Writing Ourselves Whole

A facilitator's gratitude

2008-06-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

This week is the last meeting of this Spring's Write Whole (survivors) and Declaring Our Erotic workshops -- and this is the second write I did last night with my DOE writers, how grateful I am to get to do this work:


Write #2, 6/24/08:

All I can think of is the time we first gathered around this fire and
snuck our way through the worry and possibility into new words
and voices, when we strung ourselves out onto tightropes of fear and
 walked straight into an empty rent-by-the-hour room in the new gay
center downtown and we sat our chairs in a circle and hadn’t yet spilled
 our lust all over and down the fronts of our shirts for everyone else to see.
 We were risking more than we were aware of in that moment, when we
pulled a pen out of our back pockets or dug one out of our bags or snuck
one off the table and we set it to the blank page and we said, “This is
what I think erotic writing can do.”  All I can think of is the time I first
sat in the circle of erotic word makers and then we lifted our pens up
off the page after 7 minutes of scratching and scrawling, just 7 minutes
and the whole world was changed because these folks and hope enough
to write an answer down and then joy and brazen careening flying-fuck
kind of optimism enough to open their mouths and let those same scrawled
words come pushing up through ht heart and lungs, formed by lips and teeth,
into our right now hearing.  And in the aftermath, I said “What stayed?” and
then and ten and then – people risked answering – cause the saying what stays,
 what you remember, is a risk, too, and the shared gifts in that room were
tangible and effervescent, innumerable and yet I tried to write them all
down and there’s nothing hot about this writing / not really / except I still
get caught in that joy     the way that we honor one another’s craftsmanship and
 craftwomanselves, one another’s optimism and grief, one another’s hotness
and brilliance and yes we are forever these writers right now and in the
process of exactly this writing we change and it’s exactly that inoculation
against stagnation that brings me back here    how it’s always already new
 and surprising         how it seems like I know what’s going to
happen but really I just have a vague sense of a potential starting point
and some grapes and crackers to snack on and then we fly and we fly
into the words, we jump and groan into the flames, we lift our hands
back up, sticky and sweaty, and we get to show of        yes       
what magic we’ve done.

thanks, y'all. thanks for reading, and thanks for writing!

This Wednesday, June 18: Thriving Against the Odds!

2008-06-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a gorgeous event, folks -- come on down to the Dolores Park Cafe and share in the fierceness of survivor voices and strength!

Thriving Against the Odds
A Co-Fundraiser for
CUAV and the SF TransMarch

Celebrating and honoring visibility and safety in our queer and trans communities!

Wednesday, June 18TH 7-10PM
Hosted by the Dolores Park Cafe (corner of 18th and Dolores, San Francisco)
$10-50 Sliding Scale

FEATURING:
Community Volunteer Award Winner Ms. Sarah D. as our MC
And performers Jen Cross, Dorian Katz, Jeff Jacobson, Redwolf Painter, Mr. TuffNSTuff, Alex Cafarelli, Celestina Pearl, Connie Champagne, Raffle prizes from Babeland, Writing Ourselves Whole, Good Vibrations and more.

This will be an amazing event! Help support the organizations that support us!

For more for more information visit www.CUAV.org and TransMarch.org

Fearless Words: A free writing workshop for women survivors (with SFWAR!)

2008-05-15T15:16:00.001-07:00

San Francisco Women Against Rape is offering our Fearless Words Creative Writing Workshop for women survivors of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and child sexual abuse. Beginning June 4 (just two weeks away!) Eight Wednesdays, 6-8pm at The Women's Building San Francisco (18th and Valencia) Woman-identified writers of all levels are invited to attend this workshop created especially for survivors of sexual violence to discover our voices, create political dialogue and develop our craft as writers, while using writing as a medium of healing and transformation. Facilitated by Jen Cross, this group is free, wheelchair accessible, and runs 8 weeks. Call Lisa at 415/861-2024 ext. 302 for a short intake interview or for more information. Thank you!

