In this Q&A post, we learn from Mel Meder about the importance and possibilities of generative somatics—a deeply embodied practice and theory for creating transformative change. I met Mel several years ago through a mutual friend in Madison, Wisconsin, and I’ve since been learning from Mel about the work of fundraising for organizations that we deeply care about and want to support. generative somatics is one of those organizations, which is why we’re highlighting ... Read more ...
hope
3 Reasons to Participate in the 40-Day Practice on Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility
Starting on November 22nd and running for the final 40 days of 2019, I’m offering the “40-Day Practice: Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility.” Every time I offer this practice (this will be my third and second online), I get a lot of questions, including what this work involves, why it asks for a commitment of 40 days, and why it focuses on emotions. Though I hope the course description answers many of these questions—and I’m happy to answer ... Read more ...
Turning 40 with the Gift of 40 Miles: Why I’m Taking Myself on Walks This Month
May is both my birth month and a time of transition (when the school year ends and summer begins). For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked forward to May and its potential for renewal. This year I’m celebrating my 40th birthday and wanting to mark the occasion with extended time on trails. Specifically, I’m setting a goal to hike 40 miles on my own this month: miles that I’ll walk toward understanding how to be independent within interdependence. Why This ... Read more ...
Lessons from a Poinsettia: Growing Resilience in 40 Days and Beyond
This poinsettia is amazing me—still blooming in these last days of February and reminding me that resilience (emotional elasticity, stamina, and strength) is something we don't often recognize until it’s already present and in place. When I googled how long poinsettias bloom, I was (and wasn’t) surprised to see that 40 days are a common period. The information not only confirms this poinsettia’s resilience (blooming for 3+ months), but it also feels like the ... Read more ...
Learning from and Healing Scars, Both Personal and Collective
Over the past year, my body has experienced a few physical injuries, including a concussion from falling last January and a cut from stepping on a broken bowl back in August. The fall left both knees badly scraped and bruised so that scars are still visible on the surface. The puncture in my foot has involved months of getting ceramic out—piece by piece—and an MRI now confirms that “only scar tissue remains.” That scar tissue isn’t visible like the scars on my knees, ... Read more ...
Welcome to the New Website
For this 100th blog post, I’m excited to share a new, hopefully more robust and accessible website. For the past few weeks, I’ve been building this new version of Heart-Head-Hands.com, a blog with storytelling, resources, and e-courses focused on feeling, thinking, and doing—that is, everyday living—for justice. It’s taken me longer than expected, but the site has come together with the help of good friends and a good web designer (many thanks to Steel Wagstaff!). Today ... Read more ...
Loving to Read Again
During graduate school, there were many weeks of being so overloaded by assigned reading that I couldn’t do it all and felt constantly behind. I recognized that the goal was to learn to skim and to put my hands on more and more research, even if I couldn’t savor many pieces. The trouble was that the more I couldn’t savor what I was reading, the more I associated reading itself with feelings of being overwhelmed and behind. When I shared with a mentor how stressful ... Read more ...
Blessed Change
What does it mean to turn our lives upside down? How might looking at the world differently inspire new perspectives? What new perspectives are needed to enact more equitable relations? In recent weeks, I’ve been pulling this “Blessed Change” card whenever using Doreen Virtue’s “Marginal Mermaids and Dolphins” oracle deck as part of everyday divination, a meditation practice for grounding and interpreting lived experience. I started pulling divination or oracle ... Read more ...
Inside the Chrysalis, or Experiencing Mess, Mess, and More Mess
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 ...
Revisiting Fear Through Walker’s Essay “Everything Is a Human Being”
This spring I’m reading Alice Walker’s Living by the Word slowly, mindfully, as part of my “Contemplative Writing” course. I appreciate this book of essays for many reasons, including its title, which makes an argument that we live by the words we put into the world. As a writer committed to everyday living for justice, I am taken with this idea of “living by the word.” I am taken, too, with Walker’s reflections on her many relations, including with her father and ... Read more ...
