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divination

Inside the Chrysalis, or Experiencing Mess, Mess, and More Mess

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee September 22, 2018 7 Comments

Image of a fuzzy yellow-and-brown caterpillar with black and white hairs sticking out of its body, positioned on a wooden stick. This photo was taken along a hiking trail, so there’s faded grey and green in the background.

It’s not uncommon for me to ride emotional roller-coasters with swings from sweet to sour as I go about my days. More and more, I’ve noticed these swings as I’ve tuned in with my emotions and embodied self through Reiki, yoga, and other contemplative practices. The more I do inner work and the more I embrace mess, the more the messiness of being an always-incomplete, imperfect human inevitability shows up. Still, if I’m being honest with myself, the past few weeks have ... Read more ...

A New Spell for a New Space

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee August 3, 2018 1 Comment

Printed copy of the spell (words that appear in this blog post) taped to a bathroom mirror with a colorful shower curtain showing part of a tree reflected in the mirror. The photo has a pink tint.

These past few weeks I’ve been focused on moving and settling into a new home. The move has called attention to all sorts of stuff, habits, and emotional swings—things I’d like to keep and release, to shore up and tear down. This process has reminded me, too, of the contemplative practices that contribute to a sense of grounding: grounding needed to stand TALL for justice. One of these practices is spell-casting, which I learned from activist-writer-healer adrienne ... Read more ...

Against the Tyranny of Positivity

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Higher Education By Beth Godbee July 27, 2018 Leave a Comment

The question "What emotional work is waiting to be done?" appears in white cursive font against a background of blues and greens. The background image appears to be an aerial view of the ocean with deeper water appearing as dark blue and shallow water as lighter blue and teal/green, touching land masses represented by brown-tan-yellow.

On this day of the lunar eclipse in Aquarius, may we allow ourselves to feel. To feel whatever comes up. To feel deeply, expansively, expressively. To feel a fuller range of emotions than we’re typically taught is appropriate or agreeable or allowable to feel. To grieve for Nia Wilson, for Markeis McGlockton, and for many people whose lives are deemed expendable. To rage against white supremacy, patriarchy, colonization, and oppression. To push past easy, ready, ... Read more ...

When Everything Is Horrible, Try Slowing Down and Noticing

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies By Beth Godbee July 6, 2018 8 Comments

White trillium blooming in the forest.

On a recent hike, I found myself complaining about the heat and mosquitoes. I was walking quickly, speeding up to get off the trail, and failing to notice my surroundings. It wasn’t until I took a break on the ground—literally sitting in the middle of the trail—that I noticed blooming mayapples underneath large leaves. All around me but out of sight when walking were flowers promising spring and the summer to come. The more I slowed down and took breaks on the ... Read more ...

Turning 39 and Thinking about Age(ism)

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee June 13, 2018 4 Comments

The number 39 printed in blue within an orange circle against a gray background.

A few weeks ago, I turned 39. I get excited about birthdays, believing that age is cumulative, as “we’re all the ages we’ve ever been.” I think of new ages as adding experiences and insights while keeping all the previous ones: I’m still my toddler and teenage selves, and now I’m adding multiple adult selves into the mix. I joke that “I’m greedy and want all the ages” as a way to affirm and reclaim the joy of aging. And I do see joy in aging—in experiencing more of ... Read more ...

Learning to Ask for What I Want

Filed Under: Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee May 10, 2018 1 Comment

Screenshot of Chani Nicholas’s Facebook post saying “Note to self: ask for what you want.”

I’m learning to pay attention to small signs and recurring themes that show up in my life, and in the past week, I’ve seen time and again messages to ask for what I want. I’ve seen these messages through friends’ social media posts, through conversations with former students, and even through Chani Nicholas’s astrological reading: These messages are reminding me of how often I encourage other writers to do the big, bold move of submitting work before it feels ... Read more ...

