The Muse & The Marketplace 2024

All writers, at some stage of their journey, must write through fear. However, not all of us have intimate knowledge of the roots of our fear, while some of us have difficulty finding compassion and empathy for our writer selves in the face of it. Fear, at its core, is resistance that leads us to believe that what we have to say is not worth saying. What if we could move beyond our anxieties about the value of our writing? What would be possible on the page? What if we could rise beyond resistance to resilience? In this session, we will explore some of the pervasive sources of fear. Writers such as Prince Shakur, Kyo Maclear, Rebecca Solnit, and Ingrid Rojas Contreras will be wayfinders towards creating our own brave spaces for our words to live. We will explore tools, such as a literary mantra, inspired by poet Amanda Gorman, to help us understand who we are and why we write and leave with your own. You will also receive guidance on news ways to measure your resilience, a touch of magic to rise out of the rut.