Episode Title:

I Could Still Let Her Comfort Me Then: A Deleted Scene from the Cutting Room Floor

Episode Description:

It begins the way many childhood summers do — open roads, swimming holes, and the particular freedom of being ten years old enjoying a beautiful afternoon. Then one afternoon changes everything.

In this second installment of her deleted scenes series, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares another scene cut from her award-winning 2021 memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars. What Laura witnesses that afternoon, and what happens in its aftermath, distills the entire emotional landscape of her memoir into a single, devastating closing line. As with the first deleted scene in this series, Laura also reflects on the craft decision behind the cut — and what writers can learn from letting go of the scenes they love most.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The second in Laura's series of deleted scenes from The Burning Light of Two Stars, shared while she's on vacation

A vivid portrait of a cross-country family road trip the summer Laura turned ten

How an ordinary summer afternoon can become the kind of memory that never leaves you

An unexpected moment that pulls Laura into something far beyond the edges of childhood

The aftermath — and what one small detail quietly reveals about a lifelong relationship

How a single closing line can carry decades of a relationship's weight

The craft lesson: how a scene can be exquisitely written, emotionally true, and still not belong in the final book

Why deleted scenes are not wasted writing

Episode Highlights:

A childhood summer that held everything. Laura conjures a lost American world: open roads, chain-smoking parents, an imaginary territorial line bisecting the back seat, swimming holes in every state. The ten-year-old Laura is fully alive on the page — curious, scrappy, and completely free.

An ordinary afternoon. After a week on the road, the family makes camp and the children run toward the water. It is exactly the kind of afternoon that summer is made for. Then something stops everything.

Laura is pulled into the center of it. A stranger takes charge. Laura is just old enough, just tall enough, to be included. What follows is one of the most quietly suspenseful passages in the scene — a moment in which a ten-year-old finds herself somewhere no child expects to be.

The moment she has to let go. There is a point at which Laura can no longer keep up. She has to step back. It is a small, heartbreaking detail — and it puts the reader directly inside her ten-year-old body.

What she sees next. Laura moves to a different vantage point and finds something she cannot look away from. She renders what she witnesses without flinching, and neither can the reader.

Her mother appears. In the moment after, Laura's mother is suddenly behind her. What she does and what she says is fierce, raw, and completely human. For one suspended moment, mother and daughter are exactly what each other needs.

The line that reframes everything. The scene closes with seven words that quietly detonate: I could still let her comfort me then. In that single sentence, Laura telegraphs everything the memoir is about — and everything that is yet to come.

The craft lesson: even perfect scenes get cut. This scene was sacrificed for the same reason as the father scene in the previous episode — the memoir's momentum required it. But as Laura shows, deleted scenes have their own life, and they illuminate what the finished book could only gesture toward.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author, writing teacher, and host of The Writer's Journey podcast. With more than 35 years of experience helping writers find and tell their most authentic stories, she is one of the most trusted and respected voices in the writing world today. Laura is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and the landmark co-authored classic The Courage to Heal.

She teaches weekly writing classes on Zoom, leads international writing retreats including the Creative Camino pilgrimage and Flourishing as We Age, and hosts the Midweek Pause for Peace series. Laura's teaching is grounded in a belief that courageous, vulnerable storytelling has the power to heal both the writer and the reader.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Specificity is what makes memoir unforgettable. The sensory details that feel almost too small to include are often the ones that lodge in a reader's body and stay there. Writers should resist the urge to summarize and instead trust the particular, concrete image.

One sentence can carry decades. A closing line doesn't need to explain — it needs to land. The best memoir endings open outward rather than close down, leaving the reader holding something they didn't expect to be carrying.

Witnessing is its own kind of wound. Memoir can and should make room for the things we saw, not just the things that happened directly to us. What we carry as witnesses is as formative as what we experienced firsthand.

A mother's comfort is complicated terrain. The emotional power of this scene comes not just from what happens in the moment, but from the tense Laura uses to describe it. Past tense in memoir is never neutral — it always implies what came after.

Episode Call-to-Action:

If this episode moved you, Laura invites you to ask: What did you witness as a child that you've never written about? What scene sits just outside the frame of your own story, waiting to be told? Share your reflections in the comments below.

If you haven't yet read The Burning Light of Two Stars — the memoir these deleted scenes were written for — now is the time. Readers describe it as impossible to put down, a book that sends them straight into thinking about their own mothers, their own estrangements, their own unfinished reckonings. You can purchase the print edition and audiobook here: 👉 lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars

If you're a writer looking for the courage to write the scene that still lives in your body, Laura's weekly writing classes are where that work happens. Visit lauradavis.net to learn more and join the community.

And if this episode resonated, please click the ❤️, leave a comment, or share it with someone who needs it. Every click helps new readers and listeners find The Writer's Journey.

Deleted Scenes in This Series:

The Summer I Dropped Acid with My Father: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/5d90f2b6-2d68-4d9f-a120-cad131f6e3f2

I Could Still Let Her Comfort Me Then: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/d72ed72f-70c3-4489-8def-1cf5ad6d5a86

They Made Me Part of History: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/de5c307d-9165-43e9-a7d2-50b7cf957362

 Connect with Laura Davis:

Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com — essays, poems, nature photos, and writing craft

Website: lauradavis.net — classes, retreats, books, and workshops

Weekly Classes: Online Zoom writing classes, ongoing enrollment

Writing Retreats: Including Flourishing as We Age and the Creative Camino Pilgrimage

Podcast Series: Midweek Pause for Peace — also available on Substack

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares Marge Piercy's iconic poem "The Low Road" — a fiercely hopeful poem about the power of collective action and solidarity. Laura reflects on her personal history with this poem, first encountering it in Piercy's 1980 collection The Moon is Always Female during her years as a young activist, and explores why its message resonates just as powerfully forty-six years later. Paired with peaceful imagery, this episode offers listeners both a moment of calm and a stirring reminder of what becomes possible when people come together.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The enduring relevance of Marge Piercy's activist poetry — why a poem written over four decades ago speaks directly to the challenges of today

How solidarity and collective action build power — the poem's vision of strength growing from two people to ten million, and what that progression means in our current moment

Laura's personal connection to the poem — how a friend's gift of Piercy's poetry collection shaped her thinking during her years as a young lesbian activist

The role of poetry in sustaining resilience — how returning to meaningful poems across different life stages can offer renewed strength and perspective

About Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

About Featured Poet Marge Piercy:

Marge Piercy is an American poet, novelist, and social activist born in 1936 in Detroit, Michigan. Shaped by her working-class roots and her involvement in the civil rights, antiwar, and women's movements of the 1960s, she became one of the most prominent feminist literary voices of her generation. Piercy has published more than twenty poetry collections and seventeen novels, including the science fiction classic Woman on the Edge of Time and the bestselling Gone to Soldiers. Her work centers themes of gender, class, ecology, and Jewish identity. At 88 years old, she continues to write and publish from her home on Cape Cod. Her new book, The Hour of My Death, is forthcoming from Sibylline Press in fall 2026.

Learn more about Marge Piercy at: https://margepiercy.com/

Maril Crabtree's Morning News: Poetry on Loving Life Despite World Horrors, Resilience, and Choosing to Stay

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Maril Crabtree's brief but powerful poem that captures the paradox of loving life fiercely even as we witness endless suffering. Through carefully selected imagery paired with these essential lines, Laura explores how we sustain connection to beauty and meaning despite being surrounded by terrible things. This episode offers support for anyone struggling to balance awareness of world suffering with personal joy, seeking poetry that honors both witness and resilience, or looking for language that affirms our right to love life even in dark times.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Crabtree's precise calculation—"ten times ten thousand terrible things"—acknowledges the overwhelming scale of suffering without turning away from it or minimizing its reality

The radical act of the poem's pivot at "and still," which transforms awareness of horror into fierce attachment to life rather than despair or detachment

Why the simple declaration "I don't want to leave it" becomes an act of resistance and affirmation, choosing engagement with the world despite—or perhaps because of—its brokenness

The permission this poem offers to hold both grief for the world's suffering and deep love for being alive, modeling how we can be witnesses to injustice while still sustaining ourselves with joy and connection

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Maril Crabtree is an American poet who has called Kansas City home since the 1960s. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she views poetry as "the loom that weaves her life-threads together." Her work, including the full-length collection Fireflies in the Gathering Dark (Kelsay Books, 2017, named a Kansas Notable Book) and the chapbooks Dancing with Elvis, Moving On, and Tying the Light, balances witness to injustice—particularly environmental loss and suffering—with sustaining joy, humor, and spiritual depth.

Connect with Maril Crabtree: https://www.marilcrabtree.com

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title:

The Summer I Dropped Acid with My Father: A Deleted Scene and What I Had to Let go

Episode Description:

Some scenes are written perfectly and still have to go. In this special episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis opens her archive of cut material from her award-winning 2021 memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, and shares a piece she fought hard to keep — a single afternoon in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her father that changed something between them permanently. Woven through the storytelling is an honest, behind-the-scenes look at one of the hardest decisions in memoir writing: how to release even your most cherished work when it doesn't serve the book's core arc.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Why even the most beautifully written scenes sometimes have to be cut — and how a memoirist knows when that moment has come

The backstory of Laura's relationship with her father, and the years of silence that preceded this afternoon

A fully rendered deleted scene set at a Back to the Land weekend party in the Santa Cruz Mountains, June 1980

What happens when carefully constructed emotional armor starts to crack

The conversation fourteen years in the making — and what finally made it possible

A moment of reckoning that neither of them could have planned or predicted

The memoir craft principle of "killing your babies": releasing what the book can live without

How a memoir's central arc determines everything — including what must be sacrificed

Episode Highlights:

Why Laura is sharing this now. While on vacation, Laura opens her archive of deleted scenes from The Burning Light of Two Stars — material she spent months crafting and held until the very end. This episode is the first in a series, each one carrying its own embedded craft lesson.

The scene begins. Laura sets the stage — a winding road into the mountains, a day that feels unhurried, her father nearby — and then a moment arrives that nobody planned for. What happens next is anything but ordinary.

When the interior world takes over. Something shifts mid-afternoon that Laura cannot control. Old grief surfaces. Old loneliness. What had been carefully held at a distance is suddenly right there, impossible to look away from.

Finding solid ground. Slowly, steadily, Laura makes her way back. It takes time — and patience — and something she has to locate entirely within herself. When she finally arrives, the world looks different.

A conversation that had been waiting. Laura finds her father alone, in a space that feels quietly sacred. Fourteen years of unspoken feeling finally have somewhere to go — and he is, at last, listening.

Something she had never received before. Her father says something she had never heard in her family. Laura doesn't just hear it — she chooses to take it all the way in. That choice matters.

Forgiveness that held. Laura is clear: what shifted that afternoon didn't dissolve when the day ended. It stayed. It changed the shape of what came after.

The craft lesson underneath. The scene was cut not because it failed — Laura loved it — but because The Burning Light of Two Stars was built around a different relationship entirely. Understanding that distinction is one of the most essential, and most difficult, lessons in memoir writing.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author, writing teacher, and host of The Writer's Journey podcast. With more than 35 years of experience helping writers find and tell their most authentic stories, she is one of the most trusted voices in the writing world today. Laura is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and the landmark co-authored classic The Courage to Heal.

She teaches weekly writing classes on Zoom, leads international retreats including the Creative Camino pilgrimage, and Flourishing as We Age, and hosts the Midweek Pause for Peace series.

Her teaching is grounded in a belief that courageous, vulnerable storytelling has the power to heal both the writer and the reader.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Your memoir has a spine — protect it. Every scene must earn its place by serving the book's central arc. Clarity about what your memoir is truly about is what makes every other editorial decision possible.

"Killing your babies" is an act of craft, not failure. The ability to release scenes, sentences, and words the book can live without is one of the most important — and most painful — skills a writer develops. Holding on too long is what makes books drag.

Receiving is its own act of courage. When something long-withheld is finally offered, a writer — and a person — has a choice about how to take it in. That choice can change everything that comes after.

Deleted scenes are not wasted writing. The material that doesn't survive into the final manuscript is part of discovering what the book truly is. These scenes illuminate the story and the craft in ways the published version couldn't contain — and they are worth sharing.

Episode Call-to-Action:

If this episode moved you, Laura invites you to sit with a question: What scene from your own life has been waiting years to be told? What might need to soften before you could write it?

If you haven't yet read The Burning Light of Two Stars — Laura's award-winning 2021 memoir and BookLife Prize Winner — this deleted scene is just a glimpse of what's waiting inside. You can purchase the print edition and audiobook here: 👉 lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars

If you're a writer wrestling with what to keep, what to cut, or how to find the courage to write the scene that frightens you most, Laura's weekly writing classes are where that work happens. Visit lauradavis.net to learn more.

And if this episode resonated, please click the ❤️, leave a comment, or share it with someone who needs it. Every click helps new readers and listeners find The Writer's Journey.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com — essays, poems, nature photos, and writing craft

Website: lauradavis.net — classes, retreats, books, and workshops

Weekly Classes: Online Zoom writing classes, ongoing enrollment

International Retreats: Including the Creative Camino pilgrimage writing program

Podcast Series: Midweek Pause for Peace — also available on Substack

Deleted Scenes in This Series:

The Summer I Dropped Acid with My Father: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/5d90f2b6-2d68-4d9f-a120-cad131f6e3f2

I Could Still Let Her Comfort Me Then: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/d72ed72f-70c3-4489-8def-1cf5ad6d5a86

They Made Me Part of History: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/de5c307d-9165-43e9-a7d2-50b7cf957362

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Jan Richardson's Blessing When the World is Ending: Poetry for Navigating Grief, Collective Pain, and Finding Hope

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Jan Richardson's profound blessing that offers comfort and perspective during times of collective grief and personal anguish. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this moving poem, Laura creates a restorative space for listeners navigating the weight of world events and personal struggles. This episode offers support for anyone experiencing collective grief, processing world events, or seeking poetry that holds space for both suffering and renewal.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How to find perspective during times of collective grief by recognizing the cycles of death and rebirth that mark human experience

The unique power of blessings to meet us in moments when our world feels like it's falling apart, without offering false comfort or quick fixes

Why sitting with the shards of what has broken, rather than rushing to repair, creates space for genuine healing and transformation

How tenderness and light gather around us even in endings, supporting the quiet work of beginning again

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Jan Richardson is a writer, artist, and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. She serves as director of The Wellspring Studio, LLC. Known for such books as Circle of Grace, The Cure for Sorrow, and Sparrow, she has attracted an international audience drawn to the spaces of welcome, imagination, and solace that she creates with her words and her art. "Blessing When the World is Ending" comes from her book Circle of Grace.

Connect with Jan Richardson: https://janrichardson.com

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description:

What does it feel like to come through the hardest season of your life and discover that — against all odds — you're thriving? In this deeply personal essay, Laura Davis shares where she is right now: body, spirit, and soul. From dual diagnoses to training hikes in the redwoods, this episode is a meditation on healing, gratitude, and what it means to hold joy and fear at the same time.

To See the Images That Go with This Post on Substack:

https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/1138be6e-1cc5-4f27-80b9-b04cd94e39b9

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The unexpected gift of a health reprieve — and why she's savoring every moment of it

How two serious illnesses reshaped her relationship with her body and with food

What the "organ recital" reveals about friendship, aging, and what really matters

Training for the Camino de Santiago and the joy of walking in community

The macro/micro dichotomy: how to thrive personally when the world feels like a nightmare

Why the natural world is Laura's church — and what it gives her that nothing else can

Episode Highlights:

Laura reflects on a health milestone she wasn't sure she'd ever reach — and what it means to be on the other side of it

A candid look at the ongoing decisions that come with cancer survivorship, and how Laura is navigating them on her own terms

The moment Laura stopped tracking every bite of food — and what that small act of freedom signaled about her healing

A first training hike with three women who will join Laura on the Creative Camino next fall: what the trail revealed about connection, solitude, and rhythm

The "organ recital" — Laura's name for the health-update exchange that opens nearly every conversation among her peers — and what it says about life at this stage

A stunning observation about holding two realities simultaneously: personal thriving alongside collective fear

Laura's closing meditation on the body, the trail, and the natural world as sanctuary — a passage that stops you in your tracks

A question for listeners: how do you find steadiness and joy when the world feels like it's teetering on the brink?

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find their voice and tell their stories. She is the award-winning author of The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and co-author of The Courage to Heal.

Laura teaches weekly online writing classes, leads writing retreats, and guides international writing and walking pilgrimages, including the Creative Camino on the Camino de Santiago. Her podcast and Substack, The Writer's Journey, offer essays, curated poems, nature photography, and reflections on writing, life, and what it means to keep going.

Resources Laura Mentions:

The Creative Camino — Laura's fall 2026 writing and walking pilgrimage on the Camino Francés: https://lauradavis.net/camino/

Pipeline Trail, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park — Felton, California

The Writer's Journey Substack — laurasaridavis.substack.com

The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021)

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

A reprieve is not a cure — it's a window, and learning to climb through it and stand in the light is its own kind of wisdom.

Healing is not linear, but the body has its own intelligence. Trusting it — even incrementally — is a radical act.

At any age, but especially as we grow older, feeling good is not a given. When you've known real sickness, wellness becomes a tangible, daily source of gratitude.

Holding two realities — personal joy and collective fear — doesn't require resolving the tension. It requires stretching your capacity to carry both.

The natural world offers something no human-made space can: perspective, sanctuary, and the reminder that we are small, temporary, and held.

Episode Call-to-Action:

Laura closes this episode with a question she wants you to sit with: How do you find steadiness and joy while the world teeters on the brink?

Leave a comment on the Substack post and join the conversation. You can do so here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/1138be6e-1cc5-4f27-80b9-b04cd94e39b9

And if this essay moved you, share it with someone who needs it today.

Connect with Laura Davis

Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com

Website: lauradavis.net

Weekly writing classes, retreats, and the Creative Camino: lauradavis.net

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: laurasaridavis.substack.com

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: lauradavis.net

Aurora Levins Morales' Summons: A Call to Action for Peace, Collective Resistance, and Choosing to Stand in the Gap

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Aurora Levins Morales' powerful poem that serves as both dream vision and urgent call to action. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this rallying cry for peacemakers, Laura explores how ordinary people must step into the work of peace when governments and leaders fail. This episode offers support for anyone feeling called to action, seeking poetry that mobilizes rather than pacifies, or looking for language that transforms grief and despair into collective purpose.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How the dream of ten thousand grandmothers from twelve hundred corners of the earth creates a vision of collective action when peacekeepers aren't boarding planes and leaders refuse to say every life is precious

Why the poet insists we cannot wait for governments and positions us—ordinary people with bandages and guavas—as the ones who must cup our hands around each heart and stand between bullets and flesh

The transformative power of singing the earth's song so beautifully that vengeance turns to weeping, mourners embrace, and grief replaces every impulse toward harm

How this poem functions as a literal summons—"Wake up. Put on your shoes"—inviting readers to meet at the corner with whatever gifts they bring and begin the work of building peace together

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Aurora Levins Morales is a cuir Ashkenazi Boricua writer of poetry, essays, and fiction. A child of blacklisted communist parents, she grew up immersed in social justice movements and the poetry of liberation, and came into public voice as part of the collective eruptions of radical art of the 1970s and '80s. She is the author of nine books, including Medicine Stories, Kindling, Remedios, and Silt. Her poetry is widely used in synagogues and churches, in schools and at rallies, painted on walls and recited at weddings, translated into seven languages and reprinted in dozens of anthologies. She lives at Finca la Lluvia, an agro-poetry project in the western mountains of Boriken, also known as Puerto Rico. "Summons" was published in her collection Rimonim.

Connect with Aurora Levins Morales: Support Aurora on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/auroralevinsmorales and visit her website: www.auroralevinsmorales.com

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: I've Hated Shopping for Clothes My Entire Life — Until I Didn't Have a Choice

Episode Description: In this humorous, deeply personal episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis takes listeners on a journey that begins with a pile of luggage beside her bed and ends in a Victoria's Secret dressing room — with a lot of life in between. Equal parts funny, tender, and surprisingly moving, this essay explores what it means to show up for the moments that matter most, even when your body, your budget, and your wardrobe conspire against you.

Photos That Go With This Episode: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/c4045f35-54ec-4681-85a2-4f574ea7a9f9

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The intimate logistics of preparing for a destination wedding while managing post-cancer health needs

A $6,000 day at Saks Fifth Avenue with a professional "Shopping Sherpa" — and what it cost her beyond money

Why Laura has spent 50 years avoiding clothes shopping —the childhood roots of that aversion

What it's like to navigate a mainstream lingerie store as a 69-year-old woman fresh out of radiation treatment

The unexpected humanity that shows up in the most unlikely places

What a bra fitting reveals about identity, the body, and the passage of time

Episode Highlights:

The bedside pile — Laura takes inventory of what's accumulating beside her bed as she preps for Egypt, and what that pile says about this chapter of her life

The dress that almost fit — a spontaneous shopping trip in Boston leads to a mother-of-the-bride moment, complicated by her still-healing body

The Shopping Sherpa — Laura recounts her one previous foray into professional styling: a single, surreal, tear-filled afternoon at Saks Fifth Avenue that changed how she saw herself

A wardrobe for a book tour — the story of what Laura wore on the road for I Thought We'd Never Speak Again, and the periwinkle leather pants she still mourns

Wrong store, right mission — Laura arrives at Chico's ready to be fitted, only to discover she's in entirely the wrong place

The dressing room at Victoria's Secret — what happens when a 69-year-old cancer survivor walks into a store she never imagined would be hers

Dominique saves the day — the store manager who finally gives Laura the experience she came for, bra by bra

The number that stopped her cold — a measurement that sends Laura spiraling through decades of body history, from her mother's era to her own

About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping people tell their most important stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal with Ellen Bass.

Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and Substack, leads writing retreats and international programs — including Flourishing as We Age and the beloved Creative Camino pilgrimage — and teaches weekly writing classes via Zoom. Her work sits at the intersection of personal narrative, healing, and the craft of writing.

Resources Laura Mentions:

The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis  https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation by Laura Davis — https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

The Courage to Heal by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass

Soma at Chico's (lingerie/bra fitting)

Helen Salzman Boutique, Stanford Cancer Center — specialized shop for oncology patients

The Writer's Journey Substack — laurasaridavis.substack.com

Flourishing as We Age: A weeklong writing retreat for women: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Showing up fully for the people we love sometimes requires doing the very things we've spent a lifetime avoiding.

The stories we carry about our bodies are long — and they don't always match who we've become.

Asking for help, whether from a Shopping Sherpa or a store manager named Dominique, is its own kind of courage.

Illness changes us in ways both devastating and unexpected, including what we measure, what fits, and what we let go of.

