I am an award winning writer, spiritual director, retreat facilitator & expressive arts educator and lover of the simple life, based on the Connecticut shoreline near Mystic, a quintessential New England seaside village.
Inspiring and Empowering writers and spiritual seekers for over a decade
In 2006 I made a complete career shift literally reinventing myself. After what seemed like a lifetime wanting to be a writer and live near the ocean, I moved to the shoreline and NEVER looked back! I became a freelance writer and journalist for a local newspaper and had a weekly column for four years. My award winning freelance writing has since been published in local, regional and national publications. My dream of becoming a writer and living by the ocean had come true.
Some years back, when my brother was diagnosed with stomach cancer the meaning of life took on a whole new dimension. As I watched my baby brother’s vibrant life wither away before my eyes, the wisdom of making the most of this “one wild and precious life” (to quote Mary Oliver) became more than just a cliché. It became my reality.
In January, 2012, I received a most unexpected gift, getting laid off at the newspaper. It was unexpected primarily because I was the only staff reporter for the Weeklies of Sun Publishing at the time and the number crunchers got the brainstorm to publish their weekly newspapers exclusively with freelance writers. I found myself with no insurance benefits, working part-time at a church. Yikes! The funny thing is, I felt a breath of fresh air wash over me. I was free. Uninsured but free. I never would have left my full-time job with all its benefits. I reached into my cadre of skills and began freelancing for other publications and reached out to small business and non-profits to help them with their publicity needs. My work at the church led me to certificates in Spiritual Direction, Labyrinth and later Expressive Art Facilitation.
I believe in the undeniable connection between spirituality and creativity and I facilitate programs to invite folks into that exchange. For the past 13 years I've been creating and presenting programs uniting spirituality and expressive arts, and I've presented talks to small businesses on press release writing and all sorts of things in between. I presented a writing workshop at the Mark Twain House. and was a features writer for Pathfinder: A Companion Guide for the Widow/er's Journey. I continue to write for various publications as opportunities arise.
I produce Creating a Writing Life programs to bring other writers together to honor their gifts, empower each other and celebrate the writing life. Creating A Writing Life programs, inspire writers to awaken their creativity and not be afraid to begin that adventure into the unknown. This program is very personal and intimate, with writing as soul work, bringing depth to the experience of writing, and in a safe, infinitely encouraging environment, the gifts of the writer are revealed.
Then such as fate would have it, God called me to bring all of this experience to a place of my own, which has just opened, against all odds, in downtown Old Saybrook. With programs for writers, spiritual seekers, and creative spirits of all kinds, with a particular focus on writing, creating, contemplative spirituality and simplicity.