Call for submissions: Rain and Thunder

2008-05-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here're the details on a couple of upcoming issues of Rain and Thunder: A Journal of Feminist Discussion and Activism.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Rain and Thunder Collective
> Date: Tue May 13, 2008 4:47:56 PM US/Pacific
> To: rainandthunder@yahoo.com
> Subject: Rain and Thunder Call for Contributions
>
> Call for Contributions
>
> Take part and help spread the word! Write for Rain and Thunder!
>
> Issue #39: Body and Size Oppression
>
> Deadline: June 5, 2008
> What are radical feminist perspectives on body and size oppression?
> Body size and body image issues? How are these affected by our race,
> class, sexuality, etc? How does size and fat oppression impact and
> weaken our communities? What is the relationship we want to have with
> our bodies? How can we strategically resist and radically transform
> what society says about our bodies?
>
> Issue #40: 10-Year Anniversary Issue
>
> Deadline: September 1, 2008
> Send us your letters of congratulations & support as well as your
> words and thoughts: What has Rain and Thunder meant to you? How has
> the journal helped you thrive, inspired activism, and/or furthered
> your political process? What have been your favorite issues, themes,
> and articles? What would you like to see in the next 10 years of Rain
> and Thunder?
>
>
> Please take part and share your voice with Rain and Thunder!
> Contributions can be sent by mail to the:
>
> Rain and Thunder Collective
> PO Box 674
> Northampton, MA 01061
> rainandthunder@yahoo.com
> www.rainandthunder.org
>
>
>

Erotic/sensuality writing workshops begin next week!

2008-04-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

EDIT: Note new workshop start dates!

There are still spaces available in both of the Writing Ourselves Whole sensuality/erotic writing workshops that begin next Tuesday, 5/6, and Wednesday, 5/7 -- please spread the word!

Register at http://www.writingourselveswhole.org/Contact.htm!

Declaring Our Erotic begins Tuesday evening, May 6. Open to folks of all sexualities and all genders!

Raw Silk: Women write desire begins Wednesday morning, May 7. Open to all women.

Workshops meet in downtown San Francisco in an accessible, BART-friendly location. Write to jennifer (at) writingourselveswhole (dot) org, or visit www.writingourselveswhole.org, for more information about the workshops or your facilitator, Jen Cross.

Here's what some folks have said about these workshops:

Magic happens here, that's the thing. We explore the politics of desire in the most amazing ways. Jen's workshops are good nourishment for the soul and creativity, as well as really empowering and FUN!!! Go toward the fun..... -- Cayenne

The chance to integrate erotica and language, out loud in community, every week, is such a human delight and relief--it can lead us to unexpected discoveries, both inside us and out there in the world. --LB

Interested? Or know someone else who might be? Send me a note at jennifer@writingourselveswhole.org, and I can tell you whatever you'd like to know about how to get some more erotic writing into your week days.

Community and remembrances

2008-04-27T17:03:00.001-07:00

(a slightly longer version of this got posted on my livejournal -- katasutra.livejournal.com)

Thank you, Kathleen -- thanks to your love and your consistent spirit and to the ways you have affected my life, without my even knowing it.

Yesterday was Kathleen Bolton's memorial service, and one of the things I'd like to spend some time writing about community -- community in all its bigness and struggle and frustration & magnificence. There's been a community sustaining me here in the bay area since I moved here, though I've felt on the outside. There's a community of family & the dearest of friends forged over the past two decades (and then some, I suppose, with respct to the blood family, huh?) that I'm only just now, maybe, allowing to filter into the hardened-est, most vulnerable edges of my heart. The community that showed up here in SF for the Body Heat show just about tore my heart out, it was so gorgeous and celebratory -- and then the communities we got to touch into as we crossed the country: San Diego, Minneapolis, Columbia, Columbus, Easthampton, Boston, Providence, Philly, D.C., Atlanta -- even those we didn't meet directly (Milwaukee, Asheville and the folks listening to Diana Cage's radio show there in the morning's wee hours) -- the love and support was deep and present and nearly unquestioned.

And ok, sure -- sometimes, for survivor girl over here, it's hard to trust, to believe in, that kind of presence of spirit and appreciation, that unadulterated love, that faith & yes there was trust -- the kind that offers food and home to strangers, the kind that shows up to listen and offers cheers, the kind that welcomed us at each and every stop (truly).

And so it was clear to me, after I learned during the tour about Kathleen's terribly untimely death, that I needed to be present at her memorial ceremony -- I never got the chance to meet her, but she was, as it turns out, part of the community I've been sustained by here in the Bay Area: one of the queer women's communities, one of the femme-butch communities, one of the s/m-kink communities -- and she was friend to many of the folks I know and care about, and I am aware now of just how much I missed at not having the chance to ever meet her in person.

Kathleen lived absolutely within love and presence and faith, it certainly sounds to me -- and while I know that folks can be lauded after death as their many faults are conveniently ignored, the large turnout at her memorial service yesterday as well as the conversations I've had with friends and colleagues spell out for me that Kathleen was, in fact, a good good good hearted woman, someone who's example I'd like to have had the opportunity to emulate directly, but who nonetheless has inspired me to be more present in exactly the life I want to be living, and present in creating the kind of communities and societies can sustain us all.