The smallest ordinary missions — finding a bra, getting dressed for a wedding — can hold an entire life inside them.

Episode Call-to-Action: If this essay made you laugh, wince, or reach for your own complicated memories of shopping, bodies, and the rituals of getting ready — share it with someone who'd understand. And if you haven't yet subscribed to The Writer's Journey, now is a wonderful time to join Laura's community of writers and readers. Leave a comment, click the heart, and let Laura know what this one stirred in you.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com — essays, poems, nature photos, and writing class updates

Website: lauradavis.net — books, retreats, writing classes, and international programs

Podcast: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis — wherever you listen to podcasts

Retreats: https://lauradavis.net/writing-retreats-2/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Mary Camille Thomas' Resistance: Poetry on Gardening as Metaphor for Political Struggle, Persistence, and Accepting Long Battles

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares her writing group colleague Mary Camille Thomas' elegant poem that uses the work of removing invasive oxalis from a garden as a metaphor for political resistance. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this deceptively simple work, Laura explores how the poem illuminates the gap between our fantasies of dramatic liberation and the reality of humble, persistent effort. This episode offers support for anyone feeling exhausted by resistance work, seeking poetry that honors small acts of persistence, or looking for language that reframes long struggles as worthy rather than futile.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Thomas transforms the physical act of digging out invasive plants—slicing through weedy tangles, tugging at root masses, tossing bulbs without ceremony—into a meditation on the unglamorous work of resistance that happens in small squares of earth rather than grand battles

The poem's honest acknowledgment that sometimes resistance yields results (entire oxalis pulled with bulbs clinging to white tendrils) but mostly roots go deep, bulbs remain nestled in secret places, and invaders continue sucking resources meant for what we're trying to protect

Why the speaker's desire "to be the American army liberating Paris" contrasts so poignantly with the reality of being "only one humble partisan" facing a long battle, capturing the deflation many activists feel between their visions of dramatic change and the slow work of daily resistance

How the poem offers permission to accept that this looks to be a long battle rather than demanding immediate victory, honoring the humble partisan who keeps digging even when roots go deep and the work feels endless

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Mary Camille Thomas is a native of Santa Cruz, California who considers herself lucky to have returned after living internationally and on the road. She is a librarian by profession, and her poetry has appeared in The Moving Force Journal, Porter Gulch Review, and Sisters Singing. She is currently working on a novel called What Lies Buried and a collection of poems of the spirit.

Connect with Mary Camille Thomas: https://marycamillethomas.com

Connect with Laura and Mary’s teacher, Carolyn Brigit Flynn: https://carolynbrigitflynn.substack.com/

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Jack Gilbert's Defense: Poetry on Risking Delight, Accepting Gladness in the Ruthless Furnace, and Making Room for Joy Amid Suffering

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Jack Gilbert's profound poem that challenges us to embrace happiness and delight even as we remain aware of suffering everywhere. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this essential work, Laura explores Gilbert's argument that denying our own gladness actually diminishes rather than honors others' pain. This episode offers support for anyone struggling with guilt over experiencing joy, seeking poetry that gives permission for happiness amid sorrow, or looking for language that reconciles awareness of injustice with celebration of beauty.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Gilbert's unflinching catalog of suffering—babies starving with flies in their nostrils, slaughter everywhere—creates the context for his radical argument that we must still enjoy our lives because denying happiness lessens the importance of others' deprivation

Why the poem insists we cannot do without delight and enjoyment, arguing that "to make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil" and that we dishonor both God's creation and human resilience if we refuse gladness

The stubbornness required to accept our happiness in what Gilbert calls "the ruthless furnace of this world," and how this acceptance becomes an act of defiance rather than denial or privilege

How the poem's final image—standing at the prow of a small ship, hearing faint oars in silence—demonstrates that moments of transcendent beauty are "truly worth all the years of sorrow that are to come," offering a framework for embracing both suffering and joy as essential parts of being fully human

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Jack Gilbert (1925–2012) was an American poet known for his spare, emotionally direct verse that explored love, loss, and the search for meaning. Born in Pittsburgh, he gained early recognition when his first collection, Views of Jeopardy (1962), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, but then largely withdrew from the American poetry scene, spending decades living in Greece and Italy in deliberate simplicity. His infrequent but powerful work, including The Great Fires (1994) and Refusing Heaven (2005), was characterized by its refusal of ornament and fierce commitment to emotional truth, often centering on his marriage to sculptor Michiko Nogami, whose early death haunted his later poetry.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at:https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: In this deeply personal episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares the essay she published in Publishers Weekly about her wrenching decision to publish her award-winning memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, nineteen years after publishing her last book. Laura takes listeners inside the private calculus every memoirist faces: What happens when telling the truth might cost you the people you love? And as an exclusive for her Substack readers, she shares the actual letter she wrote to her family before the book came out — a document of rare candor and courage.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

The unexpected aftermath of publishing The Courage to Heal (co-authored with Ellen Bass in 1988) — and the family fracture it caused

How Laura spent two decades as a writing teacher, keeping her own most urgent stories unpublished

The moment she realized she had a new book growing inside her — and why she kept telling herself she'd never publish it

The line she had to cross before she could seriously consider putting The Burning Light of Two Stars into the world

How she weighed her obligations to her family against her identity as a writer and storyteller

What actually happened when she told her family the book was coming — and the range of responses she received

The exclusive family letter she wrote before publication — shared here for the first time

Episode Highlights

The First Reckoning — Laura traces the seismic family rupture that followed the publication of The Courage to Heal, and how she and her mother spent years finding their way back to each other.

The Silent Bargain — For two decades, Laura kept the peace by keeping her most personal stories out of print. She reflects on what that cost her as a writer — and why it couldn't last.

Writing in Secret — Scrawling dialogue on scraps of paper in hospital rooms and doctor's offices, Laura describes writing the book she told herself she'd never publish.

The Weight of the Question — Laura unpacks the central dilemma facing any memoirist writing about family: How do you honor your truth without destroying the relationships you've rebuilt?

The Decision — After years of deliberation, Laura chose to become an author again — and what she did the day she signed the contract is something every memoir writer should hear.

The Family Responses — From silence to direct confrontation, Laura shares what happened when her extended family found out the book was real.

Joy Tempered — Laura reflects on what the lead-up to a book launch actually feels like when the stakes are this personal — and why she wouldn't make a different choice.

The Letter — Exclusive to Substack readers: the full text of the letter Laura sent to her family before The Burning Light of Two Stars was published — an intimate, generous act of courage rarely seen in the memoir world.

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find and tell their most important stories. She is the author of seven books, including The Burning Light of Two Stars, winner of the 2021 BookLife Prize, and co-author of The Courage to Heal with Ellen Bass — a landmark work that helped launch the incest survivor empowerment movement.

Laura teaches all forms of writing through weekly online Zoom classes, writing retreats at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, and international programs including her Creative Camino pilgrimage in Spain. She publishes The Writer's Journey on Substack and hosts two podcast series: her main writing-focused show and Midweek Pause for Peace, which pairs poetry with peaceful imagery. Her teaching is known for its warmth, rigor, and deep belief that every writer's story matters.

Resources Laura Mentions

The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis — her award-winning 2021 memoir (BookLife Prize Winner) https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis — the landmark 1988 book on healing from childhood sexual abuse

Soapbox, Publishers Weekly — where "Hard Choices" was originally published (August 9, 2021)

Free Two-Hour Writing Workshop: Flourishing as We Age — Laura's upcoming online preview event. You can register here: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#online

Laura's Substack, The Writer's Journey: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Laura's website: https://lauradavis.net/

Key Takeaways from This Episode

The "safe container" is a legitimate writing strategy. Telling yourself "I'm just writing this for myself" isn't self-deception — it's a way to protect the process while the work finds its form. Many writers need this permission to begin.

Publishing a memoir about family is rarely a one-time reckoning. Laura's story shows that the consequences of writing your truth can span decades — and that rebuilding relationships is possible, even after rupture.

The decision to publish belongs to the writer. Waiting for everyone's blessing may mean waiting forever. Laura's path forward required accepting that she could not control how others received her truth — only how carefully and lovingly she communicated it.

Writing a letter to your family before publication is worth serious consideration. Laura's approach — informing, acknowledging, and apologizing in advance — models one way to hold both creative integrity and human care at the same time.

Joy and grief can coexist at a book launch. The lead-up to publication isn't always pure celebration. Laura's honesty about the emotional complexity of that time is a gift to any writer preparing to put a personal book into the world.

Episode Call-to-Action

If this episode stirred something in you — whether you're wrestling with your own "hard choice" about what to write, or sitting with a story you haven't dared to tell yet — Laura invites you to bring it to the page. Consider:

Join Laura's free two-hour writing workshop —Flourishing as We Age: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#online

Order The Burning Light of Two Stars — read the memoir at the center of this story. https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey on Substack to receive Laura's essays, poems, and writing guidance directly in your inbox. https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Share this episode with a writer in your life who's facing their own hard choice.

Connect with Laura Davis

Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Website & Weekly WritingClasses: https://lauradavis.net/

Writing Retreats — https://lauradavis.net/writing-retreats-2/

International Programs — Creative Camino pilgrimage, Spain

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Julia Fehrenbacher's Rays of Kindness: Poetry on Imagining Kindness as the Water We Drink, the Air We Breathe, and the River Through Everything

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Julia Fehrenbacher's visionary poem that invites us to reimagine kindness not as occasional gesture but as the fundamental element of existence. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this transformative work, Laura explores how the poem challenges us to make kindness our north star, our measure of success, and the river flowing through everything. This episode offers support for anyone seeking hope for a kinder world, poetry that envisions radical transformation through simple acts, or language that reframes kindness as essential infrastructure rather than luxury.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Fehrenbacher's opening invitation—"Let's let ourselves imagine"—creates permission to envision a world where kindness becomes as fundamental as water, air, and ground, transforming it from occasional virtue into the essential medium of existence

The poem's call to "pledge our allegiance to kindness, cast our vote for kindness, worship kindness" as a radical reorientation of values that positions human connection and care above all other measures of right and success

Why the image of kindness as "the river that flows through everything" and "rays of kindness that reach out and out and out" suggests that acts of care create expanding circles of influence, each compliment and warm smile and reaching hand generating more kindness downstream

How the poem's closing vision of "sky that opens wide and waters every parched inch of this holy, hurting world" acknowledges both the world's wounds and its sacredness, offering kindness as the water that nourishes what is parched rather than what is already flourishing

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Julia Fehrenbacher is a poet, an author, a life coach, a teacher, a regular practicer of yoga, and a sometimes-painter. She is most at home by the ocean and in the forests.

Connect with Julia Fehrenbacher: https://juliafehrenbacher.com

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: The Stage I Never Planned to Take: Writing as a Path to Courage and Resistance

Episode Description: In this timely and deeply personal episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis offers both a writing practice and a story of unexpected courage — one that reminds us we have more bravery inside us than we may realize. Recording on the morning of the third No Kings rally, Laura connects the urgency of this political moment to the power of looking back at our own histories to find the strength we need to act now.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Why the current political climate makes reclaiming our personal courage essential

A powerful writing prompt for excavating your own history of bravery and resistance

How writing fleshes out memories and gives them visceral, usable power

The story behind The Courage to Heal — and why Laura chose a different story to write about today

A raw, twenty-minute free write from Laura's own early years as an out lesbian

What happened at a women's music festival forty-five years ago that Laura has never forgotten

Why revisiting past courage can fuel present action — and how to make that memory available to yourself right now

Episode Highlights:

Laura opens from Lexington, Massachusetts on the morning of the third No Kings rally — and reflects on the historical resonance of that place

She shares the Margaret Mead quote that has guided her through moments of collective fear and uncertainty

Laura reflects briefly on The Courage to Heal — a landmark book that came at enormous personal cost — before turning to a less obvious story

A twenty-minute free write takes listeners into a vivid scene from Laura's early twenties: a women's music festival in northern California, a drunk woman, and a terrified little boy

The moment Laura steps between the woman and the child — and what she discovers about herself in that instant

Laura organizes four other lesbians to take the stage with her, drafts a statement on the spot, and speaks out in an unwelcoming crowd

She closes by inviting readers and listeners to write their own courage stories and share them in the comments

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find their voices and tell their truest stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021), and co-author of The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, one of the most influential books ever written for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Laura teaches weekly Zoom writing classes, leads national and international writing retreats — including Flourishing as We Age and the Camino de Santiago Creative Pilgrimage— and hosts a podcast: The Writer's Journey. Her Substack newsletter, The Writer's Journey, reaches readers and writers around the world.

Resources Laura Mentions:

The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse — co-authored with Ellen Bass (1988), a landmark book for survivors

The Burning Light of Two Stars — Laura's BookLife Prize-winning memoir

Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — Laura's upcoming June retreat at an oceanfront retreat center in Santa Cruz, California https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

A free two-hour introductory workshop based on the concepts explored in the Flourishing as We Age retreat. Free and online: April 18th online. You can register at: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#online

The Writer's Journey Substack newsletter: www.laurasaridavis.substack.com   

Laura Davis official website: www.lauradavis.net

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Writing activates courage — Putting a memory of bravery on the page doesn't just record it; it re-embodies it and makes it available as a resource in the present moment.

Your courage history is real and retrievable — Most of us have moments of moral or physical bravery we haven't thought about in years. Writing brings them back into focus.

Courage doesn't have to be grand — The moment that comes to mind may be quiet, private, or unexpected. All of it counts.

Collective action starts with individual memory — Before we can show up fully in the resistance, it helps to remind ourselves that we have shown up before.

The prompt works — Whether you write, speak it aloud, share it with a friend, or sit quietly with it, the act of recalling a time you stood up with courage can shift how you move through the world today.

Episode Call-to-Action:

Laura invites listeners to respond to the courage prompt in this episode — and to share their stories in the comments.

She also encourages listeners to join her for a free two-hour writing workshop, Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women. April 18th, 10-12 Pacific time, 1-3 Eastern time. It will be recorded for those who can't attend live.

You can register here:

https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#online

A weeklong version of this workshop will take place in June at a beautiful oceanfront retreat center in Santa Cruz, California. This intimate, transformative week uses story, deep listening, and ritual to help women build resilience, welcome change, and hold grief and gratitude at the same time. Learn more at:

https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Rob Brezsny's Blessing: Poetry for Sustaining Hope, Cooking Meals, and Building Community as Democracy Collapses

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Rob Brezsny's powerful blessing that honors the everyday acts of resistance, care, and community-building that sustain us through political collapse. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this litany of affirmations, Laura explores how cooking meals, scattering seeds, and gathering kitchen table strategies become sacred acts when democracy crumbles. This episode offers support for anyone feeling exhausted by resistance work, seeking poetry that blesses ordinary acts of care, or looking for language that transforms daily choices into revolutionary practice.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Brezsny transforms mundane acts—cooking meals, tending healing hands, rising on quiet mornings—into blessed resistance when performed against the backdrop of collapsing democracy and empire's breaking

The poem's recognition of multiple forms of survival work: preserving stories others would erase, careful documentation of what must not be lost, protecting small and wild things, and building bridges between wounded communities

Why "strategic joy deployed against despair" and "kitchen table strategies where sly revolution simmers" reframe pleasure and community care as tactical choices rather than indulgences or distractions from "real" activism

The blessing on sacred rage that fuels redemptive justice, acknowledging that anger at injustice is holy when channeled toward healing rather than destruction, and that sustaining hope when vulgar bullies assault it is itself an act of defiance

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Rob Brezsny is an American astrologer, author, and musician. His weekly horoscope column "Free Will Astrology," formerly "Real Astrology," has been published since 1980, and by 2010 was syndicated in around 120 periodicals. You can find it here: https://freewillastrology.com/

This poem "Blessing" was published on Facebook on March 5, 2025.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title:

When Ambition Loosens Its Grip: On Aging, Endings, and the Change That Finally Found Me

Episode Description:

What happens when the drive that has defined your entire creative life begins to shift — not through loss, but through something quieter and more surprising? In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares an essay born from her own writing class, exploring endings, ambition, and the unexpected season of change that has arrived in her 70th year. This is essential listening for any writer — or human — navigating the tension between who they've always been and who they're becoming.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

A stunning excerpt from writer Patti Digh that reframes endings as invitations rather than losses

A writing exercise on endings that Laura uses with her students — and writes herself

A candid look at the long list of endings Laura has lived through across her lifetime

The surprising subject that didn't make her initial list — and why it matters most right now

What it means when lifelong ambition begins to transform from the inside out

How Laura's relationship to work, time, and creative output has quietly, profoundly changed

The difference between drive disappearing and drive evolving

What it looks like to let go of projects, plans, and "should-dos" — with relief instead of guilt

Why open space has become as essential to Laura as the writing and teaching that has shaped her work life for decades

Episode Highlights:

The Endings Exercise — Laura introduces a powerful classroom prompt inspired by Patti Digh's A Geography of Endings that invites writers to inventory the endings they've lived — and discover what wants to be written.

A List That Spans a Lifetime — Laura reads from her own wide-ranging list of endings, moving from profound losses to quiet turning points, modeling the vulnerability she asks of her students.

The Ending She Didn't See Coming — The subject Laura chose to write about in depth wasn't on her list at all — and it turns out to be the one that illuminates everything.

Still Writing, Still Teaching — But Differently — Laura reflects on what she has and hasn't let go of during a period of deep health challenge, and why her two weekly Substack posts never fell away.

The Loosening — Laura pinpoints exactly what has changed: not the love of writing or teaching, but something that was always tangled up with it — and the relief of finally setting it down.

The New Architecture of a Day — Laura paints a vivid picture of how her mornings have changed, and why open, unscheduled time has become non-negotiable for her creative life.

Crossing Things Off — Not Because They're Done — Laura describes a new and deeply satisfying relationship to her to-do list, and what it means to release a plan with grace instead of guilt.

A Sea Change, Arriving on Its Own — Laura reflects on how the transformation she sensed coming for years finally arrived — not through effort, but through surrender.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience guiding writers of all levels toward their most meaningful work. She is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.

Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and the Midweek Pause for Peace, teaches weekly writing classes on Zoom, leads international writing retreats, and publishes The Writer's Journey newsletter on Substack. Her Creative Camino pilgrimage brings writers together on the Camino de Santiago for transformative experiences at the intersection of walking, writing, and community.

Resources Laura Mentions:

"A Geography of Endings" by Patti Digh (December 2025 Substack post) — https://pattidigh.substack.com/p/a-geography-of-endings

The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis — award-winning memoir (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) — https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars

The Courage to Heal by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass — available wherever books are sold: https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Heal-Survivors-Sexual-Abuse/dp/0061284335

Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — oceanfront retreat in Santa Cruz, California, June 2026 — https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

A Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago—September 2026 https://lauradavis.net/camino/

The Writer's Journey — Laura's Substack newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Laura Davis's website — writing classes, books, workshops, and retreats: https://lauradavis.net

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Endings are not failures — they are, as Patti Digh writes, invitations that reshape us.

The most revealing writing prompt is often the one you least expect. The subject that didn't make Laura's initial list turned out to hold the most truth.

Drive and ambition can evolve without disappearing.

Open, unstructured time is not wasted time. Spaciousness is not the enemy of productivity — it is the necessary condition for the most meaningful work.

Letting go of a project or plan with satisfaction — not guilt — is a skill worth cultivating. Not every idea on the list deserves to be manifested, and recognizing that is a sign of creative maturity, not giving up.

Episode Call-to-Action:

Try the Endings Exercise yourself. Set a timer for ten minutes and make your own list of endings — big and small, expected and surprising. Let yourself be surprised by what appears. Then choose one and write the story of it in depth. Notice what didn't make your first draft of the list. That might be exactly where to begin.

Join Laura in Santa Cruz this June for Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — a week at a beautiful oceanfront retreat center using story, deep listening, and ritual to welcome change, build resilience, and hold grief and gratitude at the same time. Learn more at  https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Connect with Laura Davis:

Substack Newsletter: The Writer's Journey — essays, poems, nature photos, and more

Website: lauradavis.net — writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats

Podcast: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis

Weekly Series: Midweek Pause for Peace

Every time you click the heart, leave a comment, or share a post, you're making it easier for new readers to discover The Writer's Journey.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" - A Celebration of Unbreakable Resilience

Episode Description:

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares one of Maya Angelou's most powerful poems, "Still I Rise." Laura pairs this triumphant piece with peaceful imagery to offer listeners a moment of inspiration and nervous system regulation. Drawing from her personal experience of hearing Angelou perform this poem, Laura celebrates this timeless work that honors resilience in the face of racism, misogyny, and cruelty.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The power of Maya Angelou's voice and performance style, drawing from Laura's personal experience hearing her perform

How "Still I Rise" celebrates unbreakable resilience and determination in the face of systemic oppression and cruelty

The poem's masterful use of natural imagery—dust, tides, moons, suns, and ocean—to convey strength and inevitability

Maya Angelou's remarkable legacy as a groundbreaking memoirist, poet, performer, and civil rights activist

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About Featured Poet Maya Angelou:

A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for her work as an author and poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by a Black woman. Some of her famous poems include "Phenomenal Woman," "Still I Rise," and "On the Pulse of Morning," which she recited at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993 and which earned her a Grammy Award. Angelou enjoyed a career as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and singer in plays, musicals, and onscreen. In her work as a civil rights activist, she collaborated with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, among others. The Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient died in May 2014 at age 86.

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: Embracing a Different Camino: Six Months of Illness, a Saturday Hike, and a September Dream

Episode Description: In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed teacher and author Laura Davis shares her return to hiking after six months of illness during breast cancer treatment. Midway through radiation, Laura laced up her hiking boots and headed out to one of her favorite Santa Cruz County trails—and began to reimagine what her upcoming Camino de Santiago pilgrimage might look like. This episode is an honest, moving reflection on resilience, acceptance, and the art of meeting each day as it comes.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Her first hike in six months after breast cancer treatment limited her physical activity

The joy and significance of returning to Bryne-Milliron Preserve in Santa Cruz County

The origin story of the Creative Camino—how a chance meeting in Peru with artist and guide Brenda Porter sparked a dream

The long road from idea to reality: how Covid twice derailed the Creative Camino before it finally launched in 2023

What makes the Camino de Santiago unlike any other hiking experience

How illness has fundamentally shifted Laura's relationship to physical goals and personal expectations

Her safety plan for the September 2026 pilgrimage and why she's no longer attached to walking every mile

The deeper lesson the Camino is already teaching her—before she's even stepped on the trail

Episode Highlights:

Boots Back On — After six months of illness that reduced her to barely walking around the block, Laura describes the quiet triumph of lacing up her hiking boots and heading out with her wife Karyn, their friend Mary, and their yellow lab Luna for an afternoon hike.

