through email and get togethers like the one we had last weekend in New York City. Not everyone can make these get togethers because we come from all over the world. From New York to California, to Australia, Italy and the Netherlands. But when we meet, no matter how few, we always feel the creativity of the circle of Turtleweavers.
Last Saturday we met in one of the women's apartments for a Musicale. Sheila is a concert pianist and Marti a professional singer who had all but given up singing. And then she came on a retreat. She wasn't a writer but she came anyway, and over the years of her returning to retreats, she gradually began singing again. But her great coming out was this weekend at our Musicale. What a glorious, inspiring and fun afternoon!
The Musicale was held in the memory of a dear Turtle, Sue Southward, who has quite suddenly died two days after Christmas. We began our afternoon with a Turtleweaver circle for Sue and also Teresa, who died earlier in the year. It was so wonderful being in the circle once more. We felt together, a community. Every Turtleweaver who had ever been on a retreat was with us in the circle... at least her Inner Writer was... and our creative fires filled the room as we said goodbye to Sue. Yet we knew that Sue, like Teresa, will be with us always. They are part of a community of women who are driven by their passion to write.
Then the glorious strains of Marti's voice and Sheila's piano filled the room and rose up from the floor, vibrated through the air and brought us all to amazing heights. Being in such a small space with such powerful music, so close it literally vibrates your body, is a truly amazing experience.
As I sat listening to the creativity and talent of Sheila and Marti and the joy of their performance, I thought, yes, this is what the retreat is about. This uniting, this dance is what our writing and our community and our friendships are about. More than anything, it is an expression of the fullness of our creativity and the joy with which we share it.
Thank you, Marti and Sheila. You are talented, creative, beautiful women!! Thank you for the show!
I urge you all to find people who share your joy of writing and creativity. It makes all the difference.
on the journey!
Emily
Emily has been teaching creative writing for over twenty-five years. She is the author of eight books of fiction, including Petersburg, (Putnams) which was translated into several languages and reached the best sellers list in England. Her latest book, The Art of Fiction Writing or How to Fall Down the Rabbit Hole Without Really Trying, is based on her twenty-five years of teaching creative writing and leading writers on the creative journey. Her novels, The Swing and The Wing and the Flame have been re-released. Her weeklong writing retreat for women, Writing, Creativity and Ritual, will be held in Montana, August 7-14 2004 and in Glastonbury, England in July, 2005. Her ongoing writing workshops are in Westchester County, New York. Emily works with writers around the country on the phone and teaches at the International Women’s Writing Guild conference at Skidmore College.
posted by Emily Hanlon at
1/05/2004 11:17:00 AM
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