RCWMS

Ministry of Black Women's Self Care, January - with Kim Gaubault (via Zoom)
2021-01-19 19:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Kim Gaubault recognizes that self-care is often the component that remains a form of intervention (after the break or the medical emergency) rather than a preventative measure. When we allow our bodies, minds and/or spirits to break down in the course of doing this work, we are not only putting ourselves at risk but we are putting at risk the integrity of the work for which we are laboring. This work is a work of self-love, communal love, Womanist Ethicism, it is multi-generational, multicultural and is not finite, but is instead as infinite as the beauty in the divinity that is Blackness. Come and share in this life’s work! This program is specifically designed to offer practical tools for everyday self-care to Black women-identified individuals doing all forms of ministry, in church and community.
Jan 19: The Beauty in Balance: A Virtual Self-Care/Community Care Visioning Party
Feb 16: Black Womanhood in the Age of Resilience: We Move Mountains
March 16: Breathing Through It: A Meditative Remembrance of our Multi-Generational Excellence
April 20: Living Love in the Intersections: Finding Agreement in our Differences
May 18: Tell Me Something Good: Celebrating Small Victories!
Leader: Kimberly Gaubault (McCrae) is an intentional lover of humanity and actively lives the self-care life about which she teaches and advocates. Her personal philosophy of interpersonal interaction is, “If I’ve not positively influenced someone everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve not walked in my purpose.”
Cost: $10, $25, or $40
per session. Choose the price that fits your budget. Sign up for one or each remaining session in the series.
Register for January below.
Register for
February: HERE
March HERE
April: HERE
May: HERE
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Fabric Postcard Workshop with Kimberley Cartwright (via Zoom)
2021-01-17 14:00 - 15:30
Fiber artist, quilter, and instructor Kimberley Pierce Cartwright is proud to offer the first online workshop to make unique quilted fabric and paper post cards. In this 90-minute workshop Cartwright will teach you how to make a unique, one of a kind art piece perfect for mailing, gifting or displaying. Kimberley will provide a pattern and step by step directions or you may decide to freestyle your design. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can use fabric glue. You may also participate using paper instead of fabric.
Leader: Kimberley Pierce Cartwright began quilting and painting in 2006 and understands quilt work to represent an abstraction of real life. She says of her work, “I have the power to create art in my life. I do that through my quilting. Sometimes I plan what I will do and sometimes I don’t. The result is always something I love. Everyone has the same power to create art in our own unique way.”
Cartwright’s work evokes emotion through her distinctive use of color and includes abstract caricatures, acrylic paintings, and mixed media embellishments. She also creates dolls and works on paper and canvas. Her love of color punctuates her use of very simple designs. She has taught classes in quilting and sewing. She has shown her work locally and around North Carolina, and it has also appeared in the international magazines Quilting Arts and Quilt Mania.
Fabric supply list:
Sewing machine in good working order
Iron
Scrap fabric in various colors (some medium weight fabric…denim, canvas etc. for quilt tops)
Light colored cotton fabric for backing.
Fabric glue (optional if you don’t have a sewing machine)
Newspaper or paper towels to use as backing for lightweight fabric
Thread, scissors, pins for securing fabric, and hand needles (optional)
Double sided Peltex for quilted postcards sewn on machine
Rotary cutter and a cutting board
Quilting ruler or ruler to cut straight edges
Paper supply list:
magazines, picture books or other images
scissors for cutting pager
rotary cutter (optional) you can use scissors to cut
cutting mat (optional)
embellishment that can lay flat (fabric, ribbon, lace, glitter etc.)
a good adhesive (glue stick, mod podge, crazy glue or hot glue)
ruler
light weight cardboard from a cereal box or other packaging with similar weight (make sure you have enough for at least four 4×6 inch cards.)
fine tipped marker to make marks and to sign the back of cards
Purchase Kimberley’s new book Fabric Post Card Cat/Dog: HERE
Cost: $45. Sliding scale available. Contact info@rcmws.org for details.
Register below.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Angels and Animals: Creatures of All Kinds with Bryant Holsenbeck (via Zoom)
2021-01-13 13:00 - 15:00
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! This three-session workshop on January 13, 27, and February 3, 2021, is about making art out of the STUFF of our everyday lives. Nothing bought, nothing ordered-only what you can find! Holsenbeck says: “I love teaching this class because I am curious about what we will find and then what we will be inspired to make. The techniques I have to teach are simple. Twisting, tying, wrapping, and more!”
A participant in a previous series had this to say: “Bryant’s generous sharing of her creative process was fun and very accessible. Creativity looks different for each of us and this workshop make ample room for that. I loved the creative re-use of bits and scraps that I had around my house to make quirky critters.”
What to bring: found objects, cloth scraps, something to wrap with.