So here's my one first big hug to all of y'all -- let's catch up soon, ok? I miss you...

Three snaps up for the Phase 1!

2008-04-17T03:03:00.000-07:00

(who remembers what that means, even ... am I just dating myself? :)

So much love to all the folks at D.C.'s Phase 1 ("oldest lesbian bar on the east coast!") for welcoming and treating Body Heat so kindly! We had the fiercest kind of love for & from y'all, esp. given that this was our first show with our Celestina back (no pun intended there, folks...)!

Angela, Kris & all the rest of y'all -- thank you thank you thank you. The Phase opened specially on a Wednesday night, just for our show, and we hope it was more than worth it! V. got to come home into the loving arms of friends & community -- it's just what we need as we're pushing down through into the final two shows!

Much love and many thanks, too, to the folks at the Tritone in Philly! We had an intimate and dear crowd, many of whom stuck around after the show to chat us up and make offers some of us found difficult to refuse... :)

One more hard-driving day and then we're at the Eyedrum in Atlanta tonight -- K. gets to come home! So much love to all the folks at D.C.'s Phase 1 ("oldest lesbian bar on the east coast!") for welcoming and treating Body Heat so kindly! We had the fiercest kind of love for & from y'all, esp. given that this was our first show with our Celestina back (no pun intended there, folks...)!

I got to connect with a good old friend from high school, one of those folks who, without knowing it, made life bearable (and that's no exaggeration), so the fact that he came & stayed & very well may have even enjoyed is a thing I think I have yet to find words for...

Angela, Kris & all the rest of y'all -- thank you thank you thank you. The Phase opened specially on a Wednesday night, just for our show, and we hope it was more than worth it! V. got to come home into the loving arms of friends & community -- it's just what we need as we're pushing down through into the final two shows!

Much love and many thanks, too, to the folks at the Tritone in Philly! We had an intimate and dear crowd, many of whom stuck around after the show to chat us up and make offers some of us found difficult to refuse... :)

One more hard-driving day and then we're at the Eyedrum in Atlanta tonight -- K. gets to come home!

so much to say about being on tour

2008-04-15T11:09:00.001-07:00

... and who can get it down in words? and I'm too caffeinated and not breakfasted/lunched enough to type very well...

from 4/14:

Easthampton (thanks Calvin! :), Boston (thanks, Aliza!), and then a workshop at MIKO (such amazing writers) & then a performance at BROWN UNIVERSITY (can you stand it? Thank you, Kristen! We were in a lecture -- so fantastic. All I could think was, Will their version of the Review be there? :)

Tonight we get to go on Diana Cage's Sirius satellite radio show: www.sirius.com/outq fmi -- they want you to subscribe, but it looks like you can sign up for a free trial... we're supposed to arrive at 11pm, and we go on the air at midnight.

then philly, dc, atlanta and then we end in asheville -- can it be that we only have four shows left? Lord -- how to go back to "real life" after this?

Oh -- the Pi is my new home...

2008-04-09T00:42:00.000-07:00

... or could be.

It's 2:30am and we have to be on the road at 7, and still...

What a show -- so so many thanks to Shannon Blowtorch & Tara & Bennie at the Pi Bar. PEOPLE -- when you're in Minneapolis, get you to the Pi Bar. An amazing performance venue/bar/restaurant & music that will not let you get off the floor if the dancing is happening. Thank you Annie for the goodie bag!

Thank you Blowtorch & T. for the quarters & hospitality & tunes!

The Pi & the Twin-Cities Femme Mafia hosted V & I tonight for the third leg of the Body Heat tour -- Kathleen rested her ailing self for one more day and so we brought her CD & her words, as we did with Celestina's -- we miss you both!

We could not have been more welcomed and well-received here -- and next time I come, I'm getting that tater-tot hot dish, I tell you what.

THANK YOUs to our incredible special guests:

Mashinda, who brought Kathleen's opening poem into the room with a deep kind of ferocious energy that I SO hope you keep on rocking!!

Jess, a so-called virgin to the mic, so clear and comfortable up there on the stage, with pieces that tore my heart up in all the good ways...

Jamez, a sister-porn writer who shared his fierce poetry and strong, showering energy (and wonderful hugs!)

and yes, yes, Zakiya, whose fresh poetry nearly brought me to tears. I really want a copy of that one...

Oh. What to do with so much shared energy, community -- with this exchange of words and power and space and love?

