Community Guidelines!

General
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Meditative Creative Writing is more than a practice. It’s a communal space and an unfolding conversation that has the potential to make us all more compassionate, connected, and conscious.

Writing Time exists to nurture creativity, reflection and connection. Our community seeks to honor one another’s words in this space as we approach growth through meditation, community, and learning, together.

By participating in any Meditative Creative Writing courses, you agree to the following:

  • Be kind and compassionate.

    • Approach from love, not harm.

    • Approach from curiosity, not judgement.

  • Speak from your own personal experience and positionality.

    • Prioritize the use of “I” statements to encourage sharing your own truths rather than speaking to the experience of others.

    • Mind your language, especially when regarding the identity of others (including but not limited to, race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, ability). Discriminatory comments will not be tolerated.

    • If you are writing outside of your own identity, consider the others in the room who may more presently embody that identity. They deserve your care and respect as you share, and it is good to know the ethics of the conversation you wish to enter.

  • Balance vulnerability with care.

    • Though we encourage sharing openly, our courses are not the space for unfiltered venting.

    • Seek support from the community, not treatment.

  • Be mindful.

    • Listen fully and stay present during the course.

    • Do not interrupt others during breakout rooms or comment sections.

  • Respect others.

    • Respect Zoom etiquette.

      • Try not to overly spam the chat.

      • Stay muted during instruction unless sharing is actively encouraged.

  • Keep self-promotion to a minimum.

    • Sharing resources is welcome when it is relevant and thoughtful.

  • Ask for guidance when needed.

    • If unsure of how best to share, participate or handle something regarding the course, reach out to the course fellows or instructor for guidance.

  • Do not share others’ writing, stories, or personal details outside of this group without explicit permission. What is shared in this space stays in this space.

  • If conflict arises, approach with openness, accountability and care. Reach out to course fellows or the instructor for support.

  • Take breaks as needed. Care for yourself. Your well-being comes first.

  • Do not record, screenshot, or share content from the course or its sessions without explicit permission.

Meditative Creative Writing—Discussion Board

This is a space to share some of the writing that arises through your work in this class.

Together we will create an inclusive learning community, respecting and celebrating all of us, of every background and belief. As a community, we aim to be respectful to all students in this course, regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation. Being able to share our differing outlooks and experiences, and being able to respect those of others’ is key to our becoming excellent writers, thinkers and readers. The diversity of our community is central to our power for transformation, self-actualization, brilliance, and revelation.

When sharing your writing:

  • Feel free to post thoughts or experiences that are coming up for you in the course, especially if you think they may be helpful for others.

  • When posting your writing, please keep pieces to under 1000 words (or well-under.) It is fine to share a portion of a poem, essay, or story.

  • If you are writing about sexual violence, war, or other personal, ancestral, or political trauma, please introduce your piece with a content tag so others can choose whether or not to engage.

  • We recognize that writing is often magnetized to sites of pain, and that we write to clear this pain from our bodies and minds. Consider asking if your piece needs to be shared. This is an especially relevant question when writing outside your identity.

  • If you wrote in another voice, let us know in your introduction to the piece..

  • Feel free to post works in progress. We are here to be in process together, and not to deliver finished “products.”

  • Explicitly state if you would like feedback on your writing from members of the community.

When commenting on others’ writing:

  • Be kind.

  • This is a space of encouragement and conversation.

  • Position your comments so they are generative—offering encouragement, further thoughts, support, and mirroring.

  • This is not a place for traditional-style workshop critique, copyediting, or editorial suggestions. If you are seeking that kind of community, we encourage you to get in touch with others in the course to establish a satellite workshop.

  • Feel free to share resources, links to songs or poems, etc. in this space. as they relate to the post.

  • Consider someone’s racial, ethnic, and sexual identity before making a comment.

  • Do not assume that the speaker of the piece is always the author.

  • Do not give unsolicited critiques/feedback.