$45.00 USD

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“The Language of Loss: Putting Grief into Words”

Saturday, June 11
9am-1pm 
$45 (lunch included)

At the home of Kim & Mary Francis Working in Lebanon, TN

 

“It’s the sharing of our stories that saves us.”

 

Burying a loved one, getting divorced, being downsized at work, growing old, letting go of a dream—any loss can leave us speechless. Throw Covid, the war in Ukraine, and economic uncertainty into the mix and grief is a natural response. All of a sudden, the language we’ve relied on for years no longer has the power to get us through the day, much less express our anger, soothe our sadness, or calm our confusion.

 

“Tell me about despair, yours,” says poet Mary Oliver, “and I will tell you mine.”

 

In this hands-on workshop, participants will interact with prompts and readings designed to “give sorrow words.” You needn’t consider yourself a “real writer” to join us, and critique is not part of the process. (You won’t even be compelled to read your work aloud!) This isn’t therapy, but putting pen to paper enhances our healing and allows us to bear witness to the human condition.

 

“This approach cracked open my heart, helped me find the grief, and empowered me to work through it to a place of peace.”—Cece

 

Amy Lyles Wilson’s most exuberant and productive energy exists at the intersection of creativity and spirituality. A trained spiritual director, she has found solace in words for as long as she can remember. After burying her father, and while earning a master’s degree in theology, she became interested in how we grieve: specifically, she grew frustrated by the ways society attempts to mandate how we mourn or asks us to ignore our sadness altogether. Wilson has degrees in English, journalism, and theology, and is the founder of Pilgrim Writers, designed to help people claim their voices in a safe and encouraging environment. She is a writer, editor, and workshop leader whose work has appeared in a variety of publications and on National Public Radio. She has co-authored or contributed to nine books, such as Bless Your Heart: Saving the World One Covered Dish at a Time and This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies from Remarkable Men and Women. She served as adjunct professor and writer-in-residence at the Earlham School of Religion, and has taught at the Chautauqua Institution, The Porch Writers Collective, and Nashville Community Education. Learn more at www.amylyleswilson.com.