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We're off tomorrow, back down 35 to Columbia, for our postponed show -- hooray for the Rag Tag! This was a quick visit/reminder that up north here, winter lasts a long time... :)

We're coming to Minnesota!

2008-04-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

Thunderstorms in Columbia, MO this morning -- it's s gorgeous to be in the midwest in the spring!

Today we're off to Minneapolis for our show up there, then tomorrow we head back down to Columbia for a postponed/rescheduled show here! The weather goddess conspired against us on Sunday: snow in Vail meant a slower start than we needed to comfortably make the originally-scheduled performance in Columbia, so we'll be coming back here for an earlier gig on Wednesday.

Please send your good, healing thoughts to Kathleen, who is having to rest and sleep to recover from some sick!! Kathleen says to call this "The Sick C*ck Tour."

Unfortunately, we *won't* be going to Milwaukee -- we hadn't heard that anyone had registered for our workshop there, and had to make the difficult decision to cancel that show! I really hope we can make it back there for the next tour!

Things I want to remember to say:
- there are cardinals in Missouri! I haven't heard them in years, and nearly cried when their strong song pealed through me yesterday at the Uprise Cafe (attached to the Rag Tag Theater, & a wonderful place for a femme on tour to sit outside & write).

- Interstate-quick meetings with fathers can be good for the soul.

- SO SO SO many thanks to: Meliza Benales, who BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN in SF; Lorelei Lee, our amazing SF show opener; and the gorgeous Miss Amelia Paradise, who strip-teased us up to the highest heights at the midpoint of the SF show.

- We miss Celestina! Veronica brought her energy, her piece, to San Diego, & she's coming to Minnesota the same way...

I miss F!, & I miss home, and I'm more excited about this trip than I can say. :)

love love love -
Jen

Body Heat melts the snow

2008-04-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

I'm writing to you from Vail, CO, where we were SNOWED IN last night (I-70 closed & highway patrol directing folks off the road at 1am). Fresh! helped finagle us a room in a hotel& spa, so though we're not terribly rested, we're at least clean and good-smelling! :)

We had a small show in San Diego at this wicked cute sex shoppe, The Rubber Rose, and it was beautiful! Now we're pushing through our second long long day of driving, from Colorado to Missouri. We were supposed to stay at my dad's place last night, just outside of Denver, but were thwarted by the weather goddess. The pass is open now though, and so we can get back on the road. Maybe we will be able to see my dad the interstate just for a hug... :)

Incredible scenery yesterday, and the kinds of conversations you can only have in the car.

Tonight's show's in Columbia! And then a day of rest...

Thank you SF & SD! Body Heat's heading out toward the Midwest!

2008-04-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

I want to write more and longer about the two tour dates so far -- the standing-room-only crowd in San Francisco's Center for Sex and Culture (www.centerforsexandculture.org) who sent us out & off with the most extraordinary energy; the gorgeous, dedicated crowd at the Rubber Rose here in San Diego, who gathered in to each other and opened up to us as we performed... *however*, we have a 16 hour drive tomorrow (and that's without stops!) & so I will try to say more once we are safely ensconced in Missouri, day after tomorrow.

Thank you to Carol & Robert, to the ladies at the Rubber Rose (Carly!). Thank you T.K & Mo! Thank you to my co-performers Veronica & Kathleen -- & Celestina, we miss you! Veronica read your piece this evening to & with so much love...

Body Heat: queer femme tour kicks off tomorrow, 4/3

2008-04-02T15:43:00.001-07:00

I have the great privilege of being a part of the Body Heat: Femme Porn Tour, which kicks off here in San Francisco tomorrow, 4/3, at the Center for Sex and Culture at 7pm.

Femmes, as some of us know, still bear an interesting burden of invisibility -- our right to call ourselves dykes is called into question sometimes even still, because we don't bear the masculine markers of more "visible" dykes (which turns into an interesting paradox), and our sexual agency is still, I think, considered to be determined by our lovers, rather than by we ourselves.

There are LOTS of fierce femme writers & performers who are calling into question these and other misunderstandings around femmeness, and I get to be on tour with three of them -- Vixen Noir (aka Veronica Combs of the incredible Liquid Fire fame), Celestina Pearl (di-va writer, filmmaker & performer!) and kathleen delaney (spoken word artist out of Atlanta & a dear friend from back when I lived on the East Coast!)

More info below -- I'll be blogging about the tour here and at my myspace blog: www.myspace.com/writingourselveswhole

Wish us luck, good driving, and sleep! :)

----------

~Body Heat: A femme porn tour~

Body Heat is a collective of fierce, sassy, irreverent Femme artists setting
ablaze performance art communities and smashing Femme stereotypes. Porn, Kink,
Smut, Erotica - Body Heat is not reclaiming our sex so much as OWNING it.

