An amazing residency in the Twin Cities

Hey all,
We had an incredible week at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. We cannot thank them and the community enough. Welcome to the new Warrior Writers and Combat Papermakers and the supportive community in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Soon, I will post pictures and hopefully even video. We even got a new webmaster out of the deal, thanks John!
Here is a piece I wrote on our borrowed typewriter on Thursday, our first morning with our new friends...

uniforms and girlhood pinks
tangle, intersect
we dissect our trauma
over scissors, poems
and wet paper
this is our history
and we are our futures
now woven together


So now, since I've kept you waiting on a new exercise (most of you haven't been writing anyway, tsk tsk) here we go with a new one. I'll give you only a topic.

Objects of obsession

now get to writing,
Lovella

Up, down and around...

Congrats to everyone who posted (see Comments under my first post). These should appear on the blog, not as comments, so we're workin' out the kinks with that. Email us if you are trying to post on here for our agreements and a login.

Be patient with yourself. Also, be diligent about your art-making. Creativity is a muscle that must be used.

So, onto this week's writing exercise. I'll post on a specific day once I get internet access, bear with me.

Managing our emotions: up and down, frustrating and liberating, confusing and clear - wears us out. So today, your assignment is to paint a picture of where you've been, where your feelings have led you lately. What makes you angry? What makes you excited? What calms you? What scares you? What makes you smile?

Think of this as a tool to deal with these emotions. Knowing these answers can help you plan better to to take care of yourself during these times. Do so. Reach out when you need help. We're here.

In struggle,
Lovella

Our first exercise

Hey everyone,
Welcome to the Warrior Writers Blog! I am so excited to see what you all have to say! I will be posting/sending exercises every week, I'm not sure what day but just keep checking in.

As our summers wind down and we fall into autumn, let's take a minute to reflect on the travels and transitions we have been in lately. Travels and transition always shake us up a little bit. We see different things, people, places, we do different things and our habits are a little out of whack. Change is good, and more importantly, always necessary. Where have you traveled lately? What have your journeys taught you? What will you bring with you into your next chapter? What are you trying to learn? What changes have you been making in your life recently? What changes are you interested in making?

Of course, you can write whatever you want but start this off with a free write and just keep your pen moving for ten minutes. Do not pay attention to grammar, spelling, format, etc. – just write! It can take any form, a letter, a poem, a list, a play, a monologue, just write! If you want to go back and edit, do so, but just post it, and give yourself a timeline too, because we want to see what you have to say.

- Get that pen moving!
Lovella