Leader: Bryant Holsenbeck is an internationally known environmental artist who lives in Durham, NC, and makes art out of stuff that other people throw away.

Art of Conscious Aging: A Group for Women
2021-01-12 11:30 - 14:00, 2020-12-08 11:30 - 14:00, 2020-11-10 11:30 - 14:00, 2020-10-13 11:30 - 14:00, 2020-09-08 11:30 - 14:00, 2020-08-11 11:30 - 14:00, 2020-07-14 11:30 - 14:00 | via Zoom, Durham, NC, United States
During the pandemic Art of Conscious Aging is meeting via Zoom.
Contact info@rcwms.org to join the group.

Ministry of Black Womens Self Care, December - with Kim Gaubault (via Zoom)
2020-12-15 19:30 - 20:30
Kim Gaubault recognizes that self-care is often the component that remains a form of intervention (after the break or the medical emergency) rather than a preventative measure. When we allow our bodies, minds and/or spirits to break down in the course of doing this work, we are not only putting ourselves at risk but we are putting at risk the integrity of the work for which we are laboring. This work is a work of self-love, communal love, Womanist Ethicism, it is multi-generational, multicultural and is not finite, but is instead as infinite as the beauty in the divinity that is Blackness. Come and share in this life’s work! This program is specifically designed to offer practical tools for everyday self-care to Black women-identified individuals doing all forms of ministry, in church and community. For our December conversation we will discuss the Ethics of Community Care: I am My Sister’s Keeper.
Leader: Kimberly Gaubault (McCrae) is an intentional lover of humanity and actively lives the self-care life about which she teaches and advocates. Her personal philosophy of interpersonal interaction is, “If I’ve not positively influenced someone everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve not walked in my purpose.”
Cost: $10, $25, or $40 per session. Sign up for one or all three remaining sessions in the series.
Register below.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