We will turn you on.

We will challenge all of your gender, sex, feminist, social, & political boundaries & assumptions.

We will entertain the hell out of you & we will leave you panting, begging, dripping for more.

April 3, 2008 @ The Center for Sex & Culture, San Francisco, CA.
April 4 @ The Rubber Rose, San Diego, CA.
April 6 @ Rag Tag Cinema, Columbia, MO.
April 7 @ Chicago -- Location TBA
April 8 @ Pi Bar, Minneapolis, MN.
April 9 @ A Women's Touch, Milwaukee, WI.
April 10 @ Havana, Columbus, OH.
April 11 @ Mount Holyoke, Northampton, MA.
April 12 @ Truth Serum hosts @ Lily Pad Gallery, Boston, MA
April 13 (2 shows) @ MIKO & Brown University, Providence, RI.
April 14 on Diana Cage's Radio Show SIRIUS in NYC, NY
April 15 @ Tritone, Philly, PA.
April 16 @ Phase 1, Washington, DC
April 17 @ The Eyedrum, Atlanta, GA.
April 19 @ The Jolie Rouge Asheville, NC.

Spread the word and bring your friends! Visit http://www.myspace.com/femmeporntour for more info!

This March, join us for one of our weekend intensive writing days!

2008-02-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Announcing weekend-day workshops this March - Reserve your space now!

Want to get a feel for how the workshops run before committing to a full 8-week session? Not able to join to a full 8-week workshop session? Want the opportunity to go a little deeper into the writing that you've gotten started on your own, or during regular workshop meetings?

Here's your chance!

Join us for a day of good writing, good food and great company! The March dates are:

Saturday, March 22: Declaring Our Erotic: open to folks of all genders and orientations!

Saturday, March 29: Raw Silk-Women write desire: open to all women

Sunday, March 30: Write Whole-Survivors Write: for women survivors of sexual trauma

I'll provide breakfast and light snacks for the day. As for all the other writing groups, we will be using the Amherst Writers and Artists workshop method. You'll leave with: a rich body of new creative writing; feedback from your peers about what's already strong in your new writing; and some thoughts about revising your new work.

Each retreat day runs 10:00am-4:00pm (Breakfast 9:30-10:00am). The cost will be $100; sliding scale may be available. All workshop meetings held in our convenient Flood Building office, right off the Powell Street BART stop. Contact me (jennifer (at) writingourselveswhole (dot) org) with questions or to reserve a space!

Reminder: All identities (i.e., women, survivor) are to be self-defined!

Healing for Change -- this Saturday, March 1!

2008-02-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, City College of San Francisco will be hosting it's 6th annual Healing for Change event -- the information below is from the website at http://healingforchange.org/home.html

NOTE: Registration is required! Please RSVP by emailing healingforchange@yahoo.com or calling 415-452-5727

Healing for Change ...from the inside out
Saturday March 1, 2008 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
City College of San Francisco, Ocean Campus, Student Health Center

6th Annual Self-Healing Workshops For Women Survivors
of Violence, Trauma, Rape, Incest, Assault and Domestic Violence

Have you experienced violence & trauma?
Learn to move past the memories, ease the pain, and practice self-healing techniques.
This is a space created by and for women.*
(*transgender friendly~event is open to any person who does not identify as male)

Free & open to the public. Must be 18 years or older to attend. We regret that childcare will not be available.

Upcoming events!

2008-02-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Feb is turning out to be a busy month around these parts! Come on down for one or more of these events in San Francisco:

Feb 15: Open Mic at the Exiles!
Keep that V-day energy moving! Gina De Vries and I will be the features at this first ever kinky and erotic open mic sponsored by the Exiles! Open to all Exiles members and guests. 5 min per performer, signup at 7:30, program begins at 8. For more info, visit The Exiles online (http://www.theexiles.org/).

Feb 16: Philosophy/Art Salon: What is Erotic?
Join us for a Socratic dialogue on the question: What makes for erotic art? Philosopher-at-Large Rita Alfonso, Ph.D., will be joined by erotic Writer Jen Cross and visual artist Dorian Katz for a brief show-and-tell followed by philosophical discussion. At Femina Potens, 2199 Market St. at Sanchez, SF. Admission is $10-$25 sliding scale. (www.feminiapotens.org)

Feb 27: Monthly Erotic Reading Circle at the Center for Sex and Culture, 1519 Mission Street, Suite 1, SF. Admission $1-5, no one turned away. (www.centerforsexandculture.org)

March 8: New Erotica Reading at the Center for Sex and Culture.
Join recent and veteran Declaring Our Erotic writers as they share their brave, blistering and brilliant new writing! More details to come: watch this space!

