A Poet’s Nanaimo
The Nourished Writer: Be Part of a Community
Writing is a solitary practice that can really benefit from some time with other writers to receive encouragement and support for the passion you share.When I facilitated a writing circle in Vernon, B.C. in the spring, I was glad to see poet Lesley-Anne Evans again...
The Nourished Writer: Writing as Devotion
The word “discipline” is often mentioned when it comes to describing a writing practice. Writers give themselves a word count to aim for or a designated amount of time. I prefer the word “devotion.” The word "discipline" conjures up diligence and reprimand whereas...
The Nourished Writer: Honour the Process
In the Summer issue of The New Quarterly, ten years ago, I was happy to see an interview with Susan Musgrave in which she said that writing for her is about the process, or at least that’s her intent.Susan said: “Writing, for me, is, and should be, about process. But...
The Nourished Writer: A Conversation with Anxiety
It may be that we avoid getting back to our writing practice as we’re anxious about what will come up in the silence. Creating a ceremony as a container for your writing practice offers something predictable in the realm of creativity which can take us into the...
The Nourished Writer: Your Own Tea House Practice
When Sarah and I lived in Guelph, Ontario, we enjoyed walks from our house on Kirkland Street to the Bookshelf downtown, over at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in the north end of town(where I had a writing studio), and at the Arboretum at the University of Guelph.At the...
The Nourished Writer
The motto for the Writing Life circles I facilitate is: Nourish Yourself. Honour Your Voice. Write Your Stories.“Nourish” is the word sitting with me these days as I’m considering rest as an essential part of the nourishment in one’s writing life. A prose poem I...