Crocheting Granny Squares, Connecting to Grandmothers, and Crafting a More Just Future

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee April 26, 2018 4 Comments

Skeins of yarn laid in a row: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, plum, purple.

Recently, I felt inspired to pick up crocheting again, after many seasons without touching a needle, hook, or yarn. Feeling the call for creative self-care, I ordered vegan yarn in the colors of the 7 chakras and laid them out, planning a small afghan of granny squares. Thread yarn onto hook. Chain five, and connect stitches, making a circle. Days after purchasing the yarn and only a few stitches into my first granny square, my mom shared some news. Betty, the woman ... Read more ...

Snapshots of Support

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies By Beth Godbee March 10, 2018 Leave a Comment

My practice space: yoga mats, blocks, and foam roller.

This week I’ve felt stretched thin—waking up earlier and heading to bed later than I’d like. One moment, I’m reviewing students’ midterm portfolios. The next, I’m scripting a hard conversation. While attending to microaggressions and facilitating tricky online and in-person conversations, I’m also sharing hopeful-yet-emotional announcements with family, friends, colleagues, and students. In the midst of such frenzied and frenetic activity, I’ve been finding support ... Read more ...

My Journey with Back Pain

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies By Beth Godbee February 8, 2018 Leave a Comment

Back pain. It’s a friend who’s accompanied me through most of my life, beginning in my early teens and really intensifying during graduate school when I had an “emergency surgery” after losing muscular control of my right foot. In 2006, when I had this surgery, I experienced intense pain: burning sensations that radiated from my low back down my right leg and into the toes that I couldn’t lift. It was a scary experience. The last decade has taken me on an unexpected ... Read more ...

Caterpillars and the Butterfly Effect: Noticing Small Signs and Taking Small Actions

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee January 4, 2018 Leave a Comment

2018. New Year’s Day. I am with family in Florida and noticing many interesting insects, including these caterpillars and moths: Curiosity leads us to watch, take photographs, and later look up the species, learning that these are oleander caterpillars transformed into oleander moths. I keep seeing caterpillars and moths, so I begin researching their symbolic significance. Suddenly I realize this is another example of everyday divination and miraculous timing, as ... Read more ...

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bethgodbee

Writing retreats offer fuel for creative fires. If Writing retreats offer fuel for creative fires. If you'd like to feed your flames, consider an upcoming retreat.

Registration is open for the following dates:
Monday, June 5th
Thursday, June 29th
Monday, July 10th
Thursday, July 20th
Wednesday, July 26th
Monday, August 14th

Learn more and sign up here: https://heart-head-hands.com/product/writing-retreats/
--> link in bio

[Photo shows my first campfire of the summer with yellow-orange-red flames inside a fire pit -- against a dark blue-purple background.]

#writing #creative #fire #creativefire #writingretreats #writingretreat #writingcommunity #writingcoach
Last call for tomorrow's workshop on planning summ Last call for tomorrow's workshop on planning summer writing projects:
https://heart-head-hands.com/product/planning-summer-writing-projects-prioritizing-purpose-over-productivity/ —> link in bio. ✏️

I'm here if you'd like support with prioritizing writing this summer and releasing those habits (from self-doubt to overwhelm) that derail us as writers. Good #writing wishes! 💛

[Image shares this same “last call” text with a link to the registration page.]
Final call for summer writing groups! We (@cusew Final call for summer writing groups!
 
We (@cusewinters and I) are trying out a new time on Tuesdays 2-5pm. Hoping this group reaches those of you who’ve asked for later times.
 
For more information and to sign up: https://heart-head-hands.com/product/online-writing-group/ --> link in bio.