April 3-April 20: Jen joins the Body Heat: Femme Porn Tour (image heavy/prob. not work safe) as we read and riot across these peculiarly united states. Opening stop: Thursday, April 3 at the Center for Sex and Culture. Next stop: San Diego -- warn your friends! We're coming to their town...

And then, of course, the Spring workshops get started!

More info about these events coming soon!

Writing and healing in the news

2008-02-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

Some time ago, I set up a GoogleAlert to let me know when the words "writing and healing" appear in a news artlcle or online posting. I've received some surprising and lovely results, mostly from small, local or regional papers/journals/blogs. This is the sort of news we (I, at least) don't read every day, the deeply important, so-called "small" stories that aren't receiving wide, mainstream attention.

Recently, I learned about the following:

The Wordcraft Circle oF Native Writers and Storytellers are back to host the 'Returning the Gift Native Writer's Festival' in March, at MSU in East Lansing, MI.

A story about veterans using writing to heal from trauma (in the National Catholic Reporter!)

And a report from Charlottesville about a reading from the collection 'Meet Me At the Mountain Top, personal narratives of recovery from mental illnesses at Region Ten’s Blue Ridge House.

Had any of you already seen these stories? All these folks are using the written word to transform their lives, and the lives of others.

Oh! And from a completely different announcement, I learned about this wiki, hopebuilding, stories of ordinary folks doing extraordinary things to improve the world... let's make sure to visit this site, and post our own stories of extraordinary action in the service of our individual communities! This is the kind of news we need to know...

Updated 2008 Workshop Schedule

2008-01-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

After a relatively busy January, I think I've finally got the 2008 schedule somewhat settled! I've updated the Writing Ourselves Whole website with the dates of the Summer, Spring and Fall 2008 workshops:

Spring 2008 workshops begin April 28, 29 and 30;

Summer 2008 workshops begin July 7, 8, 9;

Fall 2008 workshops begin September 22, 23 and 24

Visit the Workshop Schedule for more information, and join us!.

Telling (Our) Stories

2008-01-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

On recommendation of someone at UCSF, I've been reading Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.'s book, Kitchen Table Wisdom. Dr. Remen, an accomplished physician, survivor of chronic illness, and therapist, began many years ago to think about how best one might work with patients who were facing chronic illness and death.

Stories are powerful instruments -- and they're as common and consistent for us as breathing. Just as the Tales Grimm or the old Parables or the Ananzi or Coyote tales are recognizable as telling us something about how our communities think we ought to live, we have individual/familial stories that we tell ourselves and one another very consistently every minute of every day. We, as literate and verbal culture, are ever immersed in story.

What's the definition of story? My online dictionary says it can be used as a noun or a verb. I loved multi-layered words like that. Anyway, one definition is "an account or recital of an event or a series of events, either true or fictitious." Another is "to decorate with scenes representing historical or legendary events; to tell as a story." (Circularity is always fun -- and the dictionary is fraught with it, but that's another story!)

We, many of us, have been told not to "tell stories" -- meaning: don't lie. So, we learn to tell different stories -- ones that, because they make the folks around us more comfortable, are called truth. it's hard work, once again, to retrain the grooves in our mind to accept the possibility that those early stories can come into the slot called truth.

We are a collection of our stories. the memories we lift out of our pockets to share with friends over dinner, or that we recite for ourselves in the thick of depression or in the bright morning of recovered joy --

Why are we talking about stories? In her book, a collection of anecdotes, stories, musings, recollections, retellings, Dr. Remen spins open the possibility of new knowings, new understandings of self and community and world and humanity. She tells of her own transformations throughout her life, many of these precipitated by truly being present with another person's stories.

What does all of this have to do with sexual abuse, with trauma -- or with sexuality? If we as a culture are immersed in story, then it follows (for me, at least) that we come to know, to understand, ourselves through story. When we allow ourselves to be, it's possible to be transformed by others' stories -- by others' ways of knowing the world, seeing the world, seeing possibility -- this require vulnerability, a willingness to be open.

We don't have to take on another's interpretations of life or experience -- but what happens when we are present with other people's stories is that we can recognize that there exist different ways of looking at the world, looking at ourselves, at pain and struggle, at desire and longing , than we ourselves have yet come across -- I notice this happening quite often in the writing workshops, a note of "I had never heard it described quite that way before -- it was so surprising!" And there's a shift, a splitting open, a new openness of our perceptions, and thus ourselves...

and what a way to move in to a new year -- or this new moment.

