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spring season links:
intro
calendar
circle members
opening
workshop

creative inventory
revisiting exercise
reflective conversation
closing season

To see printable pdf of the seasons guide go here.


opening: mission statement
silent time word: peruse
intro sentence: The last letter I wrote on paper…
stepping stones/synchronicities: share creative journeys and guiding influences
business notes: discuss materials for next meeting — closing spring
jewel box: reflective conversation — journals and letters
stepping stones for next meeting:
closing: brief silent time

The reflective conversation engages the group in thoughtful discussions that awaken our senses to the creative world around us. Use the topics and questions suggested by the theme of the season to initiate your discussion.

In this season's reflective conversation, we'll visit the minds, thoughts and emotions of creative thinkers. Then we'll write a letter to ourselves and tuck it away to discover in the future. You'll need references to your topic (see suggestions below), writing materials, an envelope, and a gathering place. Choose a spot that will invite comfort and relaxation — a relaxing cafe, a cozy corner in someone's room or a nook in the wilderness!

Discussion theme:
Your reflective conversation will focus on published letters and journals of someone who has left a creative mark on our world. As a group, choose letters and/or journals to discuss and compare. If you choose to cover an entire book then be sure to give yourselves ample time to read it before you meet.

State topics for discussions you'd like to explore here:







Exercise: A letter to your creative spirit
On a piece of paper, write a message to yourself in the future that defines your goals for your creative journey. You may choose to share the letter with the other women in your circle or you may keep it private. When you have finished your letter tear it into large puzzle size pieces, put the pieces in an envelope addressed to you and select a date to open it (a birthday, an anniversary or any other significant milestone). Take it home and put it in a safe place.

suggested readings
The Journals of Anais Nin
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, by Sylvia Plath, Karen V. Kukil
Paula Modersohn-Becker: The Letters and Journals by Paula Modersohn-Becker
Spilling Open by Sabrina Ward Harrison
Queen Victoria in Her Letters and Journals by Christopher Hibbert
Letters by Emily Dickenson
van Gogh — letters to his brother Theo
Beloved Prophet: The Love Letters of Kahlil Gibran and Mary Haskell and Her Private Journal by Kahlil Gibran
The Journal of Eugene Delacroix: A Selection (Arts & Letters) by Eugene Delacroix

other resources
Private Pages: Diaries of American Women 1830'S-1970's by Penny Franklin
Letters of the Century: America 1900-1999 by Lisa Grunwald
800 Years of Women's Letters
by Olga Kenyon
A collection of women's letters, both real and fictional, divided into letters on friendship, marriage, childbirth, travel, work, war, and politics
From Daughters To Mothers: I've Always Meant To Tell You
by Constance Warloe
A collection of original letters, poems, essays, cartoons, and stories. More than 75 contemporary women authors speak to their mothers--both living and deceased--with messages that come straight from the heart.


go to the next jewel box page: closing spring

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