There’s still a little time to join before Tuesday. :-)

[This image shows writing tools (phone, keyboard, journal, pencil, and pen) along with the event information: “Join one or both days: Tues. @ 2pm ET or Fri. @ 10am ET. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”]

#writing #writinginspiration #writingcommunity #writer #writersofinstagram #WritingResources #WritingSupport #WritingLife #WritingCenterLife #WritingTime #TimeToWrite #writinggoals #writersblock #writingmotivation #writerscommunity #writers #WritingCoach #WritingGroup #communitywriting #WritingTogether
#Repost @charisbooksandmore with @use.repost
・・・
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with a new book! Need some guidance on where to start or what to read next? We have three separate booklists for you to look through: AAPI Fiction (and a little poetry!), Non-Fiction, and Children’s/YA! ⁠
⁠
You can find the complete lists at the link in our bio!⁠
⁠
FICTION AND POETRY:⁠
· All This Could Be Different: A Novel by Sarah Thankam Mathews (@smathewss)⁠
· Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai (@mia.tsai.books) (@tachyonpub)⁠
· The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi (@fancyrhino)⁠
· Togetherness by Wo Chan (@theillustriouspearl)⁠
· Hula: A Novel by Jasmin Iolani Hakes (@jasminiolani)⁠
· Late Bloomers: A Novel by Deepa Varadarajan (@deepavaradara)⁠
⁠
NON-FICTION:⁠
· A Living Remedy: A Memoir By Nicole Chung (@nicolesjchung)⁠
· The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition By Thenmozhi Soundararajan (@dalitdiva)⁠
· Asian American Histories of the United States By Catherine Ceniza Choy (@catherinecenizachoy)⁠
· Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life By Alice Wong (@disability_visability)⁠
· I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: A Memoir By Baek Sehee⁠
· Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America By Julia Lee (@profjulialee)⁠
⁠
CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT:⁠
· An Asian American A to Z: A Children's Guide to Our History By Cathy Linh Che (@cathylinhche), Kyle Lucia Wu (@kylelucia), & Kavita Ramchandran (@kavitaramchandran) (@haymarketbooks)⁠
· Milloo's Mind: The Story of Maryam Faruqi, Trailblazer for Women's Education By · Reem Faruqi (@reemfaruqi) & Hoda Hadadi (@hodahadadi_artpage)⁠
· Maizy Chen's Last Chance By Lisa Yee (@lisayee1)⁠
· You Are Here: Connecting Flights edited by Ellen Oh (@elloecho) (@tracicheeauthor) (@allidabooks)⁠
· She Is a Haunting By Trang Thanh Tran (@nvtran_)⁠
· A Scatter of Light By Malinda Lo (@malindalo)⁠
⁠
#AAPIHeritageMonth⁠
We’re a week away from the final workshop on pla We’re a week away from the final workshop on planning summer writing projects. It’s next Wednesday, May 24th 1-3pm ET (starting at 12pm CT, 11am MT, 10am PT).

These workshops are interactive and responsive to what emerges, much like small-group coaching. One participant shared this reflection from last week’s workshop:

“Thank you for the lovely session today. It really made me reevaluate the way that I schedule my day and how I am (or at the moment, how I am not) prioritizing the writing I want to be doing.”

Registration is on a sliding scale and includes a one-day writing retreat. Learn more and sign up here: https://heart-head-hands.com/product/planning-summer-writing-projects-prioritizing-purpose-over-productivity/ —> link in bio 💛

[Image shows a row of colored pencils, fading in color from green to brown, against a teal background. The top half shares the workshop’s title: “Planning Summer Writing Projects: Prioritizing Purpose over Productivity” and the URL: Heart-Head-Hands.com …]

#writing #coaching #priorities #prioritizing #productivity #planning #projects #summerwriting #writingplans #writingoals #writingcommunity #writers #writinggroup #writingretreat #writingretreats #summerretreats #writingworkshop #workshop #smallgroupcoaching #learning #unlearning #summer #academia #highered #writingchallenges #reflection #purpose #purposedriven #commitment
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About Beth Godbee

I'm an educator and former writing studies professor who believes our fully embodied selves matter in the world. We can’t just think our way out of the incredible injustices, dehumanization, violence, and wrongdoing that characterize everyday life. We must feel and act, too. [Pronouns: she/her.] Read more ...

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