As always, of course, I'd love to know what you think. What's your relationship to story? If you're willing, I'd be happy to post your thoughts/responses/ideas/stories here...

Kicked Out - Call for submissions!

2007-12-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Passing the word -- Someone else noted that one needn't be a youth *now* to tell your story. Fell free to forward it on to anyone you think might be interested.

(Forwarded) Call for submissions:

Kicked Out is a new anthology, which uniquely seeks to tell the tales of former queer youth and current queer youth who were forced to leave home because of their sexuality and/or gender identity. This anthology will tell our collective stories of survival, weaving together descriptions of abuse, and homelessness with poignant accounts of the ways in which queer community centers offered sanctuary, and the power and importance of creating our own chosen families in the face of losing everything we have ever known. Kicked Out offers advice and wisdom to the queer youth of today from those who have been in their shoes.

Additionally, it provides the opportunity for readers to get a glimpse into the world of those queer youth who as a result of circumstance have to leave home, while simultaneously shattering the stereotypes of who queer youth are, and what they have the potential to become.

Kicked Out is a collection of stories of those of us who have survived the experiences of having to leave home as minors as a result of our gender and/or sexual identities; and it tells the tales of our queer survival. These are the stories of overcoming obstacles, not simply surviving but thriving in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity. Kicked Out will explore the diversity of our experiences across lines race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and geographic region celebrating our differences, and showcases the ways in which they have contributed to our unique experiences.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:
How being forced to leave home as a minor continues to impact your adult life
What happened to you when you left home and how you survived
Words of wisdom for today's homeless queer youth-what you wished someone had told you
Survival through the creation of "chosen family"
Challenges of dealing with CPS or other agencies
Success through adversity- overcoming a troubled past

Submissions should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words in length and previously unpublished. Submit your piece via e-mail in .doc format to KickedOutAnthology@gmail.com. Multiple submissions per contributor are welcome. Please include a short biography and contact information with your submission. Submissions must be received no later than March 1, 2008; contributors are encouraged to submit early. Rights revert to the authors upon publication. Contributors whose work appears in the anthology will receive TBA free copy(ies) as well as ongoing royalties. Visit us online at www.myspace.com/kickedoutanthology

"Kicked Out" Call for Submissions: Edited by: Sassafras Lowrey*
Publisher: Homofactus Press
Deadline: March 1, 2008

*Sassafras Lowrey is a high femme writer, artist, and activist. Ze was forced to leave home as a teenager after suffering physical violence after coming out as queer. Sassafras found hir way to queer youth organizations and movements, which quite literally saved hir life. As an adult ze has never forgotten the impact those groups had on hir life and has volunteered regularly with the queer youth of today. Sassafras lives with hir partner, two cats and a dog in New York City.
Hir first book "GSA to Marriage: Stories of a Life Lived Queerly" is scheduled for release Summer 2008.

Celebrate the new year with new words! Winter 2008 Workshops Begin Soon -

2007-12-20T11:04:00.001-08:00

Transformative writing workshops:
Winter 2008 sessions begin January 7, 8 and 9.

Erotic writing workshops and workshop for survivors of sexual trauma begin soon! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about these special topic writing workshops: jennifer@writingourselveshwhole.org.

----------------------------------------

~ Transforming our language is one way we transform our lives. ~

~ Visit www.writingourselveswhole.org to register for these special topic writing workshops~

Write Whole-Survivors Write meets Monday evenings beginning January 7.
Open to women survivors of sexual trauma. Gather with other survivors to create new art and new beauty out of your experiences, and deepen your sense of wholeness.

Declaring Our Erotic workshops meet Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings. DOE workshops provide a space to get more comfortable exploring and talking about sexuality and desire, and to become less inhibited in your own writing.

Mixed DOE: Tuesday evenings beginning January 8 - Open to folks of all sexualities and all genders!

Women's DOE, Wednesday mornings beginning January 9 - open to all women!

~note: both "woman" and "survivor" are intended to be self-defined.~

Transform your relationship with your writing and with yourself. Open to folks of all writing abilities!

A few spaces are still available in each workshop. Cost for 8-week workshops is $250. Workshops held in downtown San Francisco, near BART and MUNI. To register, or for more information, visit www.writingourselveswhole.org!

About your facilitator: Jen Cross is a freelance writer and queer incest survivor whose work has been published in numerous anthologies. She's facilitated writing workshops for the past 5 years.