Feeling Strength Return — Laura reflects on what it felt like to stop and rest along the trail, yet still feel her body growing stronger beneath her—a powerful moment of embodied hope midway through radiation treatment.

A Dream Is Born in Peru — Laura recounts the 2017 Sacred Valley retreat where she first met Brenda Porter, an artist and skilled guide whose on-the-go watercolor practice captivated her and sparked the idea for a writing and art pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Covid and Cancellations — Laura describes the painful process of canceling the Creative Camino twice due to the pandemic, finally launching the first successful pilgrimage in 2023—and why the wait made it all the more meaningful.

Walking Across a Country — Laura captures what sets the Camino apart from any other hike: the experience of walking through farmland, villages, and cities alongside pilgrims from around the world, all moving toward the same sacred destination.

The Van Will Be There — Laura explains the logistical safety net built into the Creative Camino—luggage transport and support vans that meet pilgrims at key stops—and how this year, for the first time, she's genuinely grateful it exists.

A Different Kind of Attachment — In one of the episode's most reflective moments, Laura shares the shift in her relationship to achievement: where she once insisted on walking every single mile, she now finds peace in meeting each day as it comes.

In Training — Laura declares herself officially in training for the September 2026 Camino pilgrimage—not with bravado, but with quiet, hard-won determination.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers transform their lives into powerful, personal stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.

Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and teaches weekly writing classes via Zoom, leads international writing retreats. Her work sits at the intersection of craft, healing, and the courage to tell the truth on the page.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Resilience is built one small step at a time. After six months of illness, Laura's return to hiking began not with a grand gesture but with a single Saturday afternoon walk. Writers and pilgrims alike are reminded that the journey back to ourselves often starts smaller than we expect.

Meeting each day as it comes is a practice, not a personality trait. Laura describes learning—by necessity—to assess her energy and capacity day by day rather than committing to fixed plans. This is as true for creative practice as it is for physical endurance.

Dreams worth having are worth waiting for. The Creative Camino took six years from concept to reality, surviving two pandemic cancellations. Laura's story is a reminder that meaningful creative endeavors often require patience and persistence.

Community transforms experience. Whether on the Camino trail or in a writing classroom, Laura consistently points to an intimate writing community at the heart of the experience.

Letting go of attachment to outcomes opens new possibilities. Laura's willingness to walk as far as she can—and accept a ride if she can't—models a form of self-compassion that is available to all of us.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Website: https://lauradavis.net/

Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Weekly Zoom writing classes: visit https://lauradavis.net/ for details

Camino de Santiago pilgrimage: September 2026 — details at https://lauradavis.net/camino/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Oksana Maksymchuk's Arguments for Peace: Poetry on Denial, Cognitive Dissonance, and Living Through War

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Ukrainian poet Oksana Maksymchuk's haunting poem that captures the psychological reality of denial as ordinary life continues against a backdrop of impending war. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this powerful work, Laura explores how we navigate the cognitive dissonance between daily routines and rapid-fire cruelty in our world. This episode offers support for anyone processing the tension between normalcy and crisis, seeking poetry that names collective denial, or looking for language that holds the contradictions of living in uncertain times.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How denial functions as a psychological mechanism when we maintain normal routines—cobblestone streets, festive celebrations, children sledding—while ignoring warnings of imminent danger

The cognitive dissonance of dipping noses in whipping cream while pretending not to notice phones lighting up with foreign leaders warning of invasion

Why we construct arguments against reality based on what we have to lose: our happy lives, our beloved children, our cherished homes, believing our love will protect us from what's coming

The universal human tendency to believe "it couldn't be" and "war wouldn't dare come" even as evidence mounts, and how this poem holds a mirror to our own denials

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Oksana Maksymchuk is a bilingual Ukrainian American poet, scholar, and translator. She is the author of the poetry collections Xenia and Lovy, in Ukrainian. She coedited Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine, an anthology of contemporary poetry, and has published several single-author volumes of translations. Born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, she has also lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, Budapest, Berlin, Warsaw, and Fayetteville, Arkansas. She currently teaches at the University of Chicago.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Fear Isn't a Stop Sign—It's a Doorway: Graseilah Coolidge on How Forest Immersion Could Build World Peace

Episode Description:

In this inspiring episode of The Writer's Journey, host Laura Davis highlights the groundbreaking work of Graseilah Coolidge, a former intelligence analyst turned forest immersion guide who believes that the path to world peace begins in the quiet embrace of nature.

Laura shares how she discovered Graseilah's transformative practice of forest immersion and explores the powerful insights from Graseilah's TEDx talk, "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace."

From her background in nuclear disarmament and international conflict resolution to her profound revelation in California's redwood forests, Graseilah's journey demonstrates how inner peace can ripple outward to create global change.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Laura met Graseilah Coolidge while co-leading writing retreats in Tuscany and developed a friendship through forest hikes

Graseilah's fascinating background as a former intelligence analyst with expertise in nuclear disarmament and conflict resolution

The definition and practice of forest immersion: spending multiple days and nights alone in the forest with minimal provisions, supported by community

Graseilah's transformative experience in California's ancient redwood forests that led her to discover that peace begins within

How Graseilah moved from traditional diplomacy to forest immersion as a tool for personal growth and global peacebuilding

Key insights from Graseilah's TEDx talk "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace"

Graseilah's vision of guiding world leaders through forest immersions to foster reconciliation, trust, and collaboration

How forest immersion awakens presence, awe, compassion, and belonging—essential qualities for changemakers

Graseilah's powerful teaching: "Fear isn't a stop sign—it's a doorway"

Laura's personal decision to participate in her first forest immersion in California's redwood forests

Episode Highlights:

The Tuscany Connection: Laura describes meeting Graseilah Coolidge while co-designing writing retreats at a stunning Tuscan villa complete with peacocks, olive orchards, and gourmet meals, finding in Graseilah a work partner who is capable, dedicated, hard-working, committed, reliable, and fun.

Discovering Forest Immersion: During one of their regular forest hikes with Laura's dog Luna, Graseilah introduces Laura to the concept of forest immersion—spending days and nights alone in the forest with just a sleeping bag and water, supported by community, for profound communion with self and nature.

From Intelligence to Inner Peace: Graseilah's fascinating background as a former intelligence analyst with a master's degree in nuclear disarmament and conflict resolution, and how she discovered the limits of traditional diplomacy in creating lasting peace.

The Redwood Revelation: Graseilah's transformative experience spending days alone in California's ancient redwood forests without food or shelter led her to a profound truth: peace begins within, not in negotiation rooms.

"Fear Isn't a Stop Sign—It's a Doorway": When Laura expresses her fear about trying forest immersion, Graseilah offers this powerful reframe that becomes the episode's central theme, demonstrating how we can transform resistance into opportunity.

Forest Immersion as Peacebuilding: Graseilah's vision of using forest immersions with world leaders as a tool for fostering reconciliation, trust, and collaboration—moving beyond traditional diplomatic approaches to create lasting change.

The Power of Presence and Awe: How Graseilah's forest immersion practice awakens presence, awe, compassion, and belonging—gifts that empower people to reclaim their agency as changemakers and heal themselves and their communities.

A TEDx Talk Worth Watching: Laura enthusiastically recommends Graseilah's TEDx talk "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace," describing it as powerful, profound, and spirit-lifting during times when thinking about the world can feel depressing.

You can watch Graseilah's TedX talk here:

https://youtu.be/mvyG_URZEr8?feature=shared

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through transformative creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021, cementing her reputation as both a masterful storyteller and an expert in the craft of personal narrative.

Throughout her distinguished career, Laura has led writing workshops and international retreats, helping countless writers find their authentic voices and tell their most important stories.

Her approach combines deep compassion with practical expertise, creating safe spaces for exploration and emergence. Laura's teaching emphasizes the connection between personal transformation and creative expression, and she is deeply interested in contemplative practices and experiences that take people to their inner edges.

Resources Laura Mentions:

People:

Graseilah Coolidge - Forest immersion guide, former intelligence analyst, international conflict resolution expert with master's degree in nuclear disarmament.

TEDx Talks:

"How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace" by Graseilah Coolidge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvyG_URZEr8

Information about Graseilah Coolidge and the upcoming forest immersionshere:

https://epicgatherings.com/immersion/

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Reframe Fear as Opportunity: Graseilah's teaching that "fear isn't a stop sign—it's a doorway" offers a powerful way to approach transformative experiences and personal growth. What we resist often holds the greatest potential for change.

Peace Begins Within: Traditional diplomacy and policy have limits. Graseilah's work demonstrates that lasting peace in the world must start with cultivating inner peace, presence, and compassion through deep connection with ourselves and nature.

Nature as a Teacher for Leaders: Forest immersion offers world leaders and changemakers a unique opportunity to step away from negotiation rooms and strategy sessions, allowing the natural world to awaken qualities essential for reconciliation and collaboration.

Embrace Radical Unplugging: True transformation requires complete disconnection from distractions. Spending intentional, uninterrupted time in wild places with minimal provisions allows deeper wisdom to surface and profound shifts to occur.

Community-Supported Solitude: Forest immersion isn't about isolation—it's about being held by community while going deep into solitude. This combination of support and space creates safety for exploring our inner edges and emerging transformed.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on your favorite podcast platform

Join Laura's Substack community for regular posts, curated poems, nature photography, and essays on writing and life

Visit Laura's website to explore her books, classes, and retreat offerings

Follow Laura's work to stay updated on her forest immersion experience and other adventures.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

James Crews' "Interwoven": A Meditation on Grief and Joy

Episode Description:

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares acclaimed poet James Crews' "Interwoven," a profound meditation on how grief and joy arrive together in our lives. Through poetry paired with peaceful imagery, Laura offers listeners a moment of reflection for both heart and nervous system.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The essential truth that grief and joy cannot be separated—they arrive together like inseparable companions in our emotional lives

Understanding why we cannot sort our emotions like picking stones from lentils, and what wisdom comes from accepting their simultaneous presence

How poetry creates space for processing complex emotions and finding meaning in life's contradictions

The practice of intentional midweek pauses that honor our need for beauty while supporting nervous system regulation

About Featured Poet James Crews:

James Crews is the editor of several bestselling anthologies, including The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy and How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope, which has over 100,000 copies in print. He has been featured in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, The Christian Science Monitor, and on NPR's Morning Edition.

James is the author of four prize-winning books of poetry—The Book of What Stays, Telling My Father, Bluebird, and Every Waking Moment—and a book of short essays, Kindness Will Save the World: Stories of Compassion and Connection. James speaks and leads workshops on kindness, mindfulness, and writing for self-compassion. He lives with his husband on forty rocky acres in the woods of Southern Vermont.

Connect with James Crews: Read his work on Substack and learn more about his books and teaching: https://jamescrews.com

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Join Laura on the Camino de Santiago next September: https://lauradavis.net/camino/

Subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

When Your Body Finally Speaks: A Story of Healing and Learning to Listen at 69

Episode Description:

In this deeply vulnerable episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed memoir writing teacher Laura Davis shares an extraordinary letter—written from her body to her mind. After months of health challenges including breast cancer and diverticulitis, Laura gave her body a voice, and what emerged was raw, honest, and illuminating. Her body speaks about being ignored for decades, about the breaking point that finally arrived, and about what true healing requires.

This is Laura's personal story of confronting "mind over matter" patterns at age 69 and discovering that slowing down isn't weakness—it's wisdom. At the end, Laura invites listeners to try the same practice if it calls to them.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Laura's personal letter from her body addressing recent breast cancer and chronic diverticulitis

How her body has been "screaming" for attention through inflamed colon, emergency room visits, and surgery

The decades-long pattern of pushing through pain and dissociating from physical needs

Why her body reframes health crises as "wake-up calls" rather than catastrophes

The frank acknowledgment that there are no quick fixes for deep healing work

Drawing strength from healing childhood sexual abuse at 27 and co-authoring "The Courage to Heal"

What her body sees as resources at 69: humor, community, self-care skills, and playfulness

The radical practice of keeping her calendar empty and making decisions based on daily energy

An invitation for listeners to let their own bodies speak if they feel called to try

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed memoir writing teacher and author with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful personal narratives. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and co-author of the international bestseller "The Courage to Heal", which has guided hundreds of thousands of sexual abuse survivors through their healing journeys.

Laura teaches weekly Zoom memoir writing classes, leads international writing retreats at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California, and publishes The Writer's Journey newsletter on Substack.

Her teaching emphasizes writing as a transformative tool for self-discovery, healing, and growth. At 69, Laura is navigating breast cancer treatment and chronic digestive issues while continuing to share her wisdom about aging, resilience, and the power of listening to our bodies.

Resources Laura Mentions

"The Courage to Heal" by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass - International bestseller supporting sexual abuse survivors, written after Laura's own healing journey beginning at age 27

"The Burning Light of Two Stars" by Laura Davis - Award-winning memoir exploring mother-daughter relationships (BookLife Prize Winner 2021)

Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women - Seven-day immersive workshop at Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California (June 1-7, 2026) focused on resilience, navigating change, and embracing life with four master teachers

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Your Body May Be Speaking Louder Than You Think: Physical symptoms—whether digestive issues, pain, exhaustion, or illness—may be your body's escalating attempts to get your attention about patterns that are no longer sustainable.

"Mind Over Matter" Has Limits: Pushing through, dissociating from physical needs, and ignoring exhaustion may work for years or decades, but eventually the body demands a different approach. Recognizing this pattern is the first step toward change.

Health Crises Can Be Wake-Up Calls, Not Just Catastrophes: Reframing illness or physical breakdown as an opportunity to heal deeper patterns—not just an inconvenience to fix—opens the door to more profound transformation and self-care.

Quick Fixes Rarely Address Root Causes: The search for the perfect doctor, diet, supplement, or treatment often masks the need for fundamental lifestyle changes, rest, and addressing what you've never fully tended to.

Your Healing History Is Your Foundation: If you've navigated difficult healing journeys before—whether from trauma, illness, or major life transitions—you've already developed the resilience, commitment, and tools you need for current challenges. Draw on what you know about yourself as a survivor.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey Newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ (receive essays on writing and life, poetry, nature photography, and healing reflections)

Explore Laura's Classes, Books, and Retreats: https://lauradavis.net/

Join Laura's Weekly Zoom Memoir Writing Classes: Visit her website for current class offerings and schedules

Register for Flourishing as We Age Retreat: June 1-7, 2026 at Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California (a seven-day immersive experience for women navigating life's next chapters)

Listen to The Writer's Journey Podcast: Available on all major podcast platforms

Leave a Comment: Share your own experiences with body-mind dialogue on Laura's Substack posts

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Alison Luterman's "The Great Rift Valley, Kenya" – A Midweek Pause for Peace

Episode Description:

In this Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis pairs Alison Luterman's contemplative poem "The Great Rift Valley, Kenya" with breathtaking safari photography from Tanzania's Great Rift Valley. This episode offers listeners a moment of reflection on our human journey, our connection to ancestral origins, and the beauty of the natural world, creating space for both heart and nervous system to rest.

You can see the images that go with this audio post here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/6a4b00e6-ae56-4a82-9290-9d9af86b648f

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The intersection of tourism and ancestral connection in Africa's Great Rift Valley, where human origins meet modern travel

How poetry can transport us beyond the superficial aspects of experience to touch something deeper and more meaningful

The theme of disconnection from our shared human origins and the natural world that nurtured our earliest ancestors

Visual poetry through the pairing of Luterman's reflective verse with stunning wildlife and landscape photography from East Africa

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Alison Luterman is a poet, essayist and playwright. Her books include the poetry collections In the Time of Great Fires (Catamaran Press), Desire Zoo (Tia Chucha Press), The Largest Possible Life (Cleveland State University Press), See How We Almost Fly (Pearl Editions), and a collection of essays, Feral City (SheBooks). Luterman's plays include Saying Kaddish With My Sister, Hot Water, Glitter and Spew, Oasis, Touched, and the musicals The Chain (with composer Loren Linnard), The Shyest Witch (with composer Richard Jennings), and song cycle We Are Not Afraid of the Dark (with composer Sheela Ramesh).

Connect with Alison Luterman: https://www.alisonluterman.com/

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description:

In this episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares the story of her 100-day photography challenge—a daily creative practice that has become a surprising source of joy, presence, and connection. Laura explores how committing to one tiny beautiful thing each day, with the support of an accountability partner, can transform the way we see the world and sustain us through even the most demanding seasons of life.

Whether looking for a sustainable creative habit, a way to deepen a friendship, or a daily reminder that beauty is everywhere, listeners will find a practical and inspiring model for showing up creatively every single day.

NOTE: This post is definitely intended as a photo essay. You can see Laura and Kendra’s. photo conversation here:

https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/14dc28d8-07ed-46a8-8e28-cbc5fea8166b

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Laura discovered the 100-Day Project (the100dayproject.org) through Suleika Jaouad's (suleikajaouad.com) creative community and its origins with designer Michael Bierut

Why Laura chose photography instead of writing for her creative challenge

The value of having an accountability partner for sustained creative practice

How Laura's photography skills developed through mentorship with her partner Kendra on the Camino de Santiago

The three simple rules that make the daily practice sustainable and pressure-free

How daily photography has shifted Laura's way of seeing the world

Why creativity, friendship, and community matter more than ever in difficult times

Episode Highlights:

The spark of inspiration: Laura describes hearing about the 100-Day Project at one of Suleika Jaouad's (suleikajaouad.com) monthly creative hours and immediately knowing she wanted to participate.

Choosing photography over writing: Despite being a lifelong writer and writing teacher, Laura felt drawn to photography as her creative medium.

Finding the perfect partner: Laura reached out to friend Kendra Webster, whose photography talent she'd admired on the Camino de Santiago, to be her daily accountability partner.

A lunchtime lesson on the Camino: Laura recounts how Kendra taught her a dozen iPhone camera features over tortilla de patatas at an outdoor café on the pilgrimage trail in Spain.

Three simple rules: The challenge requires just one new photo per day with a number and title—and it doesn't have to be a good photo.

The range of a daily practice: Some days Laura heads out on long hikes with her dog, carefully composing shots along the beaches and woods of Santa Cruz. Other days, the photo is a sunset from the back porch in pajamas or her dog splayed on the kitchen floor.

A practice worth continuing: On Day 43, Laura asked Kendra if they should keep going after 100 days. Kendra's immediate answer was YES.

Beauty as a daily choice: Laura reflects on how this practice provides a daily reminder that wonder, awe, and joy still exist—and that seeking them out is something we can't afford not to do.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers tell their most important stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and the groundbreaking bestseller The Courage to Heal. Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast, leads weekly writing classes via Zoom, and conducts international writing retreats, including her upcoming 2026 creative hiking retreat on the Camino de Santiago in Spain (lauradavis.net/camino). Her teaching integrates personal vulnerability with practical craft, drawing on her own lived experience to inspire writers at every stage of their journey.

Resources Laura Mentions:

The 100-Day Project (the100dayproject.org) – A free, global creative challenge originally created by Michael Bierut, international designer and Yale professor. The next round starts February 22, 2026.

Suleika Jaouad (suleikajaouad.com) – New York Times bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning journalist, and creator of The Isolation Journals (theisolationjournals.substack.com). Laura first learned about the 100-Day Project at one of Suleika's monthly creative hours.

Design Observer (designobserver.com) – Publication featuring examples of past 100-Day Projects

Laura's 2026 Camino de Santiago Creative Hiking Retreat(lauradavis.net/camino) Laura is returning to the Camino in 2026 with a new group of pilgrims for writing and watercolor on the pilgrimage trail.

Laura's Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com

Laura's website: lauradavis.net

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

A daily creative practice doesn't have to be big or perfect—the 100-Day Project proves that committing to one tiny beautiful thing each day is enough to shift how you move through the world.

An accountability partner adds joy and staying power—having someone to share your daily practice with turns a solo commitment into a meaningful connection.

Choose a creative medium that excites you—stepping outside your primary craft can open new ways of seeing and expressing.

Simple rules remove pressure and build consistency—one photo, one title, taken that day, no quality bar. That's it.

Seeking beauty is not a luxury but a daily practice—in uncertain and demanding times, choosing to notice what's beautiful is an act of resilience and creative renewal.

Episode Call-to-Action:

Ready to start your own daily creative challenge?

The next round of The 100-Day Project (the100dayproject.org) begins February 22, 2026—but you can start anytime. Sign up and join thousands of creatives worldwide.

Your project doesn't have to be photography: choose any creative act you can commit to for 100 days. A sketch, a haiku, a voice memo, a walk.

And if this episode inspired you, share it with a fellow creative who could use a reminder that beauty is still everywhere—we just have to look for it.

Join Laura next September on the Camino de Santiago for 17 days of walking, writing and watercolor in a group of supportive fellow pilgrims. www.lauradavis.net/camino

Connect with Laura Davis:

Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com

Website: lauradavis.net

Podcast: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis

Writing Classes & Retreats: Visit lauradavis.net for information on weekly Zoom classes, workshops, and international retreats including the 2026 Camino de Santiago Creative Hiking Retreat (lauradavis.net/camino)

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Carolyn Forché's On Living in the Hour of Cities Under Siege: Poetry of Witness, Resistance, and Standing Against Injustice

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Carolyn Forché's powerful and urgent poem that addresses immigration enforcement, state violence, and community resistance. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this essential work of witness poetry, Laura honors the role of artists in times of political crisis. This episode offers support for anyone processing current events, seeking poetry that speaks truth to power, or looking for language that fuels resistance while providing community and solidarity.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How artists and writers fulfill their essential role during political crisis by creating work that educates, inspires resistance, and refuses despair

The power of "poetry of witness" to document injustice, immigration raids, and state violence while affirming our shared humanity across borders and identities

Why communities create barricades of care—bringing food to front lines, offering shelter, and building networks of protection—as acts of resistance and solidarity

The practical preparations Forché names for cities facing authoritarian tactics: gas masks, emergency contacts, knowing who will search if you disappear, and the moral imperative to hide those who need protection

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Carolyn Forché (born 1950) is an American poet, translator, and human rights advocate best known for coining the term "poetry of witness" and for work that addresses political trauma and human suffering. Her poetry collections include Gathering the Tribes (1976), winner of the Yale Younger Poets Prize; The Country Between Us (1981), drawing from her experiences as a journalist and human rights advocate in El Salvador during the civil war; The Angel of History (1994), which received the Los Angeles Times Book Award; and In the Lateness of the World (2020), a Pulitzer Prize finalist. A University Professor at Georgetown University, she directs the Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice. "On Living in the Hour of Cities Under Siege" is forthcoming from Otherwhere: New and Selected Poems, 1976-2026, to be published by Scribner Books in September 2026.