READING: Illusions of Innocence by Marcy Litle
2020-12-13 15:00 - 16:30
“I am trying to understand and own up to my whiteness. To stop wearing blinders. To untie this habitually unseen knot.This task requires attention to the voices of those I, without thinking, considered other. It takes breathing deep into the possibility that reality is other than I have imagined. My life different from the one I thought I was living.” —Marcy Litle, Illusions of Innocence
Join RCWMS (via Zoom) at 3:00 pm Eastern Time to celebrate the publication of Marcy Litle’s new book.
“Courageous, inspiring, and deeply honest, Illusions of Innocence explores the roots of racism both in family stories and national myths. Striking the perfect balance between memoir and history, Litle’s book engages with contemporary Black voices and invites white Americans to do the prickly but urgent work of re-examining white innocence.”—Márcia Rego
Born in Charleston, SC, and raised in suburban New York City, Marcy Litle has spent most of her adult life in Durham, NC. She taught Latin American history and international studies at Duke University until her retirement in 2012. Now, she splits her time between Durham and Seattle, WA, where her granddaughters and their parents live. She also volunteers for RCWMS and likes to paint. More: marcylit.com.
Purchase the book: HERE
The reading is free and open to the public.
Register below.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Ministry of Black Women's Self Care, November - with Kim Gaubault (via Zoom)
2020-11-17 19:30 - 20:30
Kim Gaubault recognizes that self-care is often the component that remains a form of intervention (after the break or the medical emergency) rather than a preventative measure. When we allow our bodies, minds and/or spirits to break down in the course of doing this work, we are not only putting ourselves at risk but we are putting at risk the integrity of the work for which we are laboring. This work is a work of self-love, communal love, Womanist Ethicism, it is multi-generational, multicultural and is not finite, but is instead as infinite as the beauty in the divinity that is Blackness. Come and share in this life’s work! This program is specifically designed to offer practical tools for everyday self-care to Black women-identified individuals doing all forms of ministry, in church and community.
November: We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For
December: Ethics of Community Care: I Am My Sister’s Keeper
Kim has agreed to continue the series in 2021. More details coming soon!
Leader: Kimberly Gaubault (McCrae) is an intentional lover of humanity and actively lives the self-care life about which she teaches and advocates. Her personal philosophy of interpersonal interaction is, “If I’ve not positively influenced someone everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve not walked in my purpose.”
Cost: $10, $25, or $40 per session. Choose the price that fits your budget. Sign up for one or all four sessions in the series.
Register for November below.
Register for December HERE.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Coffee and Conversation #3 - Navigate the Holidays with Lisa Baron
2020-11-12 11:00 - 12:30
In this final session of our fall Coffee and Conversation series with Lisa Baron we’ll discuss Holidays During A Pandemic. Feel free to join even if you didn’t have a chance to be part of the previous sessions.
For many of us, the holidays this year will look very different than previous years. Travel plans may be changed, the loss of not seeing loved ones may be more strongly felt. Let’s talk about how to navigate this season, developing ideas for new traditions and ways to embrace what we are thankful for. Pertinent article links and “tip sheets” relevant to this session will be sent prior to the class. The workshop will include time for conversation, reflection, and writing.
Cost: $25
Leader: Lisa Baron, skilled group facilitator, will present the topic and we will then share our group’s collective wisdom. Lisa is a social worker and writer; she co-led the program for RCWMS “How Did I Get Here and Where Am I Going?” in January of this year.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Mindful Writing for Healing with Jen Johnson
2020-10-22 13:00 - 14:30
The stories we tell determine how we heal. Writing about our experience can help us to make order from what feels like inner chaos and shape our stories into a cohesive and healing narrative. Writing about difficult times allows us to bear witness to our experience in a balanced way, without avoiding the feelings and without amplifying them. When we make time for deep listening to the stories inside that want to be told, we open the door to restoring a sense of wholeness for ourselves and others. Leader Jen Johnson’s classes have been grounding and inspirational for participants throughout the pandemic. Please join her for a session of deep inner listening and writing.
Leader: Jen Johnson is a mindfulness teacher and therapist, photographer, and writer offering an integrative approach to mind body healing and creative awakening. Her writing has been published in magazines, literary journals, and professional training manuals. Jen offers online coaching, therapy, and workshops. More about Jen here.
Cost: $25 or $10 – sliding scale
Register below. Registrants will be sent a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Ministry of Black Womens Self Care, October - with Kim Gaubault (via Zoom)
2020-10-20 19:30 - 20:30
Self-care is often the component that remains a form of intervention (after the break or the medical emergency) rather than a preventative measure. When we allow our bodies, minds and/or spirits to break down in the course of doing this work, we are not only putting ourselves at risk but we are putting at risk the integrity of the work for which we are laboring. This work is a work of self-love, communal love, Womanist Ethicism, it is multi-generational, multicultural and is not finite, but is instead as infinite as the beauty in the divinity that is Blackness. Come and share in this life’s work! This program is specifically designed to offer practical tools for everyday self-care to Black women-identified individuals doing all forms of ministry, in church and community.
October: In the Safety of My Sisters: Healthy Concepts of Sisterhood in Action
November: We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for
December: Ethics of Community Care: I am My Sister’s Keeper
Leader: Kimberly Gaubault (McCrae) is an intentional lover of humanity and actively lives the self-care life about which she teaches and advocates. Her personal philosophy of interpersonal interaction is, “If I’ve not positively influenced someone everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve not walked in my purpose.”
Cost: $10, $25, or $40 per session. Choose the price that fits your budget. Sign up for one or all four sessions in the series.
Register for October below.
Register for November HERE.
Register for December HERE.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Homegrown: NC Women's Preaching Festival 2020 (via Zoom)
2020-10-15 15:00 - 2020-10-16 16:00
Mark your calendar and plan to join us October 15-16, 2020 for the 9th annual Homegrown: NC Women’s Preaching Festival.
This year’s preachers and presenters include Donyelle McCray, Chelsea Yarborough, Karen Ziegler, Nicole Williams, Margie Quinn, Chelsea Yarborough, Deborah Williams, Grace Hackney, and Angie Hong.
Our Vision: We believe hundreds of clergywomen in North Carolina are faithfully and creatively engaging in ministries where they proclaim the Word of God, week after week. In an ecumenical spirit of love and collegiality, we will lift up the voices of local clergywomen to encourage and inspire; share and learn; and to hone our craft. Together we will hear wonderful preaching from conference attendees and have time for casual group conversations on the art of proclamation in all its forms. We will pray, worship, and celebrate together.
In addition to an incredible line-up of presenters, we are excited about the gifts and wisdom, joys and challenges that each of you bring to this festival every year. In addition to the workshops and worship, we will offer several opportunities for being in communion with each other. Learning in community for two days, even virtually, is the heart of who we are. We hope you will plan to join us!
Learn more about the festival: www.ncwomenpreaching.com
Cost: $75 – Regular price ticket and help someone else attend
$50 – Regular price ticket
$25 – Limited income/student
Questions? Contact RCWMS: info@rcwms.org
Zoom links for Homegrown will be sent in October prior to the event. Individual workshop registration details will be available once we finalize the schedule.
Add a donation for this event

