Dear Reader,

We started our final day in Paris coming together and workshopping our work using the Liz Lerman method and Felicia Rose Chavez’s Artist Statement. In Chavez’s anti-racist model, it is the writer who initiates the dialogue. It begins with a brief summary of your work and three solid questions pertaining to your work that you want critiqued during your workshop time. This is a great way to understand the author and to see what they are looking for as you dive into their work. This workshop time was inspiring, as each writer genuinely engaged in one another’s pieces. I could not help but be in awe of the community that we had created within the past week we had been together. Not only did we lift each other up, but we inspired each other.

We concluded our time together by attending Spoken Word Paris at La Cave Café, a writing community that meets weekly to share their poems, stories, and songs. There only rule is to make the words come alive, and to keep it five minutes! As I weaved throughout the bar and down a steep staircase, I spotted a thick, wooden windowless door at the bottom. As I pushed open the door, I heard the words of poetry sliver up the steps. I was intrigued as I made my way down the steps of this underground world. When I opened the door, a wall of dense air hit me, seeming to hold onto the words of every writer as much as it was holding onto the warmth. I was passed a fan and I watched the entire room fanning themselves, willing to sit in this sweaty basement to hear everyone’s amazing stories.

Tonight’s theme was “push.” Starting at 8:45 p.m., countless writers from all over the world presented their work from poetry to song-writing centering around this theme. Our fellow Co-Director Diana Norma was the feature poet of the night and presented some of her work centering around her heritage, food, and her family. I felt that I could relate to her work through my own writing, as food and family overlap so much in my life, and inspire my writing. Cherishing your roots and passing them down through your own words is one of the ways in which I and many other writers claim their stories. A few of our writers presented their works which included some of their recently workshopped pieces. Their words seems to lift off the page as they read in confident voices that sizzled the room. I enjoyed being a part of the audience this time, but I think next time, I would love to be on that stage as boldly as the others were.

The next day, we concluded our Paris Writing Retreat over a buttery croissant and discussed our writing goals for the future. During this time, we also decided to meet again over Zoom and connect over the Cambridge Writers’ Workshop NING member network. It was amazing to reflect back on how everyone grew and connected in such a short time. Although we were sad to part ways, we are looking forward to seeing everyone accomplish their writing goals and hopefully see them on future retreats!

Sincerely,

Corrine Previte, Manager

Cambridge Writers’ Workshop