Imagination and Justice: Meditation and Free-Writing Circles
with Lisa Freedman
Testimonials:
"Today's Breathe/Read/Write circle was wonderful. I wish I could do it all the time. Incredibly healing and fruitful." Laura Rutland, Poet and professor
"Lisa, what an exceptional experience you have created for people in Breathe/Read/Write. I really appreciate it. I look forward to working with all of you more." - Noreen Hennessy
"There is no limit set on your imagination or what constitutes justice for you in the Imagination and Justice writing circles. The bonds developed between students and teacher and self is the richness of this class." - Rochelle Jewel Shapiro
Six sessions on Saturdays from 10 am to 12 pm EST. Continuing writing circles. New participants welcome.
April 23 - June 4, 2022 (no session May 28)
“For to imagine is not simply to see what does not yet exist or what one wants to exist. It is also a profound act of creativity to see what is.” Susan Griffin
These circles are generative, a place to write or re-write material that dwells (or wants to dwell) in the realm where the personal is political. You may already be working on a relevant project, or you may be starting a new one. Either way, you and your stories, your writings will be welcome here.
The format of each session helps us get to know and support one another. Each time we meet, we will start with a few minutes of silence followed by a short guided free-write and share to check in. Lisa then guides us in two more rounds of meditation, free-writing, and sharing. The sharing is always optional. Holding the circle in silence together is a bonding activity, and as the weeks unfold, we connect more deeply through our writings. This is how we help each other take writerly risks to reveal our experiences and imaginings. And this is how we support each other as we dare to share our voices and visions with the world.
Meditators, writers, dreamers, and activists at every level of experience are welcome. All genres are welcome.
Participants receive the prompts and background materials each week. These come from many sources, including Kiese Laymon, Layli Longsoldier, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Rev. angel Kyodo williams.
The IWWG and Lisa produced an anthology of writings from the first round of Imagination and Justice writing circles that met in the fall of 2021 "Roots/Trunk/Sky," which will be available later this spring.
Please note these sessions are not recorded.
Lisa Freedman is a writer, activist, and New School Writing Program faculty member. She founded Breathe/Read/Write as a contemplative response to the chaos of the U.S. elections in 2016. BRW combines meditation and freewriting so participants clear the static and astound themselves with the flow and clarity that comes when they set their pens on the page. As a practitioner of Shambhala Buddhism, Lisa knows how inspiring it can be to share the open space of silence. And she has a knack for choosing free-write prompts that connect writers to what they need to say. Lisa leads BRW circles for The NY Zendo, the International Women’s Writing Guild, The Poetry Barn, and the New School’s Social Justice Hub, among others. Her work with BRW earned a 2021 NYFA Community Artists Corp Grant.
Lisa holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the New School. Her creative work can be found in these anthologies: Resist Much, Obey Little: Inaugural Poems to the Resistance; Literature from the First 20 Years of Art & Understanding; and Grabbing the Apple: An Anthology of New York Women Poets. Her poetry and prose also appear in Satya Magazine, POZ, Poetry Ration, and others. For more info, see the Breathe/Read/Write Eventbrite page and Lisa’s Writing Coach website.