Destination Unknown is the theme of the women’s writing circles I’m offering in Nanaimo this summer: a writing journey of practice, discovery and possibility. We don’t know where we’ll end up when we begin to write and that’s what makes it all the more fascinating. As poet, essayist and writing teacher Roger Housden says: “The destination is only ever the next step.”

The circles will take place in the living room of the Two Cat Be & Be, our home in Nanaimo, so named because we have two cats. Or, we may be outside in the courtyard garden which right now is full of various coloured rhododendrons. I’ve always loved courtyard gardens whether at the centre of monasteries or Spanish-style houses such as the ones I saw when I visited Turkey. Ours doesn’t have brick walls around it but it does feel enclosed because of its situation on the property and all the trees and flowers surrounding it.

The rhododendrons and golden chain tree will have faded by July but there will be the mulberry tree, the hazelnut, the pink lavatera and purple butterfly bush. And the patio is being expanded so we have an area in which to sit and get to one another through our writing.

The writing circles are a way to sustain your writing practice throughout the summer. Without the same sorts of routines and schedules in the summer, it’s easy to let the various practices that keep us connected to ourselves, fall by the wayside. We bring however we are feeling to the circle and find through listening, writing and having a voice, we’re able to feel inspired and grateful. Whether you want to explore poetry, fiction, journal writing or other forms of life writing, the circle welcomes you.

Though your destination is not clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is one with your life’s desire.

John O’Donohue, “For a New Beginning”

The first three writing circles are on Monday, July 8; Tuesday, July 9; and Wednesday, July 10, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. And there are two dates in August: Wednesday, August 14 and Thursday, August 15, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Each two and half hour session is $45. Although we don’t offer accommodation at the Two Cat Be & Be, if you’re from out of town you could consider staying somewhere in Nanaimo or area and creating a retreat for yourself, writing in the circle in the morning and on your own in the afternoon.

One: Poetry as a Sacred, Contemplative Practice
Monday, July 8, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon

Poetry is many things: our most ancient form of prayer, a teacher and companion as well as a conduit to our inner source of wisdom. “Poems are maps to the place where you already are” poet Jane Hirshfield has said. Poetry is a powerful medicine in its ability to transform, repair and restore as poets put an end to silence. We’ll have a look at the healing nature of poetry and do some writing of poetry inspired by the reading of it. There’s no need to call yourself a poet to join this circle. Be aware though, the circle is a place where unsuspecting poets are born.

Two: Departure: Leaving Home to Find Home
Tuesday, July 9, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon

. . . and there was a new voice,
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world . . .

Mary Oliver, “The Journey”

“Leaving home to find home” is a phrase that describes leaving your everyday routine to connect with your true nature in a setting that honours you. It can mean leaving what doesn’t suit you or serve you any longer to find something that does such as a job, a relationship, a way of life. We’ll reflect and re-imagine as we write in the circle inspired by poets, storytellers and mythologists.

Three: The Pilgrim’s Way
Wednesday, July 10, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon

We are not different from our ancestors,
they are still here, coded inside us.
They are, I believe,
cheering us on.

Christina Baldwin, Calling the Circle

As you write you may remember and even dedicate your writing to your ancestors and teachers who have tended the earth before you. Among them you may include the names of goddesses, saints or other spiritual teachers. Other ancestors and teachers may be your allies in nature such as flowers, trees, rocks, rivers. “The Pilgrim’s Way” is about becoming one with all who have gone before and to finding kinship with all our relations.

Four: Maps of the Possible
Wednesday, August, 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon

I have come to believe that we are given
certain stories to write: that regardless of
genre or length, these stories seek us out.

Betsy Warland, “Twenty Pages and a Razor Blade,” Body & Soul

You have something to say that only you can say. We’ll have a look at the various approaches you can take to life writing: poetry, personal essays and genre-defying memoirs such as those by Susan Musgrave, Amy Krause Rosenthal , Wendy Morton and Sarah J. Clark whose life writing is in the form of a periodical entitled Compendium: Ideas from a Curious Life.

Five: Maps of the Imagination
Thursday, August 15, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon

We spread the couplets on the table,
arranged into a story we can live with.

Mary Ann Moore, “His Own Table”

When we begin to write, we don’t know where we’ll end up. We set out to say one thing and end up with unseen forces guiding us in a different direction. It’s those surprising swerves that can keep us going, longing to find out what happens next. As we write, we reclaim our story and even, re-imagine it, to create a story we can live with.

Registration for “Destination Unknown” Circles

Send me an email to let me know what circles you’re available for and follow up with payment which can be done by cheque or by sending an e-transfer. Each circle is $45. Please send your cheque made out to Mary Ann Moore to 3350 Hickman Place, Nanaimo, B.C. V9T 3Y1. Please note, once I’ve received your payment, and if your plans change, the fee will act as a credit towards a future circle. If the circle doesn’t go ahead due to lack of enrolment, your fee will be refunded.

I find great delight in seeing people awaken their creative potential. I look forward to continuing the writing journey with those who come to the weekly writing circles and others who are new to the circle, weaving support for one another.