Connect with Carolyn Forché: https://www.carolynforche.com

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

When Cancer Becomes the Easy Part: Notes from My Healing Path

Episode Description:

In this candid episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed memoir writing teacher Laura Davis shares her experience with a second breast cancer diagnosis eighteen years after her first. Laura reflects on the relief of not needing chemotherapy this time, her complicated history with endocrine therapy, the recovery process seven weeks post-lumpectomy, and the contrast between her cancer treatment and ongoing gut health challenges. With characteristic vulnerability and wisdom, Laura offers insights into medical decision-making, energy allocation during illness, and preparing for radiation treatment.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Processing a second breast cancer diagnosis eighteen years after the first

Why avoiding chemotherapy this time makes the experience feel "easier"

The journey from diagnosis uncertainty to a clear treatment protocol

Laura's previous negative experiences with endocrine therapy (Tamoxifen and Arimidex)

Deciding whether to try a third endocrine therapy drug despite past difficulties

Recovery milestones seven weeks post-lumpectomy

Preparing for nine days of radiation treatment starting mid-February

The contrast between straightforward cancer treatment and complex gut health issues

Returning to walking and preparing for the 2025 Camino de Santiago pilgrimage

How different health challenges require different levels of daily attention

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft compelling life stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021, and co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Laura teaches weekly Zoom memoir writing classes and leads international writing retreats, including "The Art of Memoir" and "Flourishing as We Age" programs at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California. She hosts "The Writer's Journey" podcast, where she shares her expertise on the craft of writing alongside personal reflections on creativity, aging, and resilience. Laura also produces the "Midweek Pause for Peace" series, pairing poetry with peaceful imagery to support nervous system regulation.

Known for combining professional expertise with personal vulnerability in her teaching approach, Laura demonstrates through her own writing and life experiences how authentic storytelling can transform both writer and reader. She lives in California with her wife and continues to travel internationally, leading writing workshops and creative pilgrimages around the world.

Resources Laura Mentions

Books by Laura Davis:

"The Burning Light of Two Stars" (memoir, BookLife Prize Winner 2021): https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

"The Courage to Heal" (co-author): https://www.bookshopsantacruz.com/book/9780061284335

Upcoming Retreats and Programs:

Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago (September 6-22, 2025) - 17-day trip combining eight days hiking the last 100 km of the French Camino with writing instruction and quick sketching/watercolor techniques led by Laura and hiking guide Brenda: https://lauradavis.net/camino/

"Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women" at Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz (June 1-7, 2026): https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

"The Art of Memoir" retreat at Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz: https://lauradavis.net/writing-retreats-2/

Laura's Platforms:

The Writer's Journey podcast

Midweek Pause for Peace series

Weekly Zoom memoir writing classes: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/

Laura's Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Laura's main website: https://lauradavis.net/

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Past treatment experience shapes current perspective: Knowing which aspects of cancer treatment were hardest for you provides valuable context for facing subsequent diagnoses. Laura's relief at avoiding chemotherapy this time fundamentally changed how she views this second cancer.

Medical decision-making requires weighing benefits against lived experience: When considering treatments like endocrine therapy, balance statistical benefits (halving recurrence risk) against your personal history with side effects and quality of life, recognizing that stopping treatment early doesn't necessarily mean poor outcomes.

Not all health challenges are equal in their daily impact: Some medical conditions require constant attention and lifestyle adjustment, while others follow clearer treatment protocols. Understanding this difference helps you allocate energy and set realistic expectations for different aspects of healing.

The path from diagnosis to treatment clarity takes time: Moving from the uncertainty of discovering a tumor through testing, biopsy, and post-surgical analysis to a defined treatment protocol is a gradual process that requires patience with the unknown.

Recovery and future planning can coexist with treatment: Even while managing cancer treatment and recovery, you can begin rebuilding strength and preparing for future goals like hiking the Camino de Santiago, using these aspirations to guide your healing journey forward.

Episode Call-to-Action

If Laura's honest reflections on navigating a second cancer diagnosis resonate with you, consider how her approach to medical decision-making might inform your own health choices. Whether you're facing illness yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply thinking about how to balance treatment benefits with quality of life, Laura's willingness to trust her own experience offers a powerful model.

For writers and memoirists drawn to Laura's vulnerable storytelling about health challenges, explore her writing classes and international retreats where you can learn to craft authentic life stories that honor both difficulty and resilience. Join Laura in June for Flourishing as We Age or for a Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago next September, combining physical journey with creative expression.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to Laura's Work:

The Writer's Journey Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Main website: https://lauradavis.net/

Study with Laura:

Enroll in weekly Zoom writing classes: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/

Join the 2025 Camino de Santiago Creative Pilgrimage: https://lauradavis.net/camino/

Register for "Flourishing as We Age" retreat: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Support Laura's Work: Every time you engage with The Writer's Journey—through likes, comments, or shares—you help new readers discover Laura's insights on writing, creativity, and living authentically through life's challenges.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Ollie Schminkey's Land of 10,000 Lakes: Poetry on Minnesota, Police Violence, Immigration Enforcement, and Community Resistance

Episode Description:

In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Ollie Schminkey's powerful poem that weaves together images of Minnesota's natural beauty and neighborly warmth with the harsh realities of police brutality, ICE raids, and community resistance.

Through carefully selected imagery paired with this moving work of witness poetry, Laura honors how love transforms from sentiment to action when communities face state violence. This episode offers support for anyone processing immigration enforcement, seeking poetry that documents resistance, or looking for language that holds both tenderness and fierce protection.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Schminkey transforms Minnesota's iconic imagery—tater tot hot dish, the loon's call, northern lights—into a framework for understanding what happens when wholesome community life collides with masked men demanding papers and kicking down doors

The poem's documentation of state violence against immigrants and communities of color: blood on car headrests, people stolen from cars and jobs and homes, boots and camo and guns flooding familiar streets

Why whistles shrieking morning, noon, and night become the sound of community resistance, alongside kicking teargas back under SUVs, sex-shop-turned-community-centers, grocery store drop-offs, and signal chats coordinating protection

How the Minnesota goodbye—bad at letting go of those we love, shoes on in the entryway, refusing to open the door—becomes a metaphor for communities who will not abandon neighbors, proving that love is a verb through tater tot hot dish discreetly delivered and cabins offered as safe houses

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Ollie Schminkey (they/them) is a nonbinary transgender poet, musician, ceramist, and instructor based in St. Paul, Minnesota. They are the author of two full-length poetry collections, Where I Dry the Flowers (Button Poetry, 2024) and Dead Dad Jokes (Button Poetry, 2021), which was shortlisted for both the Midwest Independent Publishers Association and the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize, as well as four chapbooks. Schminkey has spent over a decade coaching, mentoring, and teaching poets, and they facilitate Well-Placed Commas, a free weekly writing workshop serving primarily queer and trans writers.

They are the founder and director of Midwest Poetry Mash-Up, a national slam poetry tournament, and winner of the 2024-25 Palette Previously Published Poem Prize. Their work has been featured in Poets.org, Frontier Poetry, and numerous other publications, with their poetry performances garnering over 3 million views on YouTube. Schminkey's work has been supported by grants from the Minnesota Regional Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

The Body That Chose Life: An Ode to My Faithful Companion of 69 Years

Episode Description:

In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed memoir teacher Laura Davis shares a transformative writing prompt inspired by poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's "Letter to Myself at Twenty-One." Laura guides listeners through the process of writing an ode—a love song—to their bodies as they are today and then she demonstrates the power of this practice by sharing her own vulnerable response. This episode offers both a practical memoir writing technique and a profound meditation on embodiment, aging, and gratitude.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

How to use poetry as a springboard for memoir writing prompts

The transformative power of writing odes to your own body

Techniques for writing with radical self-acceptance and honesty

How to honor your body's journey through all its stages

Ways to hold gratitude and struggle simultaneously in your writing

The relationship between aging, wisdom, and creative expression

Using personal vulnerability to deepen your memoir practice

Episode Highlights

Laura shares Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's powerful poem "Letter to Myself at Twenty-One" about body acceptance and aging

Laura introduces the writing prompt: "Write an ode, a love song, to your body as it is today"

Laura reads her own deeply personal response, addressing her body directly after 69 years

Laura reflects on her premature birth at 2 pounds 12 ounces and her twin sister's death

Laura demonstrates how to write about current health challenges with grace and gratitude

Laura explores the body as "faithful companion" and source of all life experience

Laura shows how to weave sensory details and specific memories into body-centered writing

Laura models writing about aging and mortality with acceptance rather than resistance

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed memoir writing teacher and author with over 35 years of experience guiding writers to tell their most powerful stories. Her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also the co-author of the groundbreaking book The Courage to Heal. She teaches weekly Zoom memoir classes, leads international writing retreats including "The Art of Memoir" at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, and hosts both "The Writer's Journey" podcast and the "Midweek Pause for Peace" poetry series. Laura's teaching emphasizes vulnerability, authenticity, and the transformative power of putting personal truth on the page.

Resources Laura Mentions

Poem: "Letter to Myself at Twenty-One" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. You can find the poem and subscribe to Rosemerry’s daily poetry feed here: https://ahundredfallingveils.com/2025/06/05/letter-to-myself-at-twenty-one/

Retreat: "Flourishing as We Age: A Women's Writing Workshop" - Weeklong oceanfront retreat in Santa Cruz, California, spring 2025 (https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/)

Laura's memoir: The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021)

Laura's book: The Courage to Heal (co-authored)

Episode Call-to-Action

Try this writing prompt yourself: Set aside 20-30 minutes and write an ode to your body as it is today. Address your body directly, thanking it for specific experiences it has enabled. Don't worry about making it perfect or profound—focus on honesty and specificity. Notice what emerges when you approach your body with curiosity and gratitude rather than judgment.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to Laura's Substack for weekly writing inspiration: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Explore Laura's writing classes, books, and international retreats: https://lauradavis.net/

Learn about the "Flourishing as We Age" spring retreat: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Listen to more episodes of The Writer's Journey podcast

Join Laura's weekly Zoom writing classes: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Pause for Peace: How by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares a powerful poem that arrived in her inbox and immediately touched her heart. "How" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer asks the essential question: What is the heart to do when facing brutality? The poem's haunting refrain, "How do we go on?" invites listeners into a space of reflection on resilience, compassion, and the human capacity to endure.

WHAT LAURA COVERS IN THIS EPISODE

The immediate emotional impact of receiving this poem and knowing she had to share it

The central question the poem poses: What is the heart to do in the face of such brutality?

The complexity of witnessing not only suffering but also those who cheer in response

Why the question "How do we go on?" resonates so deeply in times of collective trauma

The role of poetry in creating pause, reflection, and space for our nervous systems to process difficult truths

ABOUT LAURA DAVIS

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

ABOUT THE FEATURED POET

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer is a poet whose work explores themes of resilience, compassion, and the human experience in the face of difficulty. Her poem "How" powerfully captures the visceral reality of violence while asking profound questions about how we continue forward when witnessing brutality and suffering.

Learn more about Rosemerry and read her daily poetry at: https://www.wordwoman.com/a-daily-dose-of-poetry/

A Different Kind of Anorexia: How Diverticulitis Changed My Relationship with Food

Episode Description:

In this deeply personal episode, acclaimed memoir teacher Laura Davis shares her unexpected health journey through recurring diverticulitis and the profound way it has transformed her lifelong love of food into fear and isolation. With characteristic honesty and vulnerability, Laura opens up about losing 30 pounds in four months, navigating a confusing medical system, and ultimately discovering that healing requires addressing not just physical symptoms but emotional and mental well-being. This episode offers hope and practical insights for anyone dealing with chronic health challenges while maintaining life's non-negotiable commitments.

Episode Highlights

The Shock of Diagnosis: Laura describes her first diverticulitis attack in September 2025 and the confusing lack of guidance from medical professionals

Food as Identity: How Laura's relationship with cooking, entertaining, and shared meals formed a core part of her identity and joy

The Isolation of Illness: The profound loneliness of eating alone while others enjoy shared meals, bringing her own food in bento boxes to dinner parties

Medical System Frustration: Laura's experience with the "you're old, what do you expect" dismissal from healthcare providers

Breaking Point Realization: Discovering that "anorexia" is listed as a diverticulitis side effect—and recognizing she had become afraid to eat

Cancer vs. Diverticulitis: Laura's surprising revelation that her recurring diverticulitis affects her daily life far more than her breast cancer diagnosis

The Turning Point: Recognizing that healing requires more than physical treatment—she needed to address her emotional spiral

Embracing the Journey: Laura's shift from fighting her condition to exploring holistic approaches including hypnotherapy, guided meditation, and magnetic frequency healing

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping people craft powerful personal narratives. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura teaches weekly memoir writing classes via Zoom, leads international writing retreats at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California, and hosts "The Writer's Journey" podcast. She also creates the "Midweek Pause for Peace" series pairing poetry with peaceful imagery. Currently based in Sinai, Egypt, Laura continues to teach, write, and support memoirists worldwide while navigating her own profound life transitions and health challenges with the same honesty and courage she brings to her teaching.

Resources Laura Mentions

Laura's Award-Winning Memoir: "The Burning Light of Two Stars" (BookLife Prize Winner 2021)

Villa Maria del Mar: Oceanfront retreat center in Santa Cruz, California, where Laura will teach her upcoming workshop: "Flourishing as We Age,” a seven-day writing workshop for women at Villa Maria del Mar.  https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Functional Medicine: Alternative approach to gut health and healing

Acupuncture: Traditional Chinese medicine for digestive support

Holistic Healing Modalities: Hypnotherapy for gut health, guided meditation, magnetic frequency healing devices

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Chronic illness impacts identity: When a core aspect of life (like enjoying food) becomes compromised, it can trigger depression and require grieving what was lost while adapting to a new reality.

The brain-gut connection is real: Anxiety, worry, and negative thought patterns can exacerbate digestive conditions, creating a cycle where physical symptoms worsen emotional state and vice versa.

Healing requires holistic approach: Traditional medical treatment alone may not address chronic conditions—integrating emotional, mental, and alternative healing practices can be essential.

Self-advocacy matters: When medical professionals dismiss concerns or offer inadequate guidance, seeking multiple opinions and exploring various treatment approaches is justified and necessary.

Mindset shifts enable healing: Moving from fighting against illness to accepting the journey and focusing on what you can control (thoughts, emotions, self-care) creates space for genuine healing.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey Newsletter: www.lauradavis.net

Explore Laura's Writing Classes, Books, and International Retreats: https://lauradavis.net/

Listen to More Episodes: The Writer's Journey podcast https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Follow Laura's Weekly Essays and "Midweek Pause for Peace" series: Poetry and peaceful imagery for reflection. https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Naomi Shihab Nye's "Gate A-4" – A Poem About Human Connection Across Cultures

Episode Description:

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares Naomi Shihab Nye's beloved poem "Gate A-4," a touching true story set in an airport terminal that demonstrates how simple acts of kindness can bridge cultural divides. Through this powerful narrative poem, Laura offers listeners a vision of the shared world we all long for—one where human connection transcends fear and differences.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How a moment of crisis at an airport gate became an opportunity for cross-cultural connection and understanding

The transformative power of small gestures—speaking a few words in someone's language, making phone calls, sharing homemade cookies—to create community among strangers

Why carrying traditions and staying "rooted to somewhere" matters, even when traveling through modern spaces

The poem's hopeful message that "this can still happen anywhere" and "not everything is lost" in our divided world

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Naomi Shihab Nye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother and grew up in Jerusalem and San Antonio. Her books of poetry include 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East; A Maze Me: Poems for Girls; Red Suitcase; Words Under the Words; and You and Yours. "Gate A-4" is from her collection Honeybee.

Featured Music:

This original post on Substack includes uplifting music by Alexandra Blakely that beautifully reinforces the poem's message of human connection and hope. Alexandra's song provides the perfect musical companion to Naomi Shihab Nye's vision of a shared world where compassion and understanding bridge our differences.

You can listen to Alexandra Blakely's song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBhCFsatU0Y

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description:

In this deeply personal episode, acclaimed memoirist and writing teacher Laura Davis shares her journey of learning to honor what her student calls "the body budget"—the finite amount of energy available each day and the necessity of respecting those limits. Drawing on her experiences with breast cancer recurrence and diverticulitis, Laura explores how chronic illness has transformed her relationship with productivity, rest, and what truly matters. This candid reflection offers wisdom for anyone navigating health challenges, energy limitations, or the cultural pressure to constantly "do."

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Laura's lifelong identity as a "doer" has been challenged by illness

The profound shift that occurred during her first breast cancer treatment 18 years ago

Understanding and respecting the "body budget"—your finite daily energy resources

Why "mind over matter" doesn't work when facing real physical limitations

The difficult but necessary practice of canceling commitments to protect healing

Learning to prioritize rest over productivity and plans

The Ayurvedic concept of Swapna—deep, healing sleep that supports recovery

How to calculate daily energy capacity and make choices accordingly

The spiritual clarity that emerges when life slows down

Episode Highlights:

The Doer's Dilemma: Laura reflects on her lifelong pattern of creating, manifesting, and following through—and what happens when the body can no longer sustain that pace

Remembering the First Time: How Laura's first breast cancer experience 18 years ago taught her about surrender, presence, and living without future plans

The Hard Math of Energy: Learning that you can only do one thing per day when recovering—not six things stacked in a row

Saying No to Mexico: The relief Laura felt canceling her sold-out workshops at the San Miguel Writer's Conference to honor her body's needs

The Body Budget Explained: Laura's friend Nancy Gertz introduces the concept that once your gas tank is empty, you must refill before doing anything else

Training for the Camino—Later: How Laura postponed hiking preparation with her student Urmila to focus on healing now

Wisdom from Urmila: The beautiful message about Ayurvedic healing, Swapna, and emerging from hibernation like a bear in spring

Rest as the Real Work: Why guarding energy and rebuilding health must come first, even for natural doers

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers in the craft of memoir. Her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also the co-author of the groundbreaking book The Courage to Heal and has taught countless students through her international writing retreats, weekly Zoom classes, and her podcast The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis. Drawing from her extensive experience in both writing and life, Laura brings authenticity, wisdom, and practical guidance to every episode. She currently lives in Santa Cruz, California and continues to teach and inspire writers worldwide.

Episode Call-to-Action:

If you're facing health challenges, energy limitations, or burnout, take time this week to assess your own "body budget." What can you release? What truly matters most right now? Honor your answers without judgment. And if Laura's reflections resonated with you, share this episode with someone who might need permission to rest.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Explore Laura's classes and retreats: https://lauradavis.net/

Join Laura on the Camino de Santiago: Writing and watercolor pilgrimage, September 2026 (three spots remain): https://lauradavis.net/camino/

Leave a comment: Share your own experiences with energy limits and the body budget

Support the podcast: Click the heart, comment, or share to help new listeners discover The Writer's Journey

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Pause for Peace: Carolyn Brigit Flynn's "My Pledge of Allegiance" – Honoring Our Deepest Allegiances

Episode Description

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares writing teacher and poet Carolyn Brigit Flynn's profound poem "My Pledge of Allegiance," a beautiful meditation on pledging ourselves to Earth, sky, elements, and the sacred web connecting all life. Laura pairs this stirring poem with peaceful imagery to invite listeners to reflect on their own deepest allegiances.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Carolyn Brigit Flynn's complete poem reimagining what we pledge ourselves to

Allegiance to Earth and the great web in which it spins, with rootedness and belonging for all

Devotion to the elements—air, fire, wind, and sea—and the eternal beauty in which they live

An invitation to consider what you pledge your deepest allegiance to in your own life

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Carolyn Brigit Flynn is a poet, essayist and teacher based in Santa Cruz, California. Her work is dedicated to using language as a pathway to deepening soul and spirit. Carolyn teaches Writing to Feed Your Soul workshops and often writes about Ireland and her perspective as an Irish American. Her memoir, The Light of Ordinary Days, will be published in spring of 2026.

Learn more about Carolyn Brigit Flynn at her website: https://www.carolynbrigitflynn.com/

Follow Carolyn on Substack: https://carolynbrigitflynn.substack.com/

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title

The Face in the Mirror: On Aging, DNA, and Unexpected Inheritances

Episode Description

In this deeply personal episode, acclaimed memoirist and writing teacher Laura Davis shares a letter to her late father written forty years after their correspondence ended. When Laura catches her reflection in the mirror after breast cancer surgery and recent health challenges, she discovers her father's face looking back at her—complete with his distinctive Einstein eyebrows and weathered features.

Laura explores the shock of sudden aging, the power of DNA and family inheritance, and how loving acceptance can transform our relationship with our changing bodies.

This episode offers both a tender meditation on mortality and practical wisdom for writers exploring themes of aging, family connection, and self-acceptance.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Writing letters to deceased loved ones as a healing practice

The unexpected physical manifestations of DNA and family resemblance

Navigating sudden physical changes after illness and surgery

Adapting body reclamation exercises from The Courage to Heal for aging

The gap between how we feel internally and how our bodies age externally

Finding love and acceptance for our changing faces and bodies

Using memoir writing to process loss, aging, and transformation

Her father's poignant realization at 81: "I still feel 13 on the inside"

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through the craft of memoir. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking bestseller The Courage to Heal.

Laura teaches weekly writing classes via Zoom, hosts transformative international writing retreats hiking the Camino de Santiago and at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California, and produces The Writer's Journey podcast along with her Midweek Pause for Peace series.

Her work combines vulnerable personal storytelling with practical writing instruction, helping memoirists craft authentic, compelling narratives that honor their experiences while connecting deeply with readers.

Resources Laura Mentions

Book: The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis (published 38 years ago, featuring the "one-inch exercise" in the "Bodies" chapter)

Book: The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis (BookLife Prize Winner 2021)

Previous Essay: "The Hippie Dad Who Never Stopped Writing" (featuring examples of her father's artistic letters)

This essay on Substack so you can see the images: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/7d44f8c3-38c7-4d8d-9b91-c8d4889def7d

Upcoming Retreat: "Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Workshop for Women" at Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California (Retreat details at https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/)

Body Reclamation Technique: The "one-inch exercise" for self-acceptance and healing

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Write letters to the dead as a powerful memoir practice—Epistolary writing can help you process grief, maintain connection, and discover new insights about relationships that transcend time and death.

Honor the emotional journey of sudden physical change—Allow yourself to move through shock, dismay, curiosity, and acceptance without rushing to positivity or forcing premature acceptance.

Adapt healing practices to new life stages—Techniques like the "one-inch exercise" originally designed for trauma recovery can be reimagined for challenges like aging, illness, or body changes.

Recognize the gap between internal and external aging—Understanding that we "still feel 13 inside" while our bodies age can help us approach our reflections with compassion rather than judgment.

Find love through connection—When we see our beloved family members reflected in our own aging faces, it can transform self-criticism into tenderness and acceptance.

Episode Call-to-Action

Spend time with your own reflection this week. Look closely at the mirror and ask yourself: Who do you see looking back? Whose features have emerged in your face?

