One of the things I love most about summer is spending time with family and friends. This summer I have also been trying to create some novel and fun experiences with our two teenage sons, Jackson age 15 and Jesse age 13, to help mitigate some of the losses inherent to this continued pandemic time. ... Read More >>
I often turn to poetry for inspiration in my life. With everything going on during COVID-19, I am trying to balance keeping up with the news with reading words that are nourishing, encouraging and hopeful. Everything is waiting for you Your great mistake is to act the drama as if you were alone. As if ... Read More >>
As a writer, I love language, words and stories. I also love numbers! I'm not sure where my love of lucky numbers developed? Perhaps it originates from my childhood...when week after week my Dad put a lot of focus into picking out his lottery numbers. I would regularly go with him to buy his lottery ... Read More >>
“When we write we tell the stories of our lives—the dark and light, the struggles and successes, the hopes and fears, the aches and pleasures. We write to learn about ourselves, to enlarge our understanding of ourselves and one another.” Cutler, Monk & Shira, 2014 ~ How can a practice as solitary as journal writing ... Read More >>
We are so excited to offer a NEW online course! Creative Journaling for Self-Care by Nicolle Nattrass. Listen to this 5 minute video where we talk about the benefits you can gain from taking this course. You can read more about it and register here!
I was recently interviewed by author and writing teacher, Sheila Bender, on her show called In Coversation: Discussions on Writing and The Writing Life. We spoke together about the IAJW, as well as how journaling can help you heal and transform your life. I also shared some excerpts from my writing, including from my adoptee ... Read More >>
One of the things I value most about my journal writing practice is that it helps me to cultivate hope and optimism and gratitude in a world that is filled with VUCA. VUCA is an acronym—first used in 1987—to describe or to reflect on the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of general conditions and situations. ... Read More >>
Every month, IAJW members are invited to participate in our monthly Writing Alone Together circle where individuals gather via Zoom to join a facilitated writing circle where we write freely, read aloud, listen deeply and bear witness. These are the four practices commonly referred to as WAT based on a book I co-authored entitled Writing ... Read More >>
A Writing Exercise by Meryl Cook, IAJW Journal Council Expert & Member At a recent Writing Circle through the International Association for Journal Writing, the topic was listening to our bodies. This topic was inspired by the book Writing from the Body for Writers, Artists and Dreamers Who Long to Free Their Voice by John ... Read More >>
Writing is not just an activity of the mind (thinking), but rather it involves the heart (emotions), spirit (essence) and the body (physical) parts of the self as well. Allow your whole self to inspire your writing. The urge to create comes from within. John Lee, author of Writing from the Body: For Writers, Artists, and ... Read More >>