Coffee & Conversation #2: Living in the Moment with Lisa Baron
2020-10-08 11:00 - 12:30
We continue our Coffee and Conversation series with Lisa Baron this month. Feel free to join even if you didn’t have a chance to be part of the September session.
October 8: How Can I Get Better at Living in The Moment?
This is easier for some of us than others. Getting better at this requires us to be more flexible, lower our expectations of ourselves and others, and go with the flow more.
November 12: Holidays During A Pandemic
For many of us, the holidays this year will look very different than previous years. Travel plans may be changed, the loss of not seeing loved ones may be more strongly felt. Let’s talk about how to navigate this season, developing ideas for new traditions and ways to embrace what we are thankful for.
Pertinent article links and “tip sheets” relevant to each workshop in the series will be sent prior to each class. Each workshop will include time for conversation, reflection, and writing.
Cost: $25 per session (individual registration required for each workshop)
Leader: Lisa Baron, skilled group facilitator, will present the topic and will then invite the group to share their collective wisdom. Lisa is a social worker and writer; she co-led the program for RCWMS “How Did I Get Here and Where Am I Going?” in January of this year.Lisa is a social worker and writer; she co-led the program for RCWMS “How Did I Get Here and Where Am I Going?” in January of this year.
Register for the October conversation below.
Register for November HERE.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Poetry Across Borders with Linda Ehrlich - 4 sessions (via Zoom)
2020-10-06 14:00 - 15:00
With a special emphasis on Japanese, Chinese, and Middle Eastern poetry, this four-session workshop offers a chance to explore, read, and even try your own hand at poetry from outside of familiar European traditions. The class will include a look at tanka, haiku, and zuihitsu (“follow the brush”) from Japan, landscape painting and poetry from China, and Ghazals from the Persian/Urdu tradition. For each tradition there will be a particular focus on women poets, and on the ties between poetry and the visual arts. Each class will include informational talks, break-out sessions, and readings. The final week will be case studies of famous poets from those non-European traditions. The instructor is happy to read participants’ writings related to the course, for comment.
Cost: $40 (includes all sessions)
Leader: Linda Ehrlich, Ph.D, has more than 25 years experience teaching and writing about world literature, cinema, and theatre. She has spent years in Japan and southern Europe, and has travelled extensively in other parts of Asia and the Middle East. She has a new collection of writings inspired by the Japanese Noh theatre (Yamamba’s Mountains). Her latest book is on The Films of Kore-Eda Hirokazu: An Elemental Cinema (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). Learn more about Linda here.

