When the Bees Awoke...
I stopped to listen. They clamored over the rosemary, wings ferocious and quick. The time to rest was over. The time to create had begun.
Welcome back to The Herd everyone!
Our March issue is short and sweet.
Photo of “Baboon” taken by fellow Herder and adventurer, Ida K., from her August travels in Botswana. Baboons are the world’s largest monkey. We share 94% of their DNA.
Intentions
1) We are booked with “Creativity Crushes” from now until June. This is an open announcement to all Herders: if you would like to be featured, please reach out to me! It helps if you have a website or social media, so people can follow your work after reading about you.
2) Winter reflection condensed: February was hard. My depression and anxiety are a daily challenge. It’s tempting to pretend we are okay all the time. I want to remind you—remind myself, really—that it is okay to not be okay. It is brave to seek the support that we need. It is admirable to admit when we are not okay. It is hard, to “not be okay.” But it is… okay. This is a daily lesson for me.
3) Email me your response to our writing prompt (below) if you would like them to be featured in our April Issue.
I will need responses by March 22nd at the latest!
May The Herd can offer you a bit of solace, a bit of realness, and a bit of spark. May our inboxes be filled with images of dusty hills, the sound of bee wings, and gentle reminders that we are not alone.
Creativity Crush
We are not presenting a “new” artist this issue, but have you checked out these featured Herders? Have you really? Check them out again :)
All of these folks have been featured in The Herd and have ways for you to connect with their work online. You can go to our blog and read more about them!
When you click on their images, the links go straight to their websites or social media page. Sign up for their newsletters, follow them on Insta, buy their book, send them a message of gratitude—that’s what we Herders do.
Any little effort goes a long way.
Writing Prompt
Inanimate Objects
This prompt comes from Monica Wood’s collection of writing ideas, which you can find for $5 used online. I love the ideas offered; they help me when I’m stuck.
PROMPT: “Write about a person whose reputation rests on the appearance of an inanimate object.”
Don’t overthink it. 15 minutes. GO!
PRIZE: Do this prompt first. Do it! Take the plunge. Then, check out this author’s amazing collection of SO MANY resources for writers. Not until you take 15 minutes to do the prompt. I’m serious you all. Prompt first. Then prize.
EXTRA PRIZE: Send me your finished prompt. Edit it a bit if you’d like. Email it to me by March 22nd and have it featured in our April Issue!
Quick Lit Review
Brave Words in The Collected Schiozophrenias
Esmé Weijun Wang tackles the stigma of schizophrenia in this riveting and personal collection of essays. She also won the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize.
In The Collected Schiozophrenias, Esmé writes about her diagnosis and psychosis in a way that elicits compassion and admiration. She’s not looking for sympathy here; rather, she’s inviting readers into her personal journey—and struggle—towards wellness. Also, she’s incredibly ambitious and not afraid to own it.
May we remember that we are not destroyed, that we’re still here. Eyes up. Let’s go.
—from Esmé Weijun Wang’s Twitter
Happenings
For more information about Open Studios at UC Davis, click here.
March 6th - M.F.A. Open Studios for UC Davis
Join fellow Herders Zeina Baltagi and Julia Rigby as they open their studios TO YOU, along with their badass cohort. Friday, March 6th. More here.
March 14th and 15th - Writing to Heal Workshop
I’m leading a workshop on the process of healing, writing, and working towards wholeness. How do the stories we tell of our lives inform and shape our world view? How do we heal ourselves in a world full of hurt?
April 4th - Dafunkus ft. Daniel Eugene
This is going to an event that gets you dancing and moving to the music. Dafunkus is playing in the East Bay, Saturday April 4th.
“We have Funky stuff. We have Rocky stuff. We have Reggae stuff.” —Dafunkus
That night, Dafunkus is also featuring noneother than Daniel Eugene—our Creativity Crush from March!
April 11th - Poetry and Placemaking in Point Reyes
I’m leading a one-day workshop to celebrate National Poetry Month!
We will be outside for most the day, making identity maps, and enjoying a beautiful day in Point Reyes. More information here.
To add art and music events in our Newsletter, please email me. Must be subscribed to the Newsletter aka part of The Herd, to have your event featured.
That’s it for this Issue VIII. Thanks for reading The Herd!
Feel free to email me your questions, musings, and writing exercises from our monthly prompt. I might be slow to reply, but I do respond.
P.S. You can unsubscribe at any time. Or if you like The Herd, spread the word. Let’s grow this thing.
C. March 2020