Ending Child Sexual Abuse within 5 Generations

2007-11-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

I am so sad that I missed the "Generations of Change" event honoring Staci Hanes last week -- Staci Hanes is the woman who began Generation 5, an organization devoted to ending childhood sexual abuse within 5 generations, through community education, public action, and survivor leadership. Join their mailing list, throw a house party, participate in a training and help out where you can!

http://www.generationfive.org/

Healling for Change event on 11/8

2007-09-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Please pass the word about this powerful upcoming event!

********************************
HEALING FOR CHANGE:

A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF WOMEN AND MEN HEALING FROM SEXUAL AND EMOTIONAL TRAUMA

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 5 - 9 pm
Instituto Familiar de la Raza, 2919 Mission St.
Between 25th & 26th. - Near 24th St. BART

5:00 - 6:00 pm Registration and Dinner
6:00 - 9:00 pm Speakers and Healing Drumming Circle

(Some drums provided, or you may bring your own)

Free & open to the public. Must be 18 years or older.
We regret that childcare will not be available.

SPACE IS LIMITED! PLEASE RSVP: 415-452-5070 or healingforchange@yahoo.com

*Reservations will be held until 5:30. *Please note that some incense will be lit as part of the drumming circle.

Donations Welcome!

This is a Transgender Friendly Event.

JOIN US, FOR AN EVENING OF GOOD FOOD, SHARED STORIES, HEALING DRUMMING CEREMONY AND COMMUNITY BUILDING WITH FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Leslie Simon, Coordinator, Project SURVIVE, CCSF Estela García, Director, Instituto Familiar de la Raza Marcos Tapia, Community Response Program Graduate and Generation Five Volunteer Lindsay Pratt & Brian Lum, CCSF Healing for Change Student Organizers

MC: Rev. Trinity A. Ordona, Educator, Community Organizer and Healer

HEALING DRUMMING CIRCLE:

Concepción "Concha" Saucedo, Founder, Instituto Familiar de la Raza and Teacher of Indigenous Medicine Estela García, Director, Instituto Familiar de la Raza Sal Nuñez, Clinical Psychologist, Educator & Community Advocate Arturo Castillo, Registered Addiction Specialist at Walden House and Certified Drum Circle Facilitator

THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY: Healing for Change - a recognized club of the Associated Students of City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and a program of the CCSF Office of Mentoring and Service Learning, CCSF Inter Club Council, Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Generation Five and Project SAFE * with faculty and students participating from Project SURVIVE and the Women's Studies, Business, Health Education and Community Health Studies, and Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Studies departments at CCSF

WWW.HEALINGFORCHANGE.COM

Rev. Trinity A. Ordona, Ph.D.
Self-Healing Meditation and Guided Imagery Group Workshops and Individual Sessions tordonahealing@yahoo.com
(415) 626-6441

Free "Funding for the Arts" classes in San Francisco in October

2007-09-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Another writer with whom I've worked recently forwarded the following information from the Foundation Center --

"For those who are in the bay area, the Foundation Center focuses on Funding for the arts in October. The whole month is filled with different free classes relating to funding for artists and arts organizations. Please see link below for information and registration:
http://foundationcenter.org/sanfrancisco/sf_october.html"

Some of the upcoming workshops include:

NEW WRITERS NIGHT on October 8 -
Getting Your First Book Published @3:00 pm
The Journey to Being Discovered: First Time Authors Reveal All @5:30 pm

and

AN AFTERNOON FOR ARTISTS IN OAKLAND on October 12!
Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts @1:00 pm
The Business of Being an Artist @3:00 pm

We know there's money out there for us writers -- we just have to figure out how to ask for it!

Workshop forming for mixed race women

2007-09-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

I received this note from Esther, a former workshop participant -- write to her at bionicfemme@hotmail.com if you'd like more information about hew new workshop:

"Hi Jen, Now that we have graduated from the Master's program at New College, one of my classmates, Monalisa and I are starting up a writer's workshop! This group is for all mixed race women of color who are interested in generating creative writing, memoir, and other multi-genre literary work to reflect their experiences as multi-racial women of color. Our concentration is on experimental lit, but linear, traditional narratives are welcome as well. We will also be performing as part of New College's local writer series at a public reading in the coming months. Please let me know if you have any workshop participants that might be interested, and tell your friends! We'd really like to get the word out and grow as a community. We submit our work to the group on the second weekend of every month, then meet up for coffee during the fourth weekend, to go over each other's work and in general, just bond as a community of mixed race writers. Hope you are doing well! -Esther"