Cost: $40 – this covers all 4 sessions

Dates: October 6, 13, 20, & 27, 2020, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT

Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Keep on Keeping Track: Writing Toward Resilience in Challenging Times, with Carol Henderson - 4 sessions (via Zoom)
2020-10-02 11:00 - 12:30
The online weekly writing workshop Carol taught in the spring will start up again in October. This fourth series of live online writing workshops, taking place on October 2, 9, 16, and 23, will offer a safe place and time to explore our fast-changing world and the rush of feelings that are constantly rising within us during this time of pandemic and social upheaval. Through carefully selected prompts and exercises, Carol will invite participants to pay attention, consider patterns in life that have been disrupted, find hidden gifts, and get in touch with what is essential. Come prepared to write a lot. The workshop is open to those who participated in the spring and to any others who wish to join in October.
Cost: $75 (sliding scale available)
Leader: Carol Henderson is a writer and workshop leader. More about Carol here.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Play On! - A Reading by Judy Dearlove (via Zoom)
2020-09-17 19:00 - 20:30
Dearlove’s Triangle-area readings have been a huge hit! Join her for this virtual live reading for more fun as she brings to life PlayOn!’s hero Maxine, who gathers an eclectic band of bridge buddies from her retirement community and a few eccentric young people for an adventure that becomes part cat-and-mouse caper and part soul-searching quest.
First published last November, Dearlove’s novel has been named a finalist for the INDIES Book of the Year award; was featured in Shelf Unbound’s recommended reading list, Summer issue (pages 62-63); and was the focus of Dearlove’s interview in Allison Kirkland’s Creatives in Conversation series. She was also featured in an interview with Durham’s Indy Week.
Play On!, a stand-up-and-cheer tale of epic rivalry and deep friendship, has been lauded as “the funniest book . . . in years” (Frank McNair), and “a brisk and joyful first novel by a wise woman” (Georgann Eubanks).
Dearlove has enjoyed a variety of careers: English professor, technical writer, manager of ergonomic engineers, director of a college tutoring center, and novelist. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, where she is working on a sequel to Play On!
Play On! is available in softcover and as an e-book for both Kindle and other devices.
Order a copy of the book HERE.
Please REGISTER by selecting a free ticket below. Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Ministry of Black Women's Self Care, September - with Kim Gaubault (via Zoom)
2020-09-15 19:30 - 20:30
Kim Gaubault recognizes that self-care is often the component that remains a form of intervention (after the break or the medical emergency) rather than a preventative measure. When we allow our bodies, minds and/or spirits to break down in the course of doing this work, we are not only putting ourselves at risk but we are putting at risk the integrity of the work for which we are laboring. This work is a work of self-love, communal love, Womanist Ethicism, it is multi-generational, multicultural and is not finite, but is instead as infinite as the beauty in the divinity that is Blackness.
Come and share in this life’s work! This program is specifically designed to offer practical tools for everyday self-care to Black women-identified individuals doing all forms of ministry, in church and community. Topics for the fall include:
September: Take me to the Water: Renew, Restore, Refresh
October: In the Safety of My Sisters: Healthy Concepts of Sisterhood in Action
November: We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for
December: Ethics of Community Care: I am My Sister’s Keeper
Leader: Kimberly Gaubault (McCrae) is an intentional lover of humanity and actively lives the self-care life about which she teaches and advocates. Her personal philosophy of interpersonal interaction is, “If I’ve not positively influenced someone everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve not walked in my purpose.”
Cost: $10, $25, or $40 per session. Choose the price that fits your budget. Sign up for one or all four sessions in the series.
Register for September below.
Register for October HERE.
Register for November HERE.
Register for December HERE.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Introducing the Nine Enneagram Types: An In-Depth Panels Workshop - with Sandra Smith
2020-09-13 14:00 - 17:00
On September 13, 20, and 27, 2020, Enneagram expert and beloved workshop leader Sandra Smith will host a Zoom workshop to explore the Enneagram System through learning from panels of the nine types speaking for themselves.
This method of teaching makes the Enneagram come alive as we discover the parts of ourselves that can relate to each type. People of the same type behave differently. This is because the Enneagram is a map of our inner landscape, our motivations, fears and strengths–NOT behavior!
Understanding the nine different filters and motivations allows us to be more patient with differing points of view, cultivate more curiosity and lessen our judging.
Through dyad exercises, self reflection and didactic, participants will learn more of the inner dynamics of each type and how these dynamics shape and influence behaviors. This workshop is an introduction to this system, therefore participants need not know their Enneagram type.
Leader: Sandra Smith, MDiv, is a certified Enneagram teacher in the Narrative Tradition who consults and teaches throughout North America. Learn more about her work here.
Dates: September 13, 2:00 – 5:00 EDT
September 20, 2:00 – 5:00 EDT
September 27, 2:00 – 4:00 EDT
Cost: $75 (includes all three sessions)
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Coffee & Conversation #1: Introverts and Extroverts with Lisa Baron
2020-09-10 11:00 - 12:30
As Fall arrives, let us take this time to engage in conversation with each other. Pertinent article links and “tip sheets” relevant to each workshop in this three-session series will be sent prior to each class. Note that you can sign up for one or two or all three!
September 10: What Can Introverts and Extroverts Teach Each Other During A Pandemic?
As we continue the challenge of living in a pandemic, what can we learn from our relationships? How can we grow, and what changes can we commit to maintain?
October 8: How Can I Get Better at Living in The Moment?
This is easier for some of us than others. Getting better at this requires us to be more flexible, lower our expectations of ourselves and others, and go with the flow more.
November 12: Holidays During A Pandemic
For many of us, the holidays this year will look very different than previous years. Travel plans may be changed, the loss of not seeing loved ones may be more strongly felt. Let’s talk about how to navigate this season, developing ideas for new traditions and ways to embrace what we are thankful for.
Cost: $25 per session (individual registration required for each workshop)
Leader: Lisa Baron, skilled group facilitator, will present the topic and we will then share our group’s collective wisdom. Each workshop will include time for conversation, reflection, and writing. Lisa is a social worker and writer; she co-led the program for RCWMS “How Did I Get Here and Where Am I Going?” in January of this year.
Register for one or all three!
Register for the September conversation below.
Register for October HERE.
Register for November HERE.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Angels and Animals: Creatures of All Kinds with Bryant Holsenbeck (via Zoom)
2020-09-09 13:00 - 15:00
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! This three-session workshop on September 9, 16, and 23, 2020, is about making art out of the STUFF of our everyday lives. Nothing bought, nothing ordered-only what you can find! Holsenbeck is excited about this new teaching adventure. She says: “I want to teach this class because I am curious about what we will find and then what we will be inspired to make. The techniques I have to teach are simple. Twisting, tying, wrapping, and more!”
A participant in the first series had this to say: “Bryant’s generous sharing of her creative process was fun and very accessible. Creativity looks different for each of us and this workshop make ample room for that. I loved the creative re-use of bits and scraps that I had around my house to make quirky critters.”
What to bring: found objects, cloth scraps, something to wrap with.