![The online writing group starts this Friday, and there are still a few spots open.
.
See link in bio to learn more and register.
.
.
[This image shows a cup of coffee and red flowers alongside a blank sheet of paper and ink pen. It also includes event information: “5 Spots Open! Online Writing Groups. Friday mornings Jan. 31—Feb. 28, 10am EST | 9am CST | 8am MST | 7am PST. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”]
.
.
#WritingCommunity #WritingGroup #OnlineWritingGroup #writers #writersofinstagram #writerslife #writerscommunity #writersblock #instawritersgroup #academiclife #academicwriting #blogging #grantwriting #dissertation #writingsupport #journaling #drafting #revising #recommitting #publishing #techwriting #supportforwriters #writingsupport #writerssupportingwriters](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/s640x640/82891878_1396704527156823_5636243404575326129_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=103&_nc_ohc=CxExKx4fvYIAX9oZ9bi&oh=50668fd21639e6355b1ac60049445e32&oe=5EB6F378 "The online writing group starts this Friday, and there are still a few spots open.
.
See link in bio to learn more and register.
.
.
[This image shows a cup of coffee and red flowers alongside a blank sheet of paper and ink pen. It also includes event information: “5 Spots Open! Online Writing Groups. Friday mornings Jan. 31—Feb. 28, 10am EST | 9am CST | 8am MST | 7am PST. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”]
.
.
#WritingCommunity #WritingGroup #OnlineWritingGroup #writers #writersofinstagram #writerslife #writerscommunity #writersblock #instawritersgroup #academiclife #academicwriting #blogging #grantwriting #dissertation #writingsupport #journaling #drafting #revising #recommitting #publishing #techwriting #supportforwriters #writingsupport #writerssupportingwriters")
![Food and writing. Writing and food.
.
These are my themes for January with the new webinar (on relationships with food) and writing group (Friday mornings) both happening this week.
.
Register for one or both: links in bio.
.
.
[This image taken at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco shows a print journal alongside matcha and mochi (sweet and caffeinated treats): a representation of writing and food.]
.
.
#food #writing #writingcommunity #writers #writersofinstagram #writer #writerslife #blogger #foodblogger #veganblogger #vegan #mindfuleating #foodasmedicine #healing #webinar #writinggroup #writinggroups #conversation #talkaboutfood #relationshipwithfood #journal #journaling #drafting #revising #recommitting #publishing #ongoingeducation](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c3.0.1434.1434a/s640x640/81439807_458531971720100_2874986313181887003_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=108&_nc_ohc=eOtIrvy_qHMAX8Ji1m3&oh=814b79183c67219d3980e7ca1d10697a&oe=5ED261B7 "Food and writing. Writing and food.
.
These are my themes for January with the new webinar (on relationships with food) and writing group (Friday mornings) both happening this week.
.
Register for one or both: links in bio.
.
.
[This image taken at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco shows a print journal alongside matcha and mochi (sweet and caffeinated treats): a representation of writing and food.]
.
.
#food #writing #writingcommunity #writers #writersofinstagram #writer #writerslife #blogger #foodblogger #veganblogger #vegan #mindfuleating #foodasmedicine #healing #webinar #writinggroup #writinggroups #conversation #talkaboutfood #relationshipwithfood #journal #journaling #drafting #revising #recommitting #publishing #ongoingeducation")
![Thanks to @FSUEnglish for the invitation to share “Not Just a ‘Plan B’: Exploring Alt-Ac, Non-Ac, and Post-Ac Careers” today. I’m excited for today’s conversation about commitment-driven career discernment.
.
[Image Description: This flyer for today’s workshop shares the title, a bio and photo of me/Beth, and event information, including: “Spring 2020 English Department Placement Workshop: After outlining her own trajectory through and beyond academia, and discussing possible alternative career paths, Beth will lead us through a series of short reflections before taking questions from the room. Beth brings to this conversation many experiences and has fulfilled many roles beyond higher education, including K-12 instruction, community-based learning, and non-profit work.”]