Write a letter—to a parent, grandparent, or other ancestor whose DNA you carry—exploring what you've inherited and how those physical connections make you feel.

Share your reflections in the comments, and if this episode resonated with you, click the heart and share it with other writers navigating the journey of aging and self-acceptance.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Explore Laura's Classes, Books & Retreats: https://lauradavis.net/

Spring 2025 Retreat: Learn about "Flourishing: A Writing Workshop for Women Over Fifty" at https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Support Laura's Work: Click the heart on posts, leave comments, and share episodes to help new readers discover The Writer's Journey

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Pause for Peace: Pat Schneider's "Is There an Angel in the House" – Finding Shelter in Vulnerability

Episode Description

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares beloved poet and teacher Pat Schneider's heartfelt poem "Is There an Angel in the House," a tender exploration of vulnerability, the courage to ask for help, and the shelter we all need when we're bruised. Laura pairs this touching poem with peaceful imagery to offer listeners a moment of compassion and permission to rest.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Pat Schneider's complete poem about asking for comfort when we're bruised and need shelter

The courage it takes to ask for help and admit we need the shelter of a wing

The promise to rise again, light the fire, and carry our corner of the world—after we've been held

A writing prompt Laura uses in her retreats: "Write a love song to your imperfections"

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Pat Schneider (1934–2020) was the founder and creator of the Amherst Writers & Artists method. She was a writer, poet, teacher and editor, playwright and librettist who lived and worked in Amherst, Massachusetts. She opened the door to writing to all kinds of people who might otherwise never have written.

Writing Prompt

Write a love song to your imperfections.

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

The Hippie Dad Who Never Stopped Writing: How Letters Can Keep Love Alive After Abandonment

Episode Description:

In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed memoirist Laura Davis shares a moving story from her own life about her father—the free-spirited man who left when she was 13 and never came back, but whose handwritten letters sustained their connection across decades and distance. Laura opens her heart to share how her father's quirky, artistic correspondence taught her that love can transcend physical presence. She also reads from a treasured 1975 letter that demonstrates his unconditional acceptance during her years in a guru's ashram—a stark contrast to her mother's reaction. This intimate storytelling offers a window into Laura's life and the power of sustained connection through the written word.

To See the Letters:

You can see incredible examples of Abe Davis’ letters by checking out the written version of the post:

https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/e0269b66-f7f6-44a5-b8be-219fb96ad4a4

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How her father left the family when she was 13 and never returned to New Jersey

The transformative power of her father's first letter, received at summer camp

Why she never felt abandoned despite her father's physical absence

The artistic, quirky nature of her father's handwritten correspondence over decades

How her parents had polar opposite reactions to her choices as a young adult

The contrast between conditional and unconditional parental love

Why she kept every letter her father wrote and cherishes them today

The writing practice prompt: "Tell me about a letter, written, read, sent, or received"

An invitation to join Laura's ongoing writing classes

Episode Highlights:

The 1967 Dodge Dart Departure - Laura describes the moment her father drove her brother to college in Boulder and never came back, marking the beginning of his journey to "find himself" at California's Esalen Institute

The First Letter from Camp - How receiving her father's first handwritten letter at age 14 established the pattern that would sustain their relationship: "he wasn't coming back to New Jersey and that he still loved me"

A Father's Unconditional Acceptance - Laura reads from a 1975 letter her father sent while she lived in a guru's ashram, demonstrating his complete acceptance of her choices even when he didn't share her beliefs—a stark contrast to her mother's threatened deprogramming

The Art of Letter Writing - Laura describes her father's unique correspondence style: left-handed script, hand-drawn illustrations, watercolor decorations, made-up limericks, and even a ten-page illustrated odyssey on quitting smoking

Yellow Construction Paper Epistles - How her father crafted letters on bright yellow construction paper, folded accordion-style, and stuffed into hand-decorated envelopes—each one a creative work of art

Two Parents, Two Responses - Laura reflects on having "two more different parents": the free-spirited father who left versus the mother who stayed, paid bills, and held steady through her daughter's teenage rage

The Turquoise Box Under the Stairs - Laura shares how her father's letters live in a large turquoise plastic box in her office crawl space, and the joy of rereading them after twenty years

Forgiveness and Friendship - How Laura's parents eventually became friends again later in life, a transformation Laura credits to her mother's capacity to forgive

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and memoir writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft authentic, powerful personal narratives. Her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the 2021 BookLife Prize and explores her complex relationship with her mother. She is also co-author of The Courage to Heal, along with six other books on writing and healing.

Laura teaches ongoing weekly writing classes on Zoom, leads international writing retreats at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California, and hosts The Writer's Journey podcast. With decades of experience guiding writers through vulnerable storytelling, Laura has become a leading authority on memoir craft and writing for personal transformation.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Letters as lifelines - Consistent, authentic written communication can maintain deep connection even when someone is physically absent or has made painful choices

Love transcends physical presence - Laura's story demonstrates that feeling loved and feeling abandoned are not the same thing—her father left, but she never doubted his love

Unconditional acceptance matters - A parent's ability to accept their child's choices without judgment, even when they disagree, creates lasting emotional security

Keeping what matters - Saving meaningful artifacts like letters provides emotional connection that can be revisited and treasured decades later

Complex relationships deserve space - Laura's honest portrayal of both parents—the one who left and the one who stayed—shows how we can hold complicated truths about the people we love

Episode Call-to-Action

Laura invites listeners to explore the writing prompt from this episode: "Tell me about a letter, written, read, sent, or received." Consider what letters, notes, or correspondence have shaped your life and relationships.

Writers interested in writing their own personal stories in a supportive community can explore Laura's ongoing Wednesday Writing Practice class, which resumes January 7th with a new student special. For those working on book-length manuscripts, Laura's Thursday feedback classes offer expert guidance and peer support (writing sample required, wait list available)

 https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Pause for Peace: Julia Fehrenbacher's "The Most Important Thing" – Making a Home Inside Yourself

Episode Description

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares poet Julia Fehrenbacher's deeply moving poem "The Most Important Thing," an invitation to create a shelter of kindness within ourselves, where everything is forgiven and allowed. Laura pairs this nurturing poem with peaceful imagery to offer listeners a moment of self-compassion and gentle acceptance.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Julia Fehrenbacher's complete poem "The Most Important Thing"

Making a home inside yourself: a shelter of kindness where everything is forgiven

Welcoming all that has been banished and buried

The transformative power of radical self-acceptance

A peaceful visual meditation paired with meaningful poetry

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Julia Fehrenbacher is a poet, an author, a life coach, a teacher, a regular practicer of yoga, and a sometimes-painter. She is most at home by the ocean and in the forests.

Learn more about Julia Fehrenbacher at her website: https://juliafehrenbacher.com/

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

The Portal in the Wound: Finding Spaciousness When My Body Narrows the Path

Episode Description:

In this deeply personal episode, acclaimed memoirist and writing teacher Laura Davis shares a profound exploration of living and writing through her second breast cancer diagnosis, eighteen years after her first. Laura unpacks a single intuitive sentence that arrived unbidden—"My life feels rich and expansive in its diminishment"—revealing how physical limitations can open unexpected doors to creativity, connection, and spiritual depth. Drawing on 35+ years of teaching experience and her award-winning memoir work, Laura demonstrates the power of deep, intuitive writing while offering writers a masterclass in mining personal hardship for universal truths.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The moment of intuitive writing that produced an unexpected truth about her current reality

Navigating a second breast cancer diagnosis and the uncertainties of treatment decisions

Memories of chemotherapy treatment from 1997 and the power of community support

How physical diminishment naturally redirects life force into new creative channels

The concept of neuroplasticity applied to adult adaptation and personal growth

Finding richness through daily photography practice, deepened friendships, and meditation

Writing as an accessible creative practice during physical limitations

Embracing uncertainty, impermanence, and the aging body with grace

The intersection of spiritual practice and the writing life

How raw truth and vulnerability create the most powerful memoir writing

Episode Highlights:

The Portal of Intuitive Writing Laura shares how a single sentence—"My life feels rich and expansive in its diminishment"—arrived through text message and immediately resonated through her bones, demonstrating the primal power of deep, intuitive writing that accesses truths the conscious mind hasn't yet understood.

Cancer's Uncertain Return Eighteen years after her first breast cancer diagnosis, Laura faces the possibility of chemotherapy again. She describes the physical reality of post-surgical recovery and waiting for Oncotype DX test results that will determine her treatment path, showing how even "small" cancers remain unpredictable.

The 1997 Chemotherapy Journey Laura vividly recalls her first cancer treatment: eight patients in cushy recliners facing each other, the IV drips of poison, the head-shaving ceremony surrounded by singing friends, chemical menopause, and the months when food tasted like rusty nails. She lost 40 pounds while strangers praised her "sexy" weight loss.

The Village That Showed Up Laura remembers the incredible community support that sustained her family during treatment: parents driving her children to school, meals delivered multiple times weekly, free massage and bodywork, friends tracking insurance claims, and companions at chemotherapy appointments. She describes this as "the best part of having cancer."

Neuroplasticity as Life Philosophy Drawing an analogy to infant brain development, Laura explains how physical diminishment naturally redirects her life force into new channels—more writing, daily photography exchanges, deeper conversations, expanded spiritual capacity, and meditation on death and impermanence.

Writing From the Sickbed Laura reveals how writing has become her accessible creative practice during recovery, demonstrating that some of our most powerful work emerges when we're blocked from our usual activities and forced to channel energy differently.

The In-Your-Face Cancer Patient Laura describes her choice to be visible during treatment—walking around town bald, wearing only a beanie when cold, refusing wigs, wanting people to see "what cancer looks like." She taught writing throughout her treatment year, creating circles where raw truth resonated.

Gifts Hidden in Diminishment Laura explores the surprising joys emerging from limitation: quiet stillness, new sources of pleasure, deepened listening capacity, perspectives that tip into the vast, and the wisdom of accepting an aging body and winding-down productivity.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers to craft powerful, transformative memoirs. Her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the 2021 BookLife Prize and has touched readers worldwide with its raw honesty and literary craft. As host of The Writer's Journey podcast, Laura shares the deep, intuitive writing practices she's dedicated her life to, helping writers access truths that resonate through their bones and souls.

Laura teaches internationally and leads transformative writing retreats, including "The Art of Memoir" and "Flourishing as We Age" at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California. Her approach combines technical excellence with spiritual depth, encouraging writers to mine their most difficult experiences for universal wisdom. Laura is the author of seven books and brings both personal vulnerability and professional mastery to every episode, demonstrating that our most challenging life passages can become our most powerful writing material.

Resources Laura Mentions:

Writing Retreats:

"Flourishing as We Age" weeklong writing workshop at Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California (Spring dates available)

Information: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Trust Intuitive Writing: The most powerful truths often arrive through spontaneous writing that bypasses the conscious mind. When a sentence resonates through your bones, follow it through the portal it opens—even when you don't yet understand its full meaning.

Physical Limitations Redirect Creative Energy: Like neuroplasticity in infant development, when blocked from usual activities, our life force naturally flows into new channels. Diminishment in one area can create unexpected richness in others—deeper writing, meaningful connection, spiritual expansion.

Vulnerability Creates the Strongest Memoir: Laura's willingness to share raw, unfiltered truth about cancer, aging, and uncertainty demonstrates that our most difficult experiences become our most powerful writing material. Writers serve readers by refusing to sanitize hardship.

Community Support Transforms Hardship: The village that shows up during crisis—bringing meals, driving children, tracking insurance, sitting beside you during treatment—can become the unexpected gift within suffering. Let people show up for you.

Write What You Can When You Can: Writing is an accessible practice even during physical limitation. Some of our best work emerges from the sickbed, the recovery period, the times we're forced to slow down and channel our energy differently.

Episode Call-to-Action:

If this episode resonated with you, Laura invites you to:

Explore Your Own Limitations: Take ten minutes to free-write about an area where your life feels diminished right now. Without censoring, follow the thread to discover what might be expanding as a result. Look for a place neuroplastic adaptation might be happening in your own life.

Practice Daily Creative Commitment: Whether photography, a single sentence, a voice memo, or a sketch, commit to one small creative act each day. Find a friend to exchange with for accountability and connection.

Consider the Flourishing Retreat: If you're navigating aging, illness, loss, or any major life transition, explore Laura's weeklong "Flourishing as We Age" writing workshop at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz. Join Laura and three other master teachers and a vibrant community of women using story, ritual, and deep listening to discover inner freedom and wisdom. Participants range from their fifties to ninety-one.

Learn more at https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Connect with Laura Davis:

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey Newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Receive regular posts, beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Explore Laura's Work: https://lauradavis.net/ Learn about writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats.

Listen to More Episodes: Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow Laura's Writing Wisdom: Join as a free or paid subscriber to support Laura's work and receive exclusive content for writers and memoirists seeking to deepen their craft.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Pause for Peace: Nikita Gill's "Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse" – Celebrating What We Love and Cherish

Episode Description:

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares British-Indian poet Nikita Gill's heartfelt poem "Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse," a beautiful invitation to name the things we still love, savor, and cherish in this world. Laura pairs this uplifting poem with peaceful imagery to offer listeners a moment of gratitude and grounding amid life's uncertainties.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Nikita Gill's complete poem "Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse"

The power of naming what we love: sunrises, people yet to meet, songs of love and revolution

Finding beauty in simple moments: walks in the woods, butterflies, the moon in all her forms

A writing prompt inviting listeners to create their own lists of reasons to live

A peaceful visual meditation paired with meaningful poetry to calm the nervous system.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet:

Nikita Gill is a British-Indian poet, playwright, writer and illustrator living in the south of England. She writes poetry collections and novels in verse that explore themes of mythology, folklore, and female experience, and has a large online following, particularly on Instagram. Gill has published eight collections of poetry and is the editor of the poetry anthology SLAM!

Connect with Nikita Gill on Substack: https://nikitagill.substack.com/about Follow Nikita on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikitagillwrites/ or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikita_gill/?hl=en

Writing Prompt:

Make your own list of reasons to live through the apocalypse.

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: Things I Didn't Know I Loved: How Focusing on Small Pleasures Helps Writers Navigate Challenging Times

Episode Description: In this episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis explores a transformative writing prompt that helps writers find grounding during times of fear and uncertainty. Drawing from master teacher Deena Metzger's book Writing for Your Life, Laura shares how the deceptively simple exercise "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" goes far beyond standard gratitude lists to reveal intimate truths about our lives.

Through student examples and her own 50-item list, Laura demonstrates how attention to overlooked details can become a powerful antidote to today's chaos and a pathway to joy.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The origin of the "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" writing prompt from Deena Metzger's Writing for Your Life.

How this prompt differs from traditional gratitude lists by focusing on overlooked rather than obvious blessings.

A complete reading of student Shoshana Helman's creative and surprising response to the prompt.

Laura's own extensive 50-item list, ranging from practical pleasures to profound life experiences.

How the exercise helped Laura's writing students feel grounded and centered despite living with fear and uncertainty.

The therapeutic power of focusing on small, specific details in our daily lives.

Why list-making can serve as a powerful precursor to longer, more developed writing pieces.

How this exercise reveals intimate truths about the writer and creates windows into their inner world.

Episode Highlights:

The Prompt That Goes Deeper: Laura introduces a writing exercise from Deena Metzger that asks writers to dig beyond obvious gratitudes and instead identify small, easily overlooked pleasures in their lives—things they didn't consciously know they loved until they stopped to notice.

A Student's Surprising List: Laura shares student Shoshana Helman's beautifully crafted response, which includes unexpected items like "the ding that announces an incoming text," "showering in the dark," and the profound closing entries about readiness and living a good life.

Laura's Personal Inventory: Laura reveals her own 50-item list, offering intimate glimpses into her life through details like her c-pap travel pillow, the white streak in her hair from chemotherapy, motion theatre practice, and the Spanish pronunciation of her name.

The Universal Response: When Laura's students completed this exercise, they reported feeling grounded and centered, discovering that focusing on small pleasures provided relief from the fear and chaos of current events.

Lists as Windows to Self: Laura explains how list-making exercises in her classes consistently reveal deep truths about the writers who create them, serving as both creative warm-ups and profound self-discovery tools.

The Compulsion to Continue: Both Laura and her students found they couldn't stop writing once they started, with ideas continuing to flow even after the timed exercise ended—a sign of the prompt's power to unlock authentic expression.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Laura's list demonstrates how the exercise transforms mundane details like paper towels as napkins, organized freezers, and heated toilet seats into meaningful acknowledgments of life's small luxuries and hard-won wisdom.

Connection Through Specificity: When students shared their lists in small groups, the specific, intimate details created powerful connections and offered windows into each writer's unique experience of being alive.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers to tell their most important stories. Her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021, cementing her reputation as both a masterful memoirist and an expert on the craft of personal narrative.

As a writing instructor, Laura specializes in helping students access deep truths through carefully crafted prompts and exercises. She teaches regular writing classes, offers private coaching sessions, and leads transformative international writing retreats that combine creative practice with cultural immersion.

Laura believes in the power of specific details, authentic voice, and the courage required to examine our lives with honesty and compassion.

Resources Laura Mentions

Books:

Writing for Your Life by Deena Metzger (source of the "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" prompt)

The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis (award-winning memoir, BookLife Prize Winner 2021)

International Writing Retreat:

Write, Travel, Transform: Cuba (April 13-26, 2026) - A 14-day writer's journey combining daily writing practice with cultural exploration in Cuba, featuring meetings with local historians, artists, and cultural practitioners.

Learn more: https://lauradavis.net/cuba/

Websites and Publications:

Laura's Substack: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis (https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/)

Laura's main website: https://lauradavis.net/

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Dig Beneath Surface Gratitude: The most powerful appreciation lists go beyond obvious blessings to uncover small, easily overlooked pleasures that genuinely enhance daily life but rarely receive conscious acknowledgment.

Specificity Creates Connection: The more specific and detailed your list becomes—from "the rounded edges of my favorite teacup" to "counting cash and facing all the bills in the same direction"—the more it reveals authentic truths about who you are and creates genuine connection with readers.

Lists as Therapeutic Practice: During times of fear, chaos, and uncertainty, intentionally focusing attention on small pleasures and everyday luxuries can provide emotional grounding and restore a sense of calm and gratitude.

Let the Writing Continue: When a prompt feels generative and ideas keep flowing even after the designated writing time ends, honor that creative momentum rather than artificially stopping—it's a sign you've tapped into something meaningful.

Small Exercises Yield Big Insights: Simple list-making exercises can serve dual purposes as both warm-up activities that prepare writers for longer work and as stand-alone pieces that offer profound windows into the writer's inner world and values.

Episode Call-to-Action

Ready to try this transformative writing exercise yourself? Set a timer for 20 minutes and create your own "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" list. Remember to dig beneath obvious gratitudes and look for small, overlooked pleasures in your daily life. Don't censor yourself—let the list flow naturally, and notice what surprising truths emerge about what brings you joy and comfort.

Share a few items from your list in the comments section of The Writer's Journey to connect with other writers exploring this prompt. Your specific details might inspire someone else or help them feel less alone in their own experience.

If this episode resonates with you and you want to deepen your writing practice under Laura's guidance, explore her regular writing classes, private coaching sessions, and transformative international retreats at https://lauradavis.net/.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ (receive regular posts, curated poems, nature photos, and essays on life and the craft of writing)

Main Website: https://lauradavis.net/ (information on writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats)

Engagement: Click the heart, leave comments, and share posts to help new readers discover The Writer's Journey

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Pause for Peace: Dawna Markova's "I Will Not Die an Unlived Life" – A Declaration of Living Fully

Episode Description

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares author and psychotherapist Dawna Markova's transformative poem "I Will Not Die an Unlived Life," a powerful declaration about choosing to inhabit our days fully and risk our significance. Laura pairs this inspiring poem with peaceful imagery to offer listeners a moment of courage and reflection on what it means to truly live.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Dawna Markova's complete poem "I Will Not Die an Unlived Life"

The choice to not live in fear of falling or catching fire

What it means to truly inhabit our days and allow living to open us

Becoming less afraid and more accessible through intentional living

Loosening the heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise

The courage to risk our significance in the world

The transformative power of choosing to live fully rather than merely existing

A peaceful visual meditation paired with meaningful poetry for nervous system regulation

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Dawna Markova followed her precious grandmother's footsteps to become a midwife, but rather than babies, she helps birth possibilities within and between people. She has lived many incarnations in the past seven decades as an author, teacher, psychotherapist, researcher, executive advisor, and organizational fairy godmother. One of the creators of the best-selling Random Acts of Kindness series, Dawna is the author of many other inspirational books, including: I Will Not Die an Unlived Life: Reclaiming Purpose and Passion; Reconcilable Differences: Connecting In a Disconnected World; Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking With People Who Think Differently; A Spot of Grace: Remarkable Stories Of How You DO Make a Difference.

Learn more about Dawna Markova at her website: https://dawnamarkova.com/

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION: In this episode, Laura Davis explores the transformative passage into aging as a border crossing—a threshold where long-held identities begin to unravel and the body demands attention in new ways. Inspired by a writing prompt from Pádraig Ó Tuama, Laura shares her own experience of watching familiar roles and definitions fall away like an old sweater that no longer fits. She examines how fear, uncertainty, curiosity, and discomfort accompany this natural process of molting into a different future, and why staying present without a clear map forward requires both courage and patience.

WHAT LAURA COVERS IN THIS EPISODE:

·       Recognizing when habitual identities no longer fit who you're becoming

·       The physical and emotional experience of identity unraveling in later life

·       Navigating the borderlands between who you were and who you're becoming

·       Meeting fear and uncertainty as natural companions in life transitions

·       Learning to sit with the raw, open feeling of being without defining labels

·       Trusting the natural molting process that makes space for new ways of being

ABOUT HOST LAURA DAVIS:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed memoir writing teacher and author with over 35 years of experience guiding writers to craft compelling personal narratives. She is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars, winner of the 2021 BookLife Prize. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking classic The Courage to Heal. Through her weekly Zoom classes, domestic and international retreats, and The Writer's Journey newsletter on Substack, Laura helps writers develop the skills and confidence to tell their most meaningful stories. Her teaching emphasizes authentic voice, embodied writing, and the courage to explore difficult territory with honesty and craft.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:

1.     Aging involves crossing borders where familiar identities dissolve—what felt comfortable and defining can suddenly feel constricting and ill-fitting.

2.     The body often speaks up first, signaling when old ways of being no longer serve the person you're becoming.

3.     Uncertainty about the future isn't something to fix but rather a natural state to inhabit during profound life transitions.

4.     The discomfort of shedding identities creates raw, open space where new possibilities can eventually emerge.

5.     Staying present with the molting process, rather than rushing to define what comes next, honors the natural rhythm of transformation.