Leader: Bryant Holsenbeck is an internationally known environmental artist who lives in Durham, NC, and makes art out of stuff that other people throw away.

Cost: $75 – this covers all 3 sessions

Dates: September 9, 16, 23, 2020, 1:00-3:00 pm EDT

Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Creating Your Own Council Circle - with Sherylyn Pitt (via Zoom)
2020-08-23 13:30 - 15:30
An intergenerational workshop designed to help you create your own safe and nourishing council circle of support. This workshop is an opportunity to experience virtual council circle. We will dive into ways to engage the relational aspects of the sacred feminine within the framework of virtual platforms. We will entertain questions like: How do we engage with each other deeply during social distancing? What are the elements of communal connection and healing within a sacred council circle and how can we enliven those elements within a virtual platform? These are the questions of our time. Let’s gather together to learn to create a healing and sustaining council.
Cost – $35
Leader: Sherylyn Pitt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Eco-therapist, a Telemedicine provider, a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, a Certified Trauma Specialist, and a Laughing Yoga and Meditation Instructor.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

The Ministry of Black-Women's Self Care with Kimberly Gaubault (McCrae) - via Zoom
2020-07-26 14:00 - 16:00
How do you tend to your daily mental/emotional/spiritual/physical well-being in the grips of a pandemic and a nation divided by racial disparity? Do you give yourself permission to feel the weight of the responsibility of Black womanhood? Who takes care of you and what does that look like? When Black women are not holistically cared for, we are not only at risk but we are putting at risk the integrity of all of the work for which we are laboring. This program is specifically designed to offer practical tools for everyday self-care to Black woman-identified individuals living in a world that often makes it challenging to balance high demands and never-ending expectations with a very human need for care. Come explore self-care as part of your new normal!

