Women Weaving Words

The title of this post harks back to when I used to teach baby yoga classes in my community. Every group would finish with a rendition of this rhyme, whilst everyone flew their babies high above them, amidst lots of laughter. Our in-person writing circle could no longer continue, due to constraints at finding a suitable venue for us to gather, and that would allow us to continue for free. After much deliberation, I moved the group online in March 2020, and so far, it has been a great decision. For me, there's less rushing around after finishing work and trying to arrive on time and create a welcoming space. Now, I feel relaxed, refreshed and can even be wearing my PJ's. But what's so wonderful, is that women are more open and expressive in the sharing of their writing. Perhaps the safety and comfort of their own surroundings encourages them to be a little bolder? Who knows, but I do know that it has made the experience richer. As always, check out the even

I've just finished putting together the prompts for Thursday's writing circle. As always, there's so many that I've had to leave to one side as time will be pressing us once again. Remember, the groups is free to attend, however you are asked to make a small purchase of a beverage from the cafe before joining us. We meet at 7pm - first write is at 7.15pm.

Pop the date in your diaries - our next writing circle takes place at our usual meeting place: John Lewis Cafe - see events page for more details

Thursday evening we shared the space in John Lewis cafe with a much larger group of women who were knitting. Places for women to gather with ease is, ironically, not easy to come by. Hearing the other group occasionally in the background resonated with this month's theme: Free your Voice For several years I've been dipping in and out of researching into what happens to women's voices as they age. I've even written about it. Then there's the other difficult we experience - not being able to truthfully express our needs. The question, "what do you want?" can actually be quite off-putting and harsh. Want is too direct, whereas need is softer, more approachable. We explored a variety of writing prompts on somewhat tender themes at times, allowed light to be cast on areas that have perhaps been ignored or hidden for some time. Whilst the content was kept private, the support and connection within the group ensured a sense of safety for this explorat

After an absence of several months, the women's writing group returns on Thursday 06 June at 7pm. More details on the events page [Image: Incidental Comics ]

Our women's writing group will next meet on Sunday 30 September at 10.30am - see the Events page for more details.