The ACL encourages magic. We have supported a monthly writing group, ReWriting Our Worlds, for the past five years. The writers are all parents of children (of all ages) who experience disabilities. We write about our lives by guiding the narrative about being parents of kids with disabilities. We literally re-write our worlds. Though we prefer meeting as we have in person, we have adapted well to the virtual world and have felt the magic that happens when we write and read together. Here is a poem that one of our members, Jo Leightner, wrote after our writing session on Mother’s Day. When she shared the poem, she wrote, “It's a poem about gratitude and holding space, written to the group after another Sunday of writing and sharing together. I am always blown away by how much goes into each person's writing, how powerfully poignant the words, the thoughts, the meaning of life from someone's else's perspectives/circumstances on any given topic, on any given day, as we each live on the fault line of uncertainty. There is a "fullness," some sort of richness, comfort or completeness that I feel after these writing/sharing times. And that has to do with the safety that you've created, Anna,....safety to go deeper, feel the tremors, brace and find grounding while totally off balance, and trust that we are safe within the aftershocks.”
Pictured is Jo Leightner at the ACL Rewriting Our Worlds Open Mic in Fall 2019
Holding Space by Jo Leightner
So much beauty in this group.
Feeling gratitude for safe space
Where we land selfishly for a few hours,
Pouring heart and soul into meaningful words,
Scenes and events splashed on pages,
Turning black scribbles
Into meaning,
healing,
nourishment.
Balm and salve for conditions and circumstances
Beyond our control.
We embrace each other's nakedness,
Love each other's wounds,
Rejoice in each other's accomplishments,
And hold space where we honor
truth and authenticity.
For this I am grateful.
While the current group is full, we are planning to start another group and to offer some of the writing classes online. Please email Anna Stewart for more information.
Post by Anna Stewart, ACL Staff