Magical Memoir Moments

Community or Solitude: Are You Called By Either? Both?

By Shirley Showalter | August 5, 2015

Together or alone? Good writing benefits from both community and solitude. Sometimes a deep experience of one leads to a craving for the other.

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The Joy of Creation: Our Writer Video of the Day

By Shirley Showalter | November 18, 2010

Here’s your creativity vitamin for today from the Fetzer Institute Writer’s Retreat collection:  Alison Leuterman, Jenifer Louden, Michael Jones, and Dianne Suess discuss making art. I agree with Alison that making things and joy are intimately connected. Take a few minutes to visit the links above if you enjoy hearing these great voices. www.youtube.com CWS%…

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Writer’s Retreat Videos: Inspiration for Living and Creating

By Shirley Showalter | November 16, 2010

Last spring poet Mark Nepo and I gathered a group of artists together at Seasons, the retreat center of The Fetzer Institute. What happened next was magical–solitude and community intertwined for an entire, delicious, week.  The staff at the Institute has posted a series of short videos on the website above. You can participate with…

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100Memoirs.com Reaches 100 Posts: A Mini-Memoir

By Shirley Showalter | June 6, 2009

Time for a little history report. My first blog post ever was written for the Fetzer Institute Campaign for Love and Forgiveness website. The subject was the week-long volunteer opportunity I was given to help with Katrina recovery in New Orleans. March 24-April, 3 blog posts appeared, and USA Today published my op-ed article about…

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A Workshop on Reflective Writing

By Shirley Showalter | September 30, 2008

Next Monday I will conduct the first of a series of four 1.5-hour-long workshops at the Fetzer Institute, the organization for which I work.  Our founder, John E. Fetzer, believed that we need to be the work in order to do the work.  He was a visionary leader who intuited the needs of the future…

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