“Do you consider yourself a writer?” I’ve been teaching for almost two decades, and throughout this time, I’ve routinely asked this question on the first and last days of the semester (and often in-between). I’ve found my own strong YES to the question, asserting: “I don’t just study writing. I write. I am a writer.” And I hope that students, colleagues, friends, and family will similarly see themselves as writers, as people who write (who do the embodied act of ... Read more ...
Higher Education
These posts consider matters of teaching and learning, career discernment, and equity in education. As a former professor, I share my experiences in school and my decision to leave academia to pursue public writing and community education.
Today Resistance Looks Like …
How do we work to align feelings, thoughts, and actions (heart, head, hands) with the world we’d like to see? How do we go about our everyday lives for the “ought to be,” for justice? I’m thankful for Jardana Peacock (of the Liberatory Leadership Project) for modeling a contemplative writing practice that I’ve been using to think through these questions. At the end of each day, I’ve been filling in the answer to her prompt: “Today resistance looks like …” I ... Read more ...
Re-Reading Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
In preparation for a course I’m teaching this spring (“Writing for Social Justice”), I’m lucky to be re-reading Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. In this powerful YA novel, Alexie describes growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and navigating interactions in the rural, white high school. Alexie’s narrative reveals much about systemic inequities, colonization, marginalization, and disenfranchisement. I hope students will relate to ... Read more ...
Heart, Head, and Hands: Explaining the Blog’s Name
For months, I kept a list of keywords and imagined titles for this blog. For months, I ran possible names by friends and family, who responded with “nope,” “eugh,” and “huh?” Then, casually and unsurprisingly, my friend and frequent co-author Rasha Diab said, “Beth, your blog is heart-head-hands. That’s your thing.” I guess this exercise—this linking of feeling with thinking with acting—is “my thing.” Often in classes and workshops, I use the contemplative writing ... Read more ...
![I’m looking ahead to busy weeks leading up to the election. Yes, vote! And, yes, plan for continued action before, during, and after the election. There’s so much to reckon with, to re-envision, and to strive toward in this season and beyond.
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If you’d like support in the coming weeks, I’ve designed the processing group questions with the election in mind:
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October 21st (tomorrow)
How are we sitting with (or resisting) discomfort?
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October 28th
What’s this election demanding of us, personally and collectively?
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November 4th
What am I feeling, thinking, and doing today (day after the election)?
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You can learn more and register here online. Link in bio.
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[Image Description: This image shares this week’s question “How are we sitting with (or resisting) discomfort?” and event information: “Processing with Heart-Head-Hands. Wed., Oct. 21st 1pm EDT.” Text appears in muted orange and pink bubbles against a cream background. The design also includes orange and pink prints (like leaves) and dark green brush strokes (like raindrops).]
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