RESOURCES LAURA DAVIS MENTIONED:

·       Pádraig Ó Tuama's writing prompt on borders from "The Borders We Cross" (Poetry Unbound) https://poetryunbound.substack.com/p/the-borders-we-cross

·       The Writer's Journey newsletter on Substack https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

·       Laura's weekly writing Zoom classes: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/

·       The Art of Memoir retreat, November 3-7, 2025, Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

·       Laura's memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

New episodes of The Writer's Journey podcast release weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform to receive memoir writing wisdom, reflections on the creative life, reflections on aging and life, and inspiration for telling your most important stories.

Pause for Peace: Aftermath - A Poem of Hope and Collective Healing

Episode Description

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, Laura Davis shares "Aftermath" by Charleston poet Paula Gordon Lepp. This powerful poem invites listeners to imagine what comes after the crumbling of empires.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

How shifting focus beyond daily crises can help us envision possibilities for renewal and restoration in difficult times

The choice to respond to societal collapse through compassion and mutual aid rather than isolation or self-preservation

Why shared adversity reveals our common humanity and creates opportunities for genuine connection across all divides

The transformative potential of collaborative reconstruction

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Paula Gordon Lepp is a Charleston, West Virginia poet who is "just trying to do my part to make the world a tiny bit better."

Connect with Paula Gordon Lepp: https://www.facebook.com/paulaglepp/

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: In this deeply personal episode, acclaimed memoirist and writing teacher Laura Davis shares a vulnerable winter solstice meditation written just days before her cancer surgery. Drawing from a writing prompt by her teacher Carolyn Brigit Flynn, Laura explores what it means to surrender all identities, face medical uncertainty, and discover the unexpected gift of three weeks with an empty calendar. With her characteristic honesty and lyrical prose, Laura transforms a cancer diagnosis into a profound teaching about rest, restoration, and the courage to simply be.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The experience of preparing for cancer surgery and surrendering all identities

Confronting medical procedures and the vulnerability of becoming just a body

Her second cancer surgery in eighteen years and what that means

The unexpected gift of three weeks with no plans during the winter holidays

The challenge of learning to rest when your mind craves productivity

Creating a winter solstice prayer for healing and restoration

Embracing emptiness as sanctuary rather than void

The spiritual practice of meeting each agenda-less day with curiosity

Allowing recovery, integration, and spaciousness during the darkest time of year

Episode Highlights:

The Stripping Away: Laura describes the powerful ritual of surrendering everything—clothes, possessions, and all her identities as teacher, author, mother, grandmother, wife—to become simply a body preparing for surgery

Facing Cancer Again: Eighteen years after her first breast cancer surgery, Laura returns to Stanford Hospital for a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy, confronting both medical reality and deeper questions about identity

The Gift You're Not Sure You Can Cherish: While others celebrate holidays with parties and gatherings, Laura faces three weeks of completely empty calendar—a gift she's learning to embrace

The Solstice Invitation: Laura frames her recovery time as a spiritual practice aligned with winter solstice, using darkness and stillness as teachers

Resisting the Siren Pull: With characteristic self-awareness, Laura acknowledges her mind's habits of "generating and creating and doing" and her commitment to resisting those familiar patterns

The Glory of Discovery: Laura reframes the discomfort of not knowing what to do as an opportunity for discovery, sanctuary, and the essential balm of healing

A Prayer for Being: The episode culminates in Laura's beautiful invocation to rest, restore, sleep, nourish, taste emptiness, and embrace each unfolding moment

Writing as Healing Practice: Laura demonstrates how responding to writing prompts can transform personal crisis into profound meditation and meaning-making

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed memoir writing teacher and author with over 35 years of experience helping writers find their authentic voice and transform personal experiences into compelling narratives.

She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.

Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast, leads weekly Zoom memoir writing classes, and offers international writing retreats. Her teaching philosophy centers on creating safe spaces for vulnerable sharing and using storytelling as a path to healing and self-discovery. Laura's work has touched thousands of writers worldwide, helping them craft honest, powerful stories from their lived experiences.

Resources Laura Mentions

Carolyn Brigit Flynn - Laura's writing teacher who provided the winter solstice writing prompt. https://www.carolynbrigitflynn.com/

Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women - June 1-7, 2026, Santa Cruz, California - An oceanfront retreat using story, deep listening, and ritual to welcome change, build resilience, and hold grief and gratitude simultaneously. https://lauradavis.net/ https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

And if you're ready to begin your memoir writing journey, explore Laura's weekly Zoom classes and other offerings at lauradavis.net.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Website: https://lauradavis.net/

Substack Newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Podcast: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis

Midweek Pause for Peace: Laura's poetry and peaceful imagery series

Writing Classes: Weekly Zoom memoir writing classes

Retreats: International writing retreats including The Art of Memoir https://lauradavis.net/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Pause for Peace: Elizabeth Carlson's "Imperfection" – A Love Song to Our Messy, Beautiful Selves

Episode Description

In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares poet Elizabeth Carlson's joyful poem "Imperfection," a celebration of all the ways we fall delightfully short of perfect—and why that's exactly as it should be. Laura pairs this lighthearted poem with peaceful imagery to offer listeners permission to embrace their beautifully imperfect selves.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Elizabeth Carlson's complete poem celebrating the art of being imperfect

Learning to love our quirks, from forgetfulness to chipped nail polish

Choosing to waste time listening to the rain or lying underneath a purring cat

The shift from crossing things off lists to seeking an empty mind and formless shapes

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Elizabeth Carlson's poem "Imperfection" appears in Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach.

Writing Prompt

Write a love song to your imperfections.

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

The Crawl Space Under the Stairs: A Multi-Generational Search for Answers

Episode Description

In this engaging episode, Laura Davis shares a story that begins with a simple need—tracking down old medical records—and transforms into a multi-generational detective story. Laura takes listeners on an adventure into the cramped crawl space beneath her home office stairs, where decades of correspondence, books, and professional materials are stored.

What starts as a practical search becomes a reflection on the universal human impulse to investigate, discover, and make sense of our own histories—an impulse Laura now shares with her grandchildren, who are endlessly curious about how things work and where things come from.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Laura shares the story of needing to track down old medical records from her breast cancer treatment years ago—doctors at Stanford are asking questions she can't remember the answers to. Her former oncologist's practice has closed and Laura finds herself out of luck. Unless she can find the records from that time buried somewhere in her house.

Enter the crawl space: a dark, dusty repository beneath the stairs in Laura's home office where she's stored decades of professional materials, PR from her first book "The Courage to Heal," old photographs, and boxes of correspondence—including letters exchanged with her mother during their years of estrangement.

Through vivid, sensory storytelling, Laura recounts the physical comedy and determination of crawling into this space, searching through boxes she hasn't opened in years, all in pursuit of information she needs now.

Episode Highlights

The multi-generational search for answers: connecting Laura's detective work with her grandchildren's endless curiosity

The physical comedy of entering the crawl space: shimming on your back in the dark

The practical challenge of tracking down medical records when practices close

Vivid sensory storytelling: making cramped, dusty spaces come alive on the page

The universal human impulse to investigate and piece together our stories

Finding humor and adventure in everyday challenges

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through the challenges and revelations of crafting memoir. She is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also the co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

As a master teacher, Laura specializes in helping writers transform their most difficult life experiences into compelling narrative. She leads "The Art of Memoir" writing retreats in Santa Cruz, California, and hosts two podcast series: her main show focused on memoir writing craft and "Midweek Pause for Peace," a series designed to support emotional wellness through poetry and peaceful imagery. Laura publishes The Writer's Journey newsletter on Substack, where she shares writing wisdom, prompts, and encouragement with her community of writers.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

The detective in all of us: From grandchildren asking "why?" to adults searching through crawl spaces, we're all driven by curiosity about our own stories and histories.

Sensory detail brings any story alive: Whether you're writing about a dusty crawl space or any other setting, vivid sensory details transport readers directly into the experience.

Everyday adventures make great memoir: You don't need dramatic events—the challenge of retrieving old documents can become a compelling narrative with the right approach.

Find the humor: Even in frustrating situations (lost medical records, cramped spaces), there's often physical comedy and lightness to be found.

Connect with Laura Davis:

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

In this moving Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "V'ahavta," a stunning poem by author and activist Aurora Levins Morales that reimagines an ancient Jewish prayer for our current moment. Aurora's work reminds us that resistance isn't only about opposing what we hate—it's also about knowing and proclaiming what we love.

The "V'ahavta" is a Jewish prayer that means "and you shall love," commanding believers to love God with all their heart, soul, and might. Aurora's version, penned in 2016, perfectly captures the moment we're living in—a call to inscribe love on our doorposts and our bodies, to teach it to our children and neighbors, and to recite it even in the cruel shadow of empire.

Through the words of the prophet Roque Dalton, Aurora offers us this truth: while those in power have more death than we do, together we have more life than they do. Another world is possible.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

The meaning and significance of the V'ahavta prayer in Jewish tradition and how Aurora Levins Morales transforms it for contemporary resistance

Aurora Levins Morales' powerful voice as a writer and activist who has produced compelling work despite decades of struggles with disability and chronic illness

The relationship between love and resistance and why knowing what we're for is as important as knowing what we're against

Practical ways to carry words of hope and love with us through difficult times

The power of poetry and ritual to sustain us in our daily lives and social justice work

Building another possible world through everyday acts of love and solidarity

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Resistance requires knowing what we love – It's not enough to be against injustice; we must also be clear about what we're fighting for and carry those truths with us always.

Ancient wisdom speaks to modern struggles – Traditional prayers and texts can be reimagined to address contemporary challenges while maintaining their spiritual power.

Words are tools for survival and transformation – By inscribing words of love and hope on our doorposts, garments, and hearts, we create daily reminders of our values and commitments.

Collective power exceeds individual suffering – Though we face powerful forces of destruction, together we hold more life, more possibility, and more creative energy than those who deal in death.

Creative work persists through adversity – Aurora's continued productivity despite decades of disability and chronic illness demonstrates the resilience of the creative spirit and the importance of making space for marginalized voices.

Poet Featured: Aurora Levins Morales

Author and activist Aurora Levins Morales is a Puerto Rican Jewish writer who has produced compelling, socially engaged work for decades. Despite ongoing struggles with disability and chronic illness, Aurora continues to create poetry and prose that speaks to justice, resistance, and the possibility of transformation.

Aurora is community-supported writer, historian, artist and activist. It takes a village to keep her work coming. To become part of the village it takes, you can make a donation on her website. You can find this poem and support her powerful work here.

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through their creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021.

Throughout her distinguished career, Laura has become known for her compassionate approach to teaching memoir and personal essay writing, helping countless writers find their authentic voices.

Laura leads writing classes, workshops, and international retreats, creating transformative spaces where writers can develop their craft while exploring profound personal truths. Her work emphasizes the healing power of storytelling and the importance of creating community among writers.

Join Laura's Community

Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering writers and creatives essential respite and inspiration for thoughtful engagement with our world. These weekly pauses nourish your creative practice and support sustainable activism rooted in peace rather than panic.

Perfect For:

Writers seeking guidance on how to engage with troubled times without burnout, anyone struggling with how to be a thoughtful citizen amid division and conflict, people looking for alternatives to reactive activism and online outrage, those who want to practice peace while staying engaged, memoirists and poets drawn to powerful, purposeful writing, and listeners drawn to Laura Davis' thoughtful approach to living and creating with intention during challenging times.

Connect with Laura Davis:

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at:

https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title

Waiting with Grace: Living Fully Through Cancer, Uncertainty & Life's Unknowns

Episode Description

In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, Laura Davis shares a raw and beautifully crafted essay about waiting—for medical results, surgery dates, genetic testing outcomes, and answers that may never come. With her signature honesty and literary precision, Laura explores how she navigates a second breast cancer diagnosis alongside diverticulitis while refusing to put her life on hold. This episode offers a masterclass in holding uncertainty with grace while living each moment fully.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

The profound practice of waiting through multiple medical uncertainties

Navigating a second breast cancer diagnosis eighteen years after the first

Learning what genetic testing reveals about family inheritance and risk

Distinguishing between what we wait for and what we refuse to postpone

Finding grace and joy in the face of profound unknowns

The writing craft behind transforming personal crisis into meaningful memoir

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers to tell their most meaningful stories. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the 2021 BookLife Prize and explores her complex relationship with her mother through unflinching honesty and literary grace. Laura is the author of seven books, including the groundbreaking co-authored work "The Courage to Heal," which has helped millions of survivors worldwide.

As host of The Writer's Journey podcast, Laura combines memoir writing instruction with deeply personal essays that demonstrate the craft she teaches. She leads weekly Zoom classes and international retreats, including "Flourishing as We Age" at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California. https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Through her Substack newsletter, Laura shares poetry, nature photography, and insights on both writing craft and living with intention. Her work has been featured in major publications and recognized with numerous awards for its contribution to the memoir genre.

Resources Laura Mentions

Writing Programs & Retreats:

Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women (June 1-7, 2026, Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California) https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/

Laura Davis's weekly writing classes: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/

The Writer's Journey Substack newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Website:

Laura Davis's official site: https://lauradavis.net/

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Use Specificity to Convey Universal Experience: Laura's detailed catalog of foods she can't eat transforms a medical restriction into an evocative meditation on longing and limitation that any reader can feel.

Balance Waiting with Living: Distinguish clearly between what requires waiting (medical results, future plans) and what you can claim right now (love, joy, presence, breath)—this distinction offers agency amid uncertainty.

Harness Repetition as Literary Device: The repeated phrase "I am waiting" creates rhythm and emotional accumulation, demonstrating how anaphora can build meaning and power in memoir writing.

Find the Specific Truth Within Broad Statements: Rather than simply stating "life is precious," Laura shows us exactly what preciousness looks like through concrete choices, moments, and refusals.

Write Through Crisis Without Resolution: Great memoir doesn't require tidy endings—Laura's essay demonstrates how writing from the middle of uncertainty can create profound connection with readers facing their own unknowns.

Episode Call-to-Action

Ready to deepen your practice? Subscribe to The Writer's Journey newsletter at https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ for weekly essays, memoir writing guidance, and beautifully curated poetry and nature photography.

Want to write with Laura? Explore her weekly Zoom classes, international retreats, and the upcoming "Flourishing as We Age" retreat (June 1-7, 2026) at https://lauradavis.net/

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey:https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: How to Be a Good Citizen: Practicing Magnetic Peace in Troubled Times

Episode Description:

In this midweek episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares a poem that inspired her: "Nothing More, Nothing Less" by Kim Stafford, Oregon's ninth Poet Laureate and son of legendary poet William Stafford.

Part of Laura's weekly Midweek Pause for Peace series, this episode offers a roadmap for citizenship in divided times.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

The longing to be a good citizen when the country feels troubled and fragmented

Why listening to "what wants to happen" is more powerful than reacting to what already happened

The revolutionary concept of leading from below and waking from obedience into sovereignty

Choosing friends over allies, heart over belief, humor over stridency, thought before reaction

How to practice magnetic peace that naturally gathers others in rather than pushing them away

The profound reminder that all this wisdom and power "was there all along"

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through their creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021.

Throughout her distinguished career, Laura has become known for her compassionate approach to teaching memoir and personal essay writing, helping countless writers find their authentic voices. Laura leads writing classes, workshops, and international retreats, creating transformative spaces where writers can develop their craft while exploring profound personal truths. Her work emphasizes the healing power of storytelling and the importance of creating community among writers.

Poet Featured:

Kim Stafford - Oregon's 9th Poet Laureate (2018-2020), son of beloved poet William Stafford, founder of the Northwest Writing Institute at Lewis & Clark College, and author of a dozen books of poetry and prose including "As the Sky Begins to Change" (2024) and "Singer Come from Afar" (2021).

Explore Kim Stafford's work at: www.kimstaffordpoet.com

Perfect For:

Writers seeking guidance on how to engage with troubled times without burnout, anyone struggling with how to be a thoughtful citizen amid division and conflict, people looking for alternatives to reactive activism and online outrage, those who want to practice peace while staying engaged, memoirists and poets drawn to powerful, purposeful writing, and listeners drawn to Laura Davis' thoughtful approach to living and creating with intention during challenging times.

Join Laura's Community

Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering writers and creatives essential respite and inspiration for thoughtful engagement with our world. These weekly pauses nourish your creative practice and support sustainable activism rooted in peace rather than panic.

Connect with Laura Davis

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at:

https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: In this deeply moving episode, Laura Davis shares a letter she wrote to cancer—not a letter of anger or defeat, but one of unexpected appreciation. Nineteen years after her initial diagnosis, Laura reflects on how cancer transformed her life and her understanding of what truly matters. Laura was 50 years old when her doctor first felt a lump during a routine exam, setting in motion a year that would test every fiber of her being. With two young children still at home—Eli, fourteen, and Lizzy, ten—and a thriving career as a writing teacher and self-employed entrepreneur, Laura's life was full of creation, purpose, and relentless doing.

Then came the biopsy, the diagnosis, and the devastating realization that everything would change. Through biopsies, lymph node dissection, surgeries, radiation, and six months of nurses injecting chemotherapy into her veins while wearing lead-lined smocks, Laura navigated the cancer underworld with one singular prayer that kept her going. This episode explores the raw experience of facing mortality, the physical toll of treatment, and the profound shift in perspective that comes when life forces you to stop.

Laura's story is not just about surviving cancer—it's about discovering what happens when you're given the gift of time you weren't sure you'd have. From the fear of not seeing her children graduate from high school to the joy of watching them grow into adults and parents themselves, Laura's journey spans nineteen years of reflection. This episode reveals how gratitude can emerge from the most unexpected places, and how looking back with appreciation can transform even the most devastating experiences.

Episode Highlights:

Key moments from Laura's cancer journey:

Laura opens with a powerful statement that sets the tone for the entire episode, expressing gratitude to cancer for nineteen years of life since diagnosis. At age 50, during what she describes as a period when her life was "rife with creation, parenting, and doing," Laura’s doctor first felt a lump during a routine breast exam. Within days of that discovery, she walked into the Stanford Cancer Center for the first time, experiencing the surreal shock of entering what felt like a vast, unknown world dedicated to treating one disease.

The episode captures the visceral memory of that first biopsy—the gentle-voiced doctor, the rushing in Laura's head and body, and the moment everything changed. Laura was bald within months, having lost 45 pounds, and found herself in a year-long battle that included surgeries, radiation, and half a year of chemotherapy treatments.

Throughout the treatment, Laura maintained one simple prayer that became her lifeline: "Please just let me live till they graduate from high school." This mantra sustained her through the darkest moments when she questioned whether she would survive to see Eli and Lizzy reach this milestone.

The episode takes listeners through the physical and emotional terrain of Laura's cancer year—from the fear and uncertainty to the forced pause in her normally relentless pace. Laura shares how she couldn't eat during treatment, how the weight fell off her body, and how nurses wore lead-lined smocks as they administered chemotherapy.

Laura fast-forwards nineteen years to reveal the outcome of her prayer. Not only did she survive to see both children graduate from high school, but she also witnessed them graduate from college, watched them find partners, and experienced the profound joy of becoming a grandmother. She then reflects on gratitude—how looking back with appreciation has transformed her understanding of that devastating year and given her an unexpected gift of perspective. And looks ahead to the new challenges she is facing.

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers find and shape their authentic voices. Her award-winning memoir, "The Burning Light of Two Stars," won the prestigious BookLit Prize in 2021, cementing her reputation as a master storyteller who brings both technical skill and deep emotional honesty to her work.

As a professional writing teacher, Laura has led retreats, taught workshops, and mentored countless writers through the vulnerable process of telling their stories. Her expertise spans memoir, creative nonfiction, and personal essay writing, with a particular gift for helping writers navigate difficult subject matter with grace and power. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the therapeutic power of writing and the importance of documenting our journeys for future generations.

Through her books, teaching, and workshops, Laura has touched thousands of lives, helping people understand that their stories matter and that even the most painful experiences can be transformed through the act of writing. Her work demonstrates that memoir is not just about recording events—it's about finding meaning, healing wounds, and connecting with others through shared human experience.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Laura Davis invites listeners to continue the conversation and deepen their connection through multiple channels:

Subscribe to Laura's Newsletter: Join Laura's email community to receive exclusive writing tips, announcements about upcoming workshops and retreats, and first access to new resources for memoir writers. Subscribers also get periodic inspiration for their writing practice and updates on Laura's ongoing projects. www.lauradavis.net

Subscribe to Laura on Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/about

Attend Laura's Workshops and Retreats: Laura offers writing retreats, workshops, and one-on-one coaching for writers at all levels. These immersive experiences provide focused time and expert guidance to help you develop your memoir or personal essay. Check Laura's website for current offerings and registration information. www.lauradavis.net

Explore Laura's Books: Visit your local bookstore or online retailers to purchase "The Burning Light of Two Stars" and Laura's other works. Reading Laura's memoir provides a masterclass in how to craft powerful, authentic narratives about difficult life experiences.

Thank you for listening to this episode! If you found Laura's story meaningful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave a rating and review—your feedback helps other listeners discover these important conversations.

Share this episode with someone who might benefit from hearing Laura's perspective on surviving cancer, finding gratitude in difficulty, or capturing life's stories through writing.

Until next time, remember that your story matters, and that even the most challenging chapters of our lives can become sources of wisdom, healing, and connection for ourselves and others.

Episode Description: Each week, in her midweek Pause for Peace, acclaimed writing teacher Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our dangerous, uncertain world.

In this episode, Laura shares a deeply moving poem by her own writing teacher, Carolyn Brigit Flynn. Laura explores how this piece perfectly illustrates the power of objects in writing while addressing themes of love, loss, and survival in our chaotic world. This episode offers writers and listeners alike a moment of reflection through the pairing of meaningful poetry with thoughtful commentary.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The essential role of coming together as ethical people in a world of chaos and cruelty

How objects function as powerful literary devices in poetry and memoir

The tension between loving our material world and recognizing its impermanence

What we choose to carry forward and preserve for future generations

About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through the complexities of memoir and personal narrative. Her award-winning memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura has built a reputation for creating heart-centered, accessible content that serves both the craft of writing and the emotional wellbeing of her students and readers.

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace series, Laura pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering writers and seekers consistent moments of reflection, beauty, and nervous system regulation. Her teaching emphasizes practical craft techniques—like the use of objects in writing—while honoring the deeper purpose of storytelling in troubled times. Laura's work bridges the gap between technical skill and emotional resonance, making her an invaluable guide for memoirists and personal essayists navigating their creative journeys.