Cost: $10-40, sliding scale.
Leader: Kimberly Gaubault (McCrae) is an intentional lover of humanity and actively lives the self-care life about which she teaches and advocates. Her personal philosophy of interpersonal interaction is, “If I’ve not positively influenced someone everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve not walked in my purpose.”
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Flash of Silver: Writing Workshop with Laurel Ferejohn - Back by Popular Demand
2020-07-19 13:00 - 16:00
Flash: it’s crystalline and compelling. Many literary journals look for it, many writers want to know what it is and how to write it. In this three-hour online workshop for beginning to seasoned writers of memoir or fiction, you’ll learn about the form that stands proud in its brevity and that can boost all your other writing. Enjoy creating to prompts, with readings and discussion. And enjoy a virtual gathering in celebration of our diverse experience of creativity and resilience. Ahead of class, the instructor will email examples of flash fiction and memoir (including one in-the-making!) and a list of thirty or more flash-friendly journals to read and to submit to.
Cost: $25
Leader: Leader: Laurel Ferejohn is a writer and independent editor with publications of flash fiction, flash memoir, a Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize–winning short story, essays, and poetry. She’s a believer in the power of writers coming together.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

The Enneagram's Spiritual Dimensions with Sandra Smith: a Two-part Workshop via Zoom
2020-07-14 14:00 - 16:00
On July 14 & 21, 2020, for two hours each session, Enneagram expert and beloved workshop leader Sandra Smith will host a Zoom workshop to explore the spiritual dimensions of the Enneagram.
We read and hear a great deal about the psychological traits of the Enneagram types, but the spiritual dimension of the Enneagram, it’s “Holy Ideas” and Holy Virtues,” is less discussed.
As we know, each of the nine type structures has specific fears that bind us and filters that blind us to the abundance and loving nature of reality. Automatic responses replace mindfulness and how we perceive reality through the lens of our type diminishes our experience of the sacredness of life.
In this advanced two-part Enneagram webinar, Sandra will discuss the Holy Ideas and Virtues of the nine types and offer ways to use the Enneagram Map as a guide on the path toward wholeness.
Cost: $65 (includes both sessions)
Sandra Smith, MDiv, is a certified Enneagram teacher in the Narrative Tradition who consults and teaches throughout North America. Learn more about her work here.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link in the automated ticket confirmation.

Letter Writing with Stuart Horwitz
2020-07-12 13:00 - 15:00
This workshop will introduce writers to the art of letter, a practice which can help a writer both communicate truths and uncover material that can blossom into independent pieces.
Attendees will experience the process of:

choosing the right addressee, such as a child leaving for college, a person with whom there may be a difficult legacy; or a once intimate connection who has passed away/moved away—storytelling has always thrived on having (at least) one particular person in mind;
finding the scenes that ground the discussion through sensual detail and point-of-view;
using recovered memorabilia to jog the memory into recall of specifics;
handling the emotions of grief, anger and shame that might arise during true confessional moments;
using an overall message—the theme—to select elements from your draft to construct a finished product that is a unified whole.

Writing a letter can often put into perspective material that is usually kept secret. Whether the letter is ever sent, the opportunity to not only tell your side of the story (and how your addressee might have another side of that story) can unlock forgiveness, delight, and rebirth.
Cost: $30 (sliding scale available)
Leader: As founder and principal of Book Architecture, Stuart Horwitz has spent over fifteen years helping writers become authors, signing with top literary agencies, sealing deals with coveted publishing houses, or forging a successful path through indie publishing. Stuart’s approach is a synthesis of academic theories of narrative structure and his hands-on experience as an independent editor, book coach and ghostwriter. Learn more about Stuart here.
