Busy Writing Beavers

Today was a very eventful day in the UNCC Writing Project.  There was so much to do today and we worked almost non-stop.  Although the day flew by at hyper-speed, there were many activities I quite enjoyed.  The day started right with Dunkin Donuts and a cool Ted Talk by Chimamanda Adiche on "The Danger of a Single Story."  I loved so much about this presentation: her easy way of talking, the usage of humor, her experiences.  She discussed the dangers of having too few connections with real people and their cultures, which could cause others to think that all of Africa looks only one way and that all Mexicans were running for the border to ruin the lives of random Americans.  I thought it was interesting that Adiche created stories with characters that looked or acted nothing like her!  Where were the stories of little Nigerian girls with braided hair and chocolate skin?  I couldn't imagine not being able to show my children the many stories that exist in the world, including ones that reflected who they are.  Scary thought!

I also enjoyed the Asset Mapping activity.  It was nice to be able to choose where I fit in as opposed to the other way around.  The Oral History interviews were a pleasant surprise as well.  My partner Ben and I got to tap into each other and get a sense of where we would like to go with writing and education.  Very valuable.

My final thought left me the most hopeful-my Writing Group.  We immediately fell into sync with each other, sharing personal stories and eating our bagged lunches in Tonya's funky office space.  Although we didn't all get to share( no worries-I really wasn't mentally ready anyway), I now feel more comfortable about doing so in the future.  It was a wonderful, non-threatening environment where I feel my ideas will be nurtured and taken seriously.  Thanks ladies!  I almost feel the need to create a cheesy moniker that will recapture the time we shared together...ok, maybe that's going too far.  I honestly can't see Sally allowing that anyway.  However, I was caught up in the moment.  It was really great.  I think I am getting to the point where I can actually call myself (gasp) a real writer!

Now...facing my demo.  Be kind WP peeps, be kind!