About Carolyn Brigit Flynn: Poet, essayist, and teacher based in Santa Cruz, California. She teaches Writing to Feed Your Soul Workshops. Her forthcoming memoir, The Light of Ordinary Days, will be out this spring with Girl Friday Books. You can learn about Carolyn's work and subscribe to her Substack here: https://carolynbrigitflynn.substack.com/

About Laura Davis: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace to receive weekly moments of beauty, reflection, and nervous system care. Each Wednesday, Laura pairs stunning imagery with carefully selected poetry—creating a consistent practice of pause in your busy week.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more. https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Explore Laura's classes, books, workshops, and international retreats: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: In this candid and insightful episode, acclaimed memoirist Laura Davis shares a deeply personal meditation on aging while demonstrating one of the most powerful tools in a writer's toolkit: using objects to reveal character. Laura explores how the items on her bedside table—from CPAP machines to vaginal suppositories—tell the story of a changing body and a life fully lived.

She then shows writers how to harness the power of objects to create vivid, revealing memoir scenes that resonate with readers. This episode offers both vulnerable personal storytelling and practical craft instruction for memoirists at any stage.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How the objects on her bedside table have changed dramatically from her twenties to her late sixties

The honest reality of aging bodies and the daily care they require

Why writing about "embarrassing" objects can be liberating and create connection with readers

How objects function as character reveals in film, television, and literature

Practical techniques for integrating objects into memoir to demonstrate relationship dynamics and character development

A specific example from her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars using a deck of cards to chart her mother's dementia

A powerful writing prompt students can use immediately: cataloging their own bedside table items

Episode Highlights:

From Sex Toys to CPAP Machines: Laura opens with a striking contrast between her bedside table at 22 and at 69, demonstrating how honest object-based writing immediately engages readers and establishes voice.

The Vocabulary of Aging: Laura shares her visceral reaction to the medical term "atrophied vagina" and her journey through various treatments, modeling how writers can tackle difficult subjects with both humor and honesty.

The Insurance Company Plot Twist: When Medicare refused to cover her $500 E-string, Laura's health narrative intersected with economics—showing how objects reveal larger systemic issues in our lives.

Liberation Through Truth-Telling: Laura describes how her writing students responded to the bedside table prompt, discovering that sharing "embarrassing" items created unexpected community and connection.

Objects as Film Language: Laura teaches writers to watch for how directors use objects to reveal character, offering a masterclass in visual storytelling that translates directly to the page.

The Deck of Cards: Laura shares how she used one object—a deck of playing cards—throughout her memoir to show both connection and loss across 50+ years with her mother.

The Assignment for Listeners: Laura issues a direct writing challenge to catalog bedside table objects, explaining why this specific prompt generates such rich, revealing material.

Objects Change, Characters Change: Laura demonstrates how tracking a character's relationship to an object over time creates a powerful through-line in longer memoir narratives.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding memoirists and personal narrative writers. Her memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the 2021 BookLife Prize and has been celebrated for its unflinching honesty and masterful craft. Laura is known for her ability to create safe, generative spaces where writers can explore difficult material with courage and skill.

She teaches regular writing classes, leads international writing retreats, and publishes The Writer's Journey, a reader-supported publication offering craft essays, writing prompts, and inspiration for memoirists. Her teaching emphasizes the power of specific details, honest storytelling, and the courage to write what's true.

Resources Laura Mentions:

Book: The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis (BookLife Prize Winner 2021)

Publication: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack (https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/)

Website: Laura Davis's official site for classes, workshops, and retreats (https://lauradavis.net/)

Writing Prompt: The Bedside Table Exercise—cataloging objects that reveal your current life stage and priorities

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

Use objects as character shorthand: The items people surround themselves with—especially intimate spaces like bedside tables—instantly reveal priorities, struggles, age, health, relationships, and values without requiring exposition.

Embrace "embarrassing" details: Writing honestly about medications, bodily changes, and health challenges creates unexpected connection with readers who recognize their own experiences and feel less alone.

Track objects across time: Following one meaningful object throughout a longer narrative (like Laura's deck of cards) provides structure and demonstrates character change more powerfully than direct statement.

Study objects in visual media: Train your writer's eye by noticing how films and television shows use objects to reveal character, then apply those same techniques to your memoir scenes.

Specific trumps general: Laura's exact brands (Airsense 11 CPAP, Calms Forte, Ativan with gold tape) create vivid reality. In memoir, precise details always outperform vague descriptions.

Episode Call-to-Action:

Your Writing Assignment: Grab a notebook and catalog what's actually on your bedside table. Don't curate or judge—just list everything honestly. Write one paragraph about each, explaining how it got there and what it reveals about your life right now. Notice what surprises you. This is memoir gold.

Want more writing prompts, craft essays, and community? Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis at https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ for regular inspiration delivered to your inbox.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ (free and paid options available)

Explore Laura's Classes & Retreats: https://lauradavis.net/

Engage with the Community: Leave a comment on this episode's post, click the heart to support the work, and share with fellow writers

International Writing Retreats: Check Laura's website for upcoming retreat opportunities where you can study craft in inspiring locations

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: In this Midweek Pause for Peace, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares "Perhaps, this world is broken," a deeply moving poem by Sunday Times bestselling Scottish poet Donna Ashworth.

Laura explores how human connection becomes our most essential resource during challenging times, offering listeners a brief but profound respite that nourishes both heart and nervous system.

This weekly practice pairs meaningful poetry with thoughtful reflection, creating moments of healing and hope when we need them most.

Episode Highlights: Laura introduces featured poet Donna Ashworth. Her poem "Perhaps, this world is broken" beautifully balances acknowledgment of global difficulties with celebration of human resilience

Central message: "being there for each other makes all the difference in dark times"

Vivid imagery of care: flowers in hair bringing light, staying awake all night to hold someone's hand, running miles in silly suits

Powerful metaphor reveals that while "this world is shattered everywhere," human beings serve as the glue, "picking up pieces of each other to get through"

Episode dedicated "to all the people helping"—honoring caregivers, helpers, and those who show up

Laura's signature pairing of poetry with beautiful imagery creates dual nourishment for heart and nervous system

Brief, accessible format fits busy lives while delivering meaningful impact and moments of peace

Resources Laura Mentions: Donna Ashworth's poetry collections including "To the Women," "Wild Hope," and "Growing Brave." You can find her on her website: donnaashworth.com

About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers find their voices and craft compelling stories. Her memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story, won the BookLife Prize for best memoir/autobiography of 2021. Laura's groundbreaking books, including The Courage to Heal, have been translated into 11 languages and sold more than 1.8 million copies worldwide.

Laura teaches weekly writing workshops online and leads transformative writing retreats in the US and internationally, creating safe, intimate communities where writers experience breakthroughs both on the page and in their lives.

Her Midweek Pause for Peace series provides writers and readers with weekly poetry, nature photography, and thoughtful reflection—creating sacred spaces for rest, healing, and creative renewal.

Follow Laura: Subscribe for daily inspiration, writing wisdom, poetry, and community connection

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: News Anxiety Relief: Stop Doomscrolling and Listen to the Birds

Episode Description: In this essential midweek episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed memoirist and writing teacher Laura Davis addresses one of the most pressing challenges writers face today: news anxiety and information overload. Media fatigue and information overload have become widespread problems, causing psychological exhaustion, decision paralysis, and creative burnout.

Part of Laura's weekly Midweek Pause for Peace series, Laura shares Alastair Muirhead's profound poem "Listen to the Birds, Not the News," which offers permission to step back from the constant flood of distressing headlines that depletes creative energy.

As one therapist wisely notes, "We are wired for a village's worth of problems, not a planet's worth of problems."

What Laura Covers in This Episode

The biological truth: humans evolved to handle local concerns, not global disasters 24/7

How constant news consumption damages the creative writing process and mental well-being

The healing power of returning to immediate, tangible observations in nature

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through their creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021.

Throughout her distinguished career, Laura has become known for her compassionate approach to teaching memoir and personal essay writing, helping countless writers find their authentic voices. Laura leads writing classes, workshops, and international retreats, creating transformative spaces where writers can develop their craft while exploring profound personal truths. Her work emphasizes the healing power of storytelling and the importance of creating community among writers.

Poet Featured:

Alastair Muirhead - Collector of stories, seeker of meaning, poet, and Trustee of libraries, museums, and art galleries

Follow Alastair Muirhead's work on Substack: https://tairmuir.substack.com/

Perfect For:

Writers struggling with news anxiety and creative blocks, anyone experiencing information overload and doomscrolling addiction, memoirists protecting their creative energy from media fatigue, people dealing with compassion fatigue and emotional exhaustion, mindfulness seekers looking for practical stress relief, and listeners drawn to Laura Davis' thoughtful approach to writer wellbeing and nervous system regulation during overwhelming times.

Join Laura's Community

Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm amid information overload. Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering writers and creatives essential respite from news anxiety, media fatigue, and the constant pressure to consume distressing headlines. Protect your creative practice and mental health with these weekly pauses.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey: laurasaridavis.substack.com

Explore Laura's classes, books, workshops, and retreats: lauradavis.net

Engage with the community by liking, commenting, and sharing posts

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: In this deeply personal and reflective episode, acclaimed memoirist and writing teacher Laura Davis shares her meditation on aging, physical limitations, and the courage required to face an uncertain future. While recovering from diverticulitis, Laura examines what it means when a lifetime of manifesting, creating, and teaching collides with a body that insists on rest. Through a pivotal conversation with her friend Colleen about retirement and the profound realization that "I couldn't commit to feeling good in the future," Laura explores the shift from doing to being, from planning to presence, and from certainty to embracing the unknown.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The physical and emotional challenges of recovering from diverticulitis while preparing to teach an upcoming memoir retreat

A transformative conversation with her friend Colleen about retirement, aging, and listening to your body's wisdom

The profound shift from a lifetime of saying "yes" and showing up no matter what, to acknowledging physical limitations

How four decades of teaching, creating, and manifesting has given way to a new relationship with uncertainty

The parallel between personal health challenges and collective uncertainty in our current political moment

Finding meaning and connection in the present moment when the future becomes unplannable

Sending "love songs" to both a broken body and a broken world as an act of resilience and compassion

Episode Highlights

The Maestro of Manifestation: Laura reflects on decades of community building, teaching, and creating—describing herself as someone who has brought together "hearts, bodies, souls, words, stories, community" with both effort and ease, making things happen simply by breathing in and out.

Colleen's Retirement Journey: Laura shares how she's witnessed her friend Colleen, a gifted IFS therapist and trainer, navigate four years of retirement—watching fear transform into freedom and doing give way to spaciousness as Colleen let go of her "big-S self."

The Sentence That Changed Everything: During a FaceTime conversation about gut problems and teaching anxieties, Colleen reveals a truth she'd never shared before: "That was a big part of why I retired. I couldn't commit to feeling good in the future."

A Lifetime of Showing Up: Laura chronicles forty years of never hesitating to say yes to commitments, teaching through bronchitis, COVID, exhaustion, anxiety, jetlag, and family crises—always counting on herself to perform and be present.

The Road of Uncertainty: Edging toward seventy, Laura describes envisioning "a scant calendar" and "a different kind of journey"—one that is unplanned, unpromised, unscheduled, and deeply rooted in the unknown.

Present Moment Politics: Laura draws a parallel between her personal health journey and the collective experience since Trump's return to power, noting how daily conversations now focus on being okay "at this moment" and "right now."

Simple Pleasures as Anchors: In the face of an unplannable future—both personally and for her new grandson entering the world—Laura finds grounding in sun, trees, friendship, walks in the woods, and her dog's wagging tail.

Love Songs to Brokenness: Laura concludes with a commitment to send love songs to both her belly "that can no longer digest the things of this world" and to "this broken world"—an act of compassion she can still offer from where she is.

About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through the transformative process of memoir and personal narrative. Her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021. As a master teacher, Laura has helped thousands of writers find their voice and tell their stories with courage and authenticity.

She leads writing workshops, classes, and international retreats, creating sacred spaces where writers can explore their deepest truths. Laura's work focuses on the intersection of craft, healing, and personal transformation, making her a trusted guide for writers navigating both the page and their lives.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Honor Your Body's Wisdom - When your body insists you stop and listen, there is profound wisdom in surrendering to its messages rather than pushing through with willpower alone.

Redefine Success Beyond Doing - A lifetime of manifesting, creating, and teaching can evolve into a new relationship with being present, allowing spaciousness to replace constant doing.

Accept the Unplannable Future - Acknowledging "I can't commit to feeling good in the future" is not defeat—it's an honest reckoning with aging, health, and the uncertainty inherent in being human.

Find Anchors in Simple Pleasures - When the future becomes uncertain, grounding yourself in present-moment joys—sun, trees, friendship, connection—becomes an essential practice of resilience.

Send Love to Brokenness - Whether it's a body that can no longer digest the world or a world that feels broken, choosing compassion and sending "love songs" is a powerful act you can always offer.

Episode Call-to-Action

If Laura's meditation on aging, uncertainty, and presence resonates with you, take time this week to notice where your body might be asking you to listen. Are there commitments you're making that you can't truly promise to fulfill? What would it mean to embrace this moment exactly as it is? Share your reflections in the comments, and consider how you might send your own "love songs" to whatever feels broken—in your body, your life, or the world around you.

Connect with Laura Davis

Website: https://lauradavis.net/ - Explore Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats

Newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ - Subscribe to The Writer's Journey for essays, writing guidance, poetry, and nature photography

Community: Join Laura's community of writers and receive regular inspiration, practical writing advice, and beautiful curated content

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: Award-winning author and writing teacher Laura Davis offers a midweek meditation for writers and creatives seeking peace during uncertain times. In this brief but powerful episode, Laura shares the empowering song "We Were Made for These Times" by Jewish musicians Arielle Rivera Korman and R'Noam Lerman.

Drawing on ancestral wisdom, community strength, and the resilience of those who came before us, this episode provides a moment of grounding for writers navigating life's challenges. Part of Laura's weekly Midweek Pause for Peace series, each episode pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry and music to nourish both heart and nervous system.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The weekly Midweek Pause for Peace series: combining images, poetry, and music for nervous system regulation:

Connecting with ancestral wisdom during challenging times for writers and creatives

Themes of resilience, community strength, and drawing courage from previous generations

How creative expression and sacred music support emotional wellbeing during uncertainty

The power of remembering we carry wisdom and courage passed down through generations

Introduction to Jewish liturgical music and restorative justice practices

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through their creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021. Throughout her distinguished career, Laura has become known for her compassionate approach to teaching memoir and personal essay writing, helping countless writers find their authentic voices. Laura leads writing classes, workshops, and international retreats, creating transformative spaces where writers can develop their craft while exploring profound personal truths. Her work emphasizes the healing power of storytelling and the importance of creating community among writers.

Resources Laura Mentions

Musicians Featured:

Arielle Rivera Korman - Executive Director of Ammud: the Jews of Color Torah Academy

Rabbi Noam Lerman (they/them) - Ordained at Hebrew College, restorative justice circle keeper

Song: "We Were Made for These Times" by Arielle Rivera Korman and R'Noam Lerman

You can listen to their song here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/publish/post/175020854

Connect with the Artists:

Arielle's music: soundcloud.com/user-227382512

Ammud programs: eventbrite.com (search Ammud: the Jews of Color Torah Academy)

R' Noam's music: soundcloud.com/user-614157782

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Create regular pauses for peace - Build moments of contemplation into your writing routine to support your nervous system during challenging creative periods

Draw on ancestral wisdom - Remember that you carry the strength, courage, and resilience of storytellers and writers who came before you

Stay rooted in community - Connect with other writers and lean on communal wisdom when facing uncertainty in your creative journey

Honor the creative process - Recognize how music, poetry, and art can provide grounding and perspective during turbulent periods in life and writing

Remember your purpose - Trust that you have the resources within you to meet the challenges of this moment in history and in your writing journey

Episode Call-to-Action

Take a moment this week to pause and reflect on the ancestral wisdom you carry as a writer. Consider what stories, songs, or teachings from your lineage support you during difficult periods.

Share this episode with a fellow writer who might need a moment of peace and encouragement.

Join Laura's community by subscribing to receive regular inspiration, poems, nature photography, and essays on writing and life.

Perfect For:

Writers seeking peace and inspiration, memoirists managing creative anxiety, anyone drawn to Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and meditation, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content for nervous system regulation.

Join Laura's Community

Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm. Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Fear Isn't a Stop Sign—It's a Doorway: Graseilah Coolidge on How Forest Immersion Could Build World Peace

Episode Description:

In this inspiring episode of The Writer's Journey, host Laura Davis highlights the groundbreaking work of Graseilah Coolidge, a former intelligence analyst turned forest immersion guide who believes that the path to world peace begins in the quiet embrace of nature.

Laura shares how she discovered Graseilah's transformative practice of forest immersion and explores the powerful insights from Graseilah's TEDx talk, "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace."

From her background in nuclear disarmament and international conflict resolution to her profound revelation in California's redwood forests, Graseilah's journey demonstrates how inner peace can ripple outward to create global change.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Laura met Graseilah Coolidge while co-leading writing retreats in Tuscany and developed a friendship through forest hikes

Graseilah's fascinating background as a former intelligence analyst with expertise in nuclear disarmament and conflict resolution

The definition and practice of forest immersion: spending multiple days and nights alone in the forest with minimal provisions, supported by community

Graseilah's transformative experience in California's ancient redwood forests that led her to discover that peace begins within

How Graseilah moved from traditional diplomacy to forest immersion as a tool for personal growth and global peacebuilding

Key insights from Graseilah's TEDx talk "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace"

Graseilah's vision of guiding world leaders through forest immersions to foster reconciliation, trust, and collaboration

How forest immersion awakens presence, awe, compassion, and belonging—essential qualities for changemakers

Graseilah's powerful teaching: "Fear isn't a stop sign—it's a doorway"

Laura's personal decision to participate in her first forest immersion in California's redwood forests

Episode Highlights:

The Tuscany Connection: Laura describes meeting Graseilah Coolidge while co-designing writing retreats at a stunning Tuscan villa complete with peacocks, olive orchards, and gourmet meals, finding in Graseilah a work partner who is capable, dedicated, hard-working, committed, reliable, and fun.

Discovering Forest Immersion: During one of their regular forest hikes with Laura's dog Luna, Graseilah introduces Laura to the concept of forest immersion—spending days and nights alone in the forest with just a sleeping bag and water, supported by community, for profound communion with self and nature.

From Intelligence to Inner Peace: Graseilah's fascinating background as a former intelligence analyst with a master's degree in nuclear disarmament and conflict resolution, and how she discovered the limits of traditional diplomacy in creating lasting peace.

The Redwood Revelation: Graseilah's transformative experience spending days alone in California's ancient redwood forests without food or shelter led her to a profound truth: peace begins within, not in negotiation rooms.

"Fear Isn't a Stop Sign—It's a Doorway": When Laura expresses her fear about trying forest immersion, Graseilah offers this powerful reframe that becomes the episode's central theme, demonstrating how we can transform resistance into opportunity.

Forest Immersion as Peacebuilding: Graseilah's vision of using forest immersions with world leaders as a tool for fostering reconciliation, trust, and collaboration—moving beyond traditional diplomatic approaches to create lasting change.

The Power of Presence and Awe: How Graseilah's forest immersion practice awakens presence, awe, compassion, and belonging—gifts that empower people to reclaim their agency as changemakers and heal themselves and their communities.

A TEDx Talk Worth Watching: Laura enthusiastically recommends Graseilah's TEDx talk "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace," describing it as powerful, profound, and spirit-lifting during times when thinking about the world can feel depressing.

You can watch Graseilah's TedX talk here: https://youtu.be/mvyG_URZEr8?feature=shared

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through transformative creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021, cementing her reputation as both a masterful storyteller and an expert in the craft of personal narrative.

Throughout her distinguished career, Laura has led writing workshops and international retreats, helping countless writers find their authentic voices and tell their most important stories.

Her approach combines deep compassion with practical expertise, creating safe spaces for exploration and emergence. Laura's teaching emphasizes the connection between personal transformation and creative expression, and she is deeply interested in contemplative practices and experiences that take people to their inner edges.

Resources Laura Mentions

People:

Graseilah Coolidge - Forest immersion guide, former intelligence analyst, international conflict resolution expert with master's degree in nuclear disarmament.

TEDx Talks:

"How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace" by Graseilah Coolidge

https://youtu.be/mvyG_URZEr8?feature=shared

Websites:

Information about Graseilah Coolidge and forest immersions. You can learn more about Graseilah and forest immersions here: https://epicgatherings.com/immersion/

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Reframe Fear as Opportunity: Graseilah's teaching that "fear isn't a stop sign—it's a doorway" offers a powerful way to approach transformative experiences and personal growth. What we resist often holds the greatest potential for change.

Peace Begins Within: Traditional diplomacy and policy have limits. Graseilah's work demonstrates that lasting peace in the world must start with cultivating inner peace, presence, and compassion through deep connection with ourselves and nature.

Nature as a Teacher for Leaders: Forest immersion offers world leaders and changemakers a unique opportunity to step away from negotiation rooms and strategy sessions, allowing the natural world to awaken qualities essential for reconciliation and collaboration.

Embrace Radical Unplugging: True transformation requires complete disconnection from distractions. Spending intentional, uninterrupted time in wild places with minimal provisions allows deeper wisdom to surface and profound shifts to occur.

Community-Supported Solitude: Forest immersion isn't about isolation—it's about being held by community while going deep into solitude. This combination of support and space creates safety for exploring our inner edges and emerging transformed.

Episode Call-to-Action

Watch Graseilah Coolidge's TEDx talk "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace" to experience the full power of her vision and message. Laura describes it as powerful, profound, and spirit-lifting—exactly what many of us need during challenging times.

https://youtu.be/mvyG_URZEr8?feature=shared

If Graseilah's work in forest immersion intrigues you, research forest immersion experiences in your area or learn more about her work through the resources mentioned in this episode.

Consider your own relationship with fear and nature: What transformative experience are you avoiding because of fear? What would become possible if you viewed that fear as a doorway rather than a stop sign?

Share this episode with seekers, peacebuilders, and anyone interested in the intersection of personal transformation and global change. Every share helps expand awareness of Graseilah's innovative approach to peacebuilding through forest immersion.

Connect with Laura Davis

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on your favorite podcast platform

Join Laura's Substack community for regular posts, curated poems, nature photography, and essays on writing and life

Visit Laura's website to explore her books, classes, and retreat offerings

Follow Laura's work to stay updated on her forest immersion experience and other adventures.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: Join host Laura Davis for this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, featuring Linda Pastan's profound poem "Why Are Your Poems So Dark?" Laura reflects on living between light and shadow, especially when darkness feels frightening, yet remains essential to our human experience. This calming episode pairs meaningful poetry with peaceful imagery to offer your heart and nervous system a midweek respite.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Why darkness is essential - Understanding the balance between light and shadow in life

Linda Pastan's poetic wisdom - How the poem reframes our relationship with difficult emotions

The moon metaphor - What lunar cycles teach us about witnessing and accepting life's fullness

Finding beauty in contrast - How dark stains on white pages create meaning

Poetry as healing practice - Using verse to find comfort during challenging times

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over three decades of experience. She is the author of the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and specializes in helping writers access their most authentic stories. Through her Midweek Pause for Peace series, Laura pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration.

Featured Poet: Linda Pastan

Linda Pastan (1932-2023) was an American poet known for her concise, autobiographical verse exploring themes of family, aging, and mortality. She served as Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1991 to 1995 and published eleven collections of poetry. Pastan's work earned numerous awards, including a Pushcart Prize, the Dylan Thomas Award, and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Darkness isn't something to banish but an essential part of life's wholeness

Being "dark most of the time" like the moon is natural and necessary

Beauty emerges from contrast - dark alphabets give meaning to white pages

Divine creation includes both light and shadow, ebony and illumination

When we feel sadness, we connect to the moon's witnessing of all human experience

Resources Laura Mentions

Linda Pastan's poetry collections: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Pastan

The Writer's Journey newsletter: https://lauradavis.net/

Laura's writing retreats and workshops: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Call-to-Action

Take a moment this week to notice both light and dark in your life without judgment. Consider what the moon has witnessed in your experience and allow yourself the full spectrum of human emotion.

Subscribe to Midweek Pause for Peace for weekly poetry and peace: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Follow Laura's work for writing prompts and memoir techniques

Join her intimate writing retreats worldwide

Perfect for:

Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

Connect with Laura Davis

Join Laura's Community

Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: In this episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares a compelling submission opportunity from her student Cathy Krizik, an award-winning magazine designer and graphic artist. Laura discusses the REFUGE anthology—a full-color, beautifully designed collection seeking creative responses about courage and resilience in today's world—and reveals submission guidelines for writers, poets, essayists, and visual artists. Laura also introduces her transformative 14-day Write, Travel, Transform retreat in Cuba (April 2026), where writers experience cultural immersion in a society that celebrates storytellers as national treasures.

Episode Highlights & Submission Guidelines for Refuge:

Laura introduces Cathy Krizik, her long-time student and accomplished magazine designer, graphic artist, and writer who is currently workshopping her third book in Laura's evening feedback class

REFUGE: Voices of Courage and Resilience in a World Gone Mad will be a full-color, beautifully designed anthology featuring essays, poetry, interviews, laments, prayers, paintings, drawings, printmaking, sculptures, and collages responding to today's turbulent times

Cathy's goal is for readers to open the anthology and find comfort, community, solace, rejuvenation, hope, and inspiration during these challenging times.

Writers can submit pieces up to 1,500 words or a maximum of three poems; previously published Substack pieces are welcome with proper attribution noted.

Artists should submit PDF images for initial review, with final accepted work requiring high-resolution, 300dpi, CMYK print-ready formats in .jpg, .tif, or PDF.

The submission deadline is November 30, 2025, with all work sent to refugesubmission@gmail.com

Cathy welcomes questions at the same email address.

If you are not sure what to submit:

Here are some prompts that might spark your imagination.

How does it feel to be alive right now?

What is breaking your heart today?

What is mending your heart?

What are you doing to stay sane and grounded?

What do you reach for when the world overwhelms you?

Where do you find solace?

What does resistance look like to you?

What worries you the most?

Who inspires you and why?

Is there a prayer you'd like to offer?

What does the world you want to see look like?

If you like to see some samples of the artwork in Refuge, you can see the Substack post here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/f05b7b6a-451f-4ce0-a0d2-891fda5d6cd0

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through their creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the BookLife Prize in 2021, cementing her reputation as both a masterful storyteller and expert writing instructor.

Laura leads transformative writing workshops, classes, and international retreats, helping writers of all levels find their authentic voices and bring their stories to the page. Through her Substack publication "The Writer's Journey," Laura shares essays on craft, curated poetry, nature photography, and insights on living a creative life. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes community, courage, and the power of personal narrative to create connection and meaning.

You can sign up for the info session for her trip to Cuba here: https://lauradavis.net/cuba/#signup

You can learn about the trip here: https://lauradavis.net/cuba/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: Join host Laura Davis for this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, featuring mystic poet Chelan Harkin's powerful untitled poem about finding inner light during crisis. After a difficult week in America, Laura shares this reminder of the indomitable strength we carry within, regardless of external circumstances. This healing episode pairs meaningful poetry with peaceful imagery to offer your heart and nervous system strength during challenging times.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Inner light during crisis - How difficult times summon our deepest strength

Rising through collapse - Why foundations crumbling calls our light to emerge

Community in division - The importance of holding each other tighter

Transforming devastation - Making pain into fuel for growth

Indomitable spirit - Accessing the strength that cannot be broken

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over three decades of experience. She is the author of the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and specializes in helping writers access their most authentic stories. Through her Midweek Pause for Peace series, Laura pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration during challenging times.

Featured Poet: Chelan Harkin

Chelan Harkin is a mystic poet whose work draws deep influence from mystical poets including Hafiz and Rumi. Growing up in the Columbia River Gorge, she first fell in love with creative writing surrounded by natural beauty. After writing poetry for over a decade, she published her first collection "Susceptible to Light" in 2020, featuring her best poems from her teens and twenties. You can find her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/chani.harkin/

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Crisis and shaking foundations call our inner light to rise up

When everything falls away, we discover previously hidden strength

Division requires us to reach for each other and hold tighter

Our integrity is tested during dark times so it can stand taller

Devastation can become fuel when we choose to burn through it

Resources Laura Mentions

"Susceptible to Light" by Chelan Harkin

Chelan Harkin's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chani.harkin/

The Writer's Journey newsletter: https://lauradavis.net/

Laura's writing retreats and workshops: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Call-to-Action

Notice where your light is being summoned this week. When you feel the earth shaking, remember the indomitable strength within. Reach out to hold someone tighter, and let your devastation become fuel for rising.

Follow Laura's work for writing prompts and memoir techniques

Join her intimate writing retreats worldwide: https://lauradavis.net/

Perfect for:

Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content during difficult times.

Join Laura's Community:

Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: Writing Prompts: 3 Time-Travel Exercises to Discover Your Past, Present & Future Self

Episode Description: In this transformative episode, acclaimed memoir teacher Laura Davis reveals three life-changing writing prompts that unlock profound self-discovery. With over 35 years of teaching experience and as the award-winning author of "The Burning Light of Two Stars," Laura guides listeners through a powerful exercise that explores identity across time. Learn how to write your way through personal transformation using techniques that have changed thousands of writers' lives.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Three specific writing prompts for exploring different versions of yourself across time periods

The transformative power of third-person writing practice for gaining new perspective on your life

How to access deep unconscious material through continuous, unedited writing

Laura's vulnerable personal responses to each prompt, including her struggles with envisioning the future

The breakthrough technique of letting your future self speak to present worries and fears

Step-by-step instructions for implementing these life-changing exercises at home

Why writing without stopping, planning, or editing creates the most powerful insights

Episode Highlights:

The Magic of Flow Writing: How 20 minutes of continuous writing without editing accesses rivers of creativity and self-knowledge hidden in your unconscious mind

Third Person Breakthrough: Why referring to yourself by name creates psychological distance that reveals patterns and insights impossible to see otherwise

From Trauma to Triumph: Laura's raw journey from feeling like "a little leaf fluttering in the wind" to becoming an internationally acclaimed author and teacher

Future Self Wisdom: The powerful moment when Laura hands the pen to her future self, who offers comfort and perspective to present-day anxieties

Present-Day Vulnerability: Laura's honest reflections on health challenges, aging fears, and the transition from intense productivity to rest and being

Practical Implementation: Exact instructions for using these prompts, including timing, technique, and what to expect from the writing process

Creative Problem-Solving: How to work with difficult prompts when you feel stuck or unable to imagine certain life phases

Healing Through Writing: How these exercises facilitate emotional processing and personal growth through storytelling

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is a master writing teacher and 7-time author with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through transformative creative processes. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021.

As co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal," Laura has influenced millions of lives through her fearless approach to truth-telling and healing through writing.

She teaches ongoing Zoom classes to students worldwide and leads transformative international writing retreats. Laura specializes in helping writers excavate their deepest stories, develop authentic voice, and find profound healing through the written word.

Opportunities to Work with Laura Mentioned in this Episode

Wednesday writing practice class on Zoom: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/#writing

Thursday feedback classes with Laura: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/#feedback

Write, Travel, Transform: Cuba: https://lauradavis.net/cuba/

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Write in third person using your name to create psychological distance that reveals new insights about your life patterns, growth, and authentic self

Set a timer for 20 minutes per prompt and write continuously without stopping, planning, or editing to bypass your inner critic and access deeper truth

Embrace discomfort with difficult prompts like imagining your future self - resistance often signals where the most important breakthroughs await

Use the "hand over the pen" technique when stuck by letting different aspects of yourself (especially your future self) speak directly to your current concerns

Trust the writing process completely to reveal what you need to know, even when you believe you have nothing meaningful to say about a particular life phase

Connect with Laura Davis

Website & Class Information: https://lauradavis.net/

Newsletter & Writing Resources: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Weekly Writing Classes: Detailed information and applications available at lauradavis.net

International Writing Retreats: Current offerings and upcoming destinations listed on her website

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Title: Going Home the Longest Way Around: Finding Peace Through Pat Schneider's Poetry

Episode Description:

In this moving episode of her Midweek Pause for Peace series, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares Pat Schneider's profound poem "Going Home the Longest Way Around." Laura reflects on Schneider's dedication to making writing accessible outside traditional academic institutions and explores how stories become maps that guide us to each other. This peaceful interlude combines beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a moment of reflection and healing.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

Pat Schneider's revolutionary approach to accessible writing and writing groups

The power of storytelling to create connections between people

How fragments of our lives become maps for understanding

The relationship between memory, fear, and love in our personal narratives

Pat Schneider's gentle method of responding to shared writing

The metaphor of taking "the long way home" through our stories

Episode Highlights & Timestamps

[0:00] Laura introduces Pat Schneider and her mission to democratize writing

[1:15] Reading of "Going Home the Longest Way Around"

[2:45] Reflection on how stories become maps that guide us to each other

[4:20] Exploring the poem's imagery of children in a dark canoe

[5:30] Understanding how love and fear intertwine in our narratives

[6:45] Pat Schneider's three gentle questions for responding to writing

[7:20] The metaphor of "rocking in a dark boat on the water"

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through their creative journeys. A seven-time author, her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura specializes in helping writers craft meaningful memoirs and personal narratives. Through her writing classes, workshops, and international retreats, Laura has helped thousands of writers find their authentic voice and share their stories with the world.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Stories as Maps: Our personal narratives serve as guides that help us connect with others and understand our shared human experience

Accessible Writing: Writing and storytelling should be available to everyone, not just those in academic institutions

Memory and Truth: We can create meaningful narratives from fragments, even when our memories aren't perfect

Fear and Love Connection: What we love most can also make us most afraid, revealing our vulnerability and humanity

Gentle Response Method: Pat Schneider's three questions offer a supportive way to respond to shared writing that encourages rather than critiques

Episode Call-to-Action

Follow Laura's work for regular doses of poetry, nature photography, and writing wisdom

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

How to Connect with Your Writing Muse: A Journey into Creative Surrender

In this transformative episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed memoirist and writing teacher Laura Davis shares her mystical encounter with her creative muse. Following profound advice from writing teacher Carolyn Brigit Flynn about protecting her soul, Laura guides listeners through a powerful meditation-inspired writing session that reveals the path to authentic creative connection.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

·       Why protecting your creative soul matters more than productivity and busyness

·       How meditation and writing practice can create a portal to your muse

·       The journey of surrendering control to access deeper creative truth

·       Moving beyond questions like "Am I doing this right?" to authentic expression

·       Understanding that your soul naturally shows through your creative work

·       Using writing as a tool to step above daily drama and connect with essence

·       Practical guidance for writers seeking to deepen their creative practice

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis brings over 35 years of experience as an acclaimed author and writing teacher, specializing in memoir and transformative storytelling. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura has guided thousands of writers through her innovative approach that combines practical craft instruction with personal exploration, helping writers access their authentic voice and transform life experiences into powerful narrative. Her teaching philosophy centers on the belief that writing is both a craft to be mastered and a spiritual practice that connects us to our deepest truths.

Resources Laura Mentions

·       Carolyn Brigit Flynn - Writing teacher and mentor

·       The Art of Memoir: Crafting Compelling, Vivid, True Life Stories retreat, Villa Maria del Mar retreat center, Santa Cruz, California, November 3-7, 2025

·       The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis newsletter and community

·       Laura's comprehensive website: https://lauradavis.net/

·       Substack publication: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Key Takeaways from This Episode

1.     Prioritize soul protection over productivity by recognizing when external busyness threatens your creative essence and consciously creating sacred space for your artistic practice.

2.     Practice creative surrender to access your muse by approaching your creative source with vulnerability, humility, and willingness to release the trappings of daily concerns.

3.     Release self-limiting questions that ask whether you're "doing creativity right" - these concerns often dissolve when you connect with your deeper creative truth and natural expression.

4.     Trust your authentic creative expression by understanding that showing your soul through your work isn't something to achieve but something that naturally occurs when you write from truth.

5.     Use writing as a spiritual portal that allows you to step both into and out of life's drama, accessing higher perspective and creative freedom through regular practice.

Episode Call-to-Action

·      Connect with your own creative muse by practicing Laura's powerful writing prompt: "What does your muse have to say to you?"

·      Dedicate time for quiet meditation and open writing, allowing whatever emerges to flow onto the page.

·      Ready to deepen your memoir writing practice? Join Laura for "The Art of Memoir" retreat in Santa Cruz, California, November 3-7, 2025, where you'll learn to craft compelling, vivid life stories under expert guidance in an intimate oceanside setting.

The Art of Memoir: Crafting Compelling, Vivid, True Life Stories

Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, CAMonday, November 3 - Friday, November 7, 2025

If you’d like to experience five unforgettable days writing to powerful and effective memoir prompts under the guidance of a master teacher, join me in Santa Cruz, California the first week in November for an intimate, unforgettable retreat at a gorgeous retreat center perched right on the Pacific Ocean.

Many of us hold a deep dream of writing the story of our lives—so we can understand ourselves better, pass down family stories, or help others benefit from the lessons we’ve learned. By giving our experiences shape, texture, and beauty, we hope to create a lasting legacy that will inspire and inform.

The Art of Memoir will teach you how to take life stories and craft them into memoir.

In this transformative five-day workshop, you’ll connect with your inner voice, discover the healing power of language, and birth powerful true stories onto the page. Evocative prompts will lead you deeply into the world of memoir and story. Discover how to “find the story beneath the story,” why writers need to “slow down where it hurts,” and the secret of crafting tales rooted in the immediacy and physicality of the moment.

Join Laura this November in Santa Cruz.

https://lauradavis.net/memoir-retreat/

ABOUT THE WRITER'S JOURNEY:

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication and podcast. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Episode Description: Join Laura Davis for this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, where she pairs beautiful imagery with soul-nourishing poetry. In this episode, Laura shares Danna Faulds' gentle poem "It Is Enough," offering a moment of stillness for your heart and nervous system during life's overwhelming moments.

What Laura Shares:

·       A heartfelt reading of Danna Faulds' "It Is Enough" from "From Root to Bloom"

·       Personal reflections on finding peace through conscious breathing

·       How one breath at a time can anchor us amid personal and global uncertainty

·       Weekly poetry curation designed to calm and center your spirit

About Your Host: Laura Davis creates weekly content that combines meaningful poetry with calming visuals, offering busy hearts a midweek moment of peace and restoration.

Episode Highlights:

·       Laura's curated selection of healing poetry and imagery

·       Guided moments for releasing control and embracing present-moment awareness

·       Simple practices for stress relief through mindful breathing

·       Weekly consistency for building a sustainable mindfulness practice

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support Laura's work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You’ll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura’s writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

You can find Dana Faulds at: http://dannafaulds.com/

Description: Join Laura Davis for an intimate look at how poetry becomes a pathway to personal strength. In this episode, Laura shares a transformative moment from her Wednesday writing class where Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's poem "Sitting in a Quiet Room" sparked profound self-discovery—then demonstrates the power of the writing prompt with her own vulnerable memoir excerpt.

What You'll Experience:

Complete reading of Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's powerful poem "Sitting in a Quiet Room"

Laura's writing prompt: "Tell me about something you were afraid of that you were able to deal with in the end"

Laura's own courageous response—a deeply personal story about calling her mother to reveal childhood trauma at age 28

Insights from Laura's award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars"

How revisiting difficult moments through writing reveals our hidden resilience

Featured Poetry:

"Sitting in a Quiet Room" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer - exploring worry, curiosity, and the profound truth that "there is nothing here you cannot meet."

About Laura Davis:

Award-winning memoirist and writing teacher, author of "The Burning Light of Two Stars." Laura guides writers in crafting compelling true life stories through transformative memoir workshops.

Key Themes:

Memoir writing through personal example

Finding strength through vulnerability

Mother-daughter relationships and healing

Childhood trauma recovery and disclosure

Writing as a tool for self-discovery

Teaching through authentic storytelling

Perfect for: Memoir writers, personal development seekers, anyone healing from family trauma, writing students who learn best through example, and those who believe in the power of authentic storytelling.

Try This Prompt:

"Tell me about something you were afraid of that you were able to deal with in the end."

Learn More:

Laura's upcoming retreat "The Art of Memoir" at Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, November 3-7, 2025.

The Art of Memoir: Craft compelling, true life stories and discover the healing power of language at this transformative 5-day in-person workshop in beautiful Santa Cruz, California. November 3-7, 2025. https://lauradavis.net/memoir-workshop/

Special Offer for Laura's Online Writing Class:

https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/

More About Laura:

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Midweek Pause for Peace: "Detached From Outcome" by James Crews

Episode Description

Join Laura Davis for another nurturing episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, where she pairs images from nature with poetry to offer moments of restoration for both heart and nervous system.

This week, Laura features a beautifully contemplative poem by James Crews that explores the profound wisdom of acting without attachment to results. "Detached From Outcome" uses the metaphor of planting a tree you may never see mature to illuminate how we can find peace and purpose in the doing itself, rather than in guaranteed outcomes.

Featured Poem

"Detached From Outcome" by James Crews

Key Themes Explored

Mindful action without attachment to results

Finding meaning in the process rather than outcomes

The wisdom of planting seeds for future generations

Silencing the inner critic that demands certainty

Living authentically and doing what makes you feel alive

The patience required for long-term thinking

Environmental stewardship and legacy

Letting go of control while maintaining purpose

About the Poet

James Crews is a celebrated contemporary poet and anthologist whose work focuses on kindness, connection, and mindful living. His impressive body of work includes:

Bestselling Anthologies:

The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy

How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope (over 100,000 copies in print)

Poetry Collections:

The Book of What Stays

Telling My Father

Bluebird

Every Waking Moment

Essays:

Kindness Will Save the World: Stories of Compassion and Connection

Crews has been featured in major publications including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, The Christian Science Monitor, and on NPR's Morning Edition. He speaks and leads workshops on kindness, mindfulness, and writing for self-compassion from his home on forty rocky acres in the woods of Southern Vermont, where he lives with his husband.

You can find his work at: https://www.jamescrews.net/ and read him on Substack: https://jamescrews.substack.com/

Episode Highlights

Laura's reflection on the challenge of acting without knowing outcomes

How nature teaches us about patience and long-term thinking

The freedom that comes from detaching from results

Finding peace in uncertainty and impermanence

The metaphor of tree planting as a spiritual practice

Silencing the "what if" voices that paralyze action

Perfect For

Those struggling with perfectionism and need for control

People interested in mindfulness and present-moment awareness

Readers drawn to environmental and nature poetry

Anyone seeking wisdom about purposeful action

Those exploring Buddhist concepts of non-attachment

People interested in legacy and generational thinking

Mindfulness Connection

This poem beautifully illustrates core mindfulness principles—being present, accepting uncertainty, and finding peace in the process rather than demanding specific outcomes. It offers a gentle guide for living with greater ease and authenticity.

About Midweek Pause for Peace

Midweek Pause for Peace is Laura Davis's regular series designed to provide listeners with a moment of calm and reflection in the middle of busy weeks. Each episode combines the healing power of nature imagery with carefully selected poetry, creating space for both emotional processing and nervous system regulation.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

How to Create Tension Between Characters in Your Memoir: The Push-Pull Technique That Transforms Relationships on the Page

Episode Description

Award-winning memoir author Laura Davis shares the breakthrough storytelling technique that transformed her relationship with her mother on the page. In this practical episode, Laura reveals how a theatre director's unique assignment helped her create authentic tension in "The Burning Light of Two Stars" by mapping specific moments that connected and divided her family relationships. Writers will discover how to move beyond flat character dynamics to create emotionally compelling narratives that engage readers from start to finish.

What Laura Covers in This Episode

Why Laura hired a theatre director instead of an editor for her memoir coaching

The specific "push-pull" exercise that creates authentic character tension

Twenty detailed examples of moments that brought Laura and her mother together

Nineteen concrete instances that drove them apart throughout their relationship

How juxtaposing connecting and dividing moments creates visceral reality for readers

The ten-year journey of writing her BookLife Prize-winning memoir

Why this technique works for any complicated relationship in memoir writing

Practical applications writers can use immediately in their own memoirs

Episode Highlights

Laura explains her decision to hire Joshua Townshend-Zellner, a theatre director, as her memoir coach

The breakthrough assignment: creating two lists of twenty moments that pushed characters together and apart

Laura shares intimate examples from her "brought us together" list, including Torah ceremonies and family traditions

Revealing moments from the "drove us apart" list, including body image issues and generational conflicts

How inserting these specific moments helped Laura understand complex family dynamics

Why the push-pull technique creates the "visceral reality" readers need to connect with memoir

Laura discusses her ten-year writing process and the challenges of first-time story structure

How this exercise applies to other difficult relationships in memoir beyond parent-child dynamics

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed memoir author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers to craft compelling personal narratives. Her memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the BookLife Prize for best memoir in 2021 and received half a dozen additional prestigious awards. The book examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory both protects and betrays us, and the determination required to fulfill difficult promises while confronting family ghosts.

Before writing her memoir, Laura established herself as a bestselling author with six nonfiction books and became a recognized master teacher of writing craft. She has spent decades helping writers discover their authentic voices and transform raw life experiences into powerful stories. Laura regularly leads workshops and international retreats, specializing in writing techniques that create both healing for the writer and compelling reading for audiences.

Her work has been praised by readers and critics alike, with testimonials noting her ability to create "eloquent and compelling" narratives that "feed the soul" and keep readers engaged from "the first page" to a powerful, