For most of us, the pandemic has forced us into a world of Zoom. A year ago, in June, 2020, I wrote about the book group I attended on Zoom that was so meaningful for me, reading The Story You Need to Tell: Writing to Heal from Trauma, Illness, or Loss, by Sandra Marinella.
In the last year, we have offered that book group 5 more times, each time filling it to our capacity of 12 people, always with a waiting list. It has been a meaningful and inspiring experience for many of you. We are starting another one next week, and again have a waiting list.
When I took part in the first group with Sandra, one of the optional exercises gave me the impetus I needed to put me on the path of writing my memoir. After a year, I have finished the first draft and have hired an editor to help me make it better before finding a publisher. Writing it has been a healing process for me, and I’m eager to find out what the re-writing process will reveal.
I have learned so much from Sandra that I’ve wanted to find a way for more of you to experience her wisdom and her contagious enthusiasm for writing.
When we offered the Cancer as a Turning Point, From Surviving to Thriving™ conference, people often suggested that we do something on the internet. I resisted the idea because I know the value of cancer survivors meeting each other in person and I wanted to continue offering in-person events.
Now that we have gotten accustomed to connecting on a screen, and many of us aren’t comfortable being in crowds, I am excited to see how an online webinar serves as a method to realize our mission to support healing, activate hope, and promote thriving.
We are offering a free webinar with Sandra Marinella, on Zoom, on Saturday, September 11, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT. We picked that date because we traditionally offered our Northern California Cancer as a Turning Point, From Surviving to Thriving™ conference on the first Saturday after Labor Day.
Instead of having many speakers in one day like we did in a conference, we are offering a Speaker Series, with one speaker a month. Sandra will be the first. Watch for more information soon on who the others will be.
Sandra’s teachings introduce writing as an effective strategy for dealing with trauma or illness. In October we will also be offering a writing group with Sandra on Zoom for those who want to utilize the writing strategies she presents in her book. Watch for an opportunity to register.
I hope you will take advantage of this occasion to experience an hour with Sandra, on September 11th at 10 a.m. Just like the conference, there is no charge, and we encourage and appreciate donations to help cover our costs. You can learn more and register here. If you register and are not able to attend on September 11th, we will send you a link to a recording of the presentation. We encourage you to attend the event live so you can participate in a dialogue with Sandra.
As always, I welcome your comments; to reply please click here.