.
Learn more about my work on aligning career with commitments via link in bio. <3
.
.
#HigherEd #CareerDiscernment #Coaching #Support #GradLife #ProfLife #withaphd #gradschoolproblems @gradstudentselfcare @beyondtheprof #gradschool #gradschoollife #altac #tenuretrack #tenured #tenuretrackgrind #teachersofinstagram #faculty #facultylife #workshop #gradstudents #highereducation #higheredjobs #careergoals #careerchange #careeropportunities #commitment #whatsnext🤔 #whatsnext #fridaymotivation](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.44.1440.1440a/s640x640/81720434_155061649263146_4272814565202230046_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=102&_nc_ohc=5VP5Wu_VK8gAX9PJiTr&oh=1b093bd21b351c6d4287c41667b8a8a9&oe=5EB9FB29 "Thanks to @FSUEnglish for the invitation to share “Not Just a ‘Plan B’: Exploring Alt-Ac, Non-Ac, and Post-Ac Careers” today. I’m excited for today’s conversation about commitment-driven career discernment.
.
[Image Description: This flyer for today’s workshop shares the title, a bio and photo of me/Beth, and event information, including: “Spring 2020 English Department Placement Workshop: After outlining her own trajectory through and beyond academia, and discussing possible alternative career paths, Beth will lead us through a series of short reflections before taking questions from the room. Beth brings to this conversation many experiences and has fulfilled many roles beyond higher education, including K-12 instruction, community-based learning, and non-profit work.”]
.
Learn more about my work on aligning career with commitments via link in bio. <3
.
.
#HigherEd #CareerDiscernment #Coaching #Support #GradLife #ProfLife #withaphd #gradschoolproblems @gradstudentselfcare @beyondtheprof #gradschool #gradschoollife #altac #tenuretrack #tenured #tenuretrackgrind #teachersofinstagram #faculty #facultylife #workshop #gradstudents #highereducation #higheredjobs #careergoals #careerchange #careeropportunities #commitment #whatsnext🤔 #whatsnext #fridaymotivation")
![I’ve been listening to requests to host writing groups, and here’s a first offering—an online writing group to meet Friday mornings, January 31st through February 28th.
.
To learn more, see link in bio.
.
[This image shows writing tools (phone, keyboard, journal, pencil, and pen) along with the event information: “Online Writing Groups. Friday mornings Jan. 31—Feb. 28, 10am EST | 9am CST | 8am MST | 7am PST. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”]
.
.
#WritingCommunity #WritingGroup #OnlineWritingGroup #writers #writersofinstagram #writerslife #writerscommunity #writersblock #instawritersgroup #academiclife #academicwriting #blogging #grantwriting #dissertation #writingsupport @iwca_writingcenters @uwmadisonwritingcenter @writing_inspiration @awpwriter #fridaymotivation #fridaymorning](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/s640x640/81661580_214516276238860_6826750115944246944_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=104&_nc_ohc=zifcYDxiCGkAX9gaFP7&oh=34ebce0d85af4598609da7895c06c21e&oe=5EC9F4E2 "I’ve been listening to requests to host writing groups, and here’s a first offering—an online writing group to meet Friday mornings, January 31st through February 28th.
.
To learn more, see link in bio.
.
[This image shows writing tools (phone, keyboard, journal, pencil, and pen) along with the event information: “Online Writing Groups. Friday mornings Jan. 31—Feb. 28, 10am EST | 9am CST | 8am MST | 7am PST. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”]
.
.
#WritingCommunity #WritingGroup #OnlineWritingGroup #writers #writersofinstagram #writerslife #writerscommunity #writersblock #instawritersgroup #academiclife #academicwriting #blogging #grantwriting #dissertation #writingsupport @iwca_writingcenters @uwmadisonwritingcenter @writing_inspiration @awpwriter #fridaymotivation #fridaymorning")
![Friends in the Midwest:
I’ll be keynoting the MnWE (Minnesota Writing and English) Conference in March, and I’d love to see you at the conference. Proposals are due January 26th, so there’s still time to submit.
.
Here’s information about my talk -- link in bio -- and I’ll be facilitating an interactive workshop with Jasmine Kar Tang, too!
.
About the keynote:
This interactive presentation engages the dialectic of critique against and critique for: both problematizing “civic engagement” and pointing toward literacy education aligned with justice (social, racial, and environmental justice).
.
Together, we’ll consider where investment in civic engagement comes from, particularly at a time when civic participation, civil discourse, and related constructs of citizenship and national borders provide justifications for excluding and dehumanizing people. Power functions in these discourses, people are marginalized and written off, and unintentional acts still do harm, as research on microaggressions show.
.
How, then, do we interrupt these injustices? What learning and unlearning is needed now—not only in the context of “21st century literacies” but also within white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, settler colonialism, and interlocking oppressions?
.
.
[This image shows a photo of Beth Godbee on the left and text on the right: “MNWECONFERENCE.COM – Keynotes and Plenaries – Breaking Civil Discourse: Cultivating Productive and Receptive Literacies for Responsible (Response-Able) Engagement.”] .
.
#MnWE #Conference #Keynote #Presentation #CFP #Speaking #Facilitating #LiteracyEducation #SocialJusticeEducation #AntiOppression #Writing #English #WritingCenters #RhetComp @iwca_writingcenters @nctegram @uwmadisonwritingcenter @rhetcompdaily #writingcommunity #writingstudies #highered #highereducation #21stcenturyliteracies #committedtojustice #critique #action #teaching #pedagogy #writingteacher #wednesdaymotivation](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/e35/c81.0.176.176a/80791550_479728156064920_9207582473884025899_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=104&_nc_ohc=7si-atJMBPIAX-XfCKB&oh=150ee3c0e514ddb241e0bf8f9269a2ff&oe=5ECFFA75 "Friends in the Midwest:
I’ll be keynoting the MnWE (Minnesota Writing and English) Conference in March, and I’d love to see you at the conference. Proposals are due January 26th, so there’s still time to submit.
.
Here’s information about my talk -- link in bio -- and I’ll be facilitating an interactive workshop with Jasmine Kar Tang, too!
.
About the keynote:
This interactive presentation engages the dialectic of critique against and critique for: both problematizing “civic engagement” and pointing toward literacy education aligned with justice (social, racial, and environmental justice).
.
Together, we’ll consider where investment in civic engagement comes from, particularly at a time when civic participation, civil discourse, and related constructs of citizenship and national borders provide justifications for excluding and dehumanizing people. Power functions in these discourses, people are marginalized and written off, and unintentional acts still do harm, as research on microaggressions show.
.
How, then, do we interrupt these injustices? What learning and unlearning is needed now—not only in the context of “21st century literacies” but also within white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, settler colonialism, and interlocking oppressions?
.
.
[This image shows a photo of Beth Godbee on the left and text on the right: “MNWECONFERENCE.COM – Keynotes and Plenaries – Breaking Civil Discourse: Cultivating Productive and Receptive Literacies for Responsible (Response-Able) Engagement.”] .
.
#MnWE #Conference #Keynote #Presentation #CFP #Speaking #Facilitating #LiteracyEducation #SocialJusticeEducation #AntiOppression #Writing #English #WritingCenters #RhetComp @iwca_writingcenters @nctegram @uwmadisonwritingcenter @rhetcompdaily #writingcommunity #writingstudies #highered #highereducation #21stcenturyliteracies #committedtojustice #critique #action #teaching #pedagogy #writingteacher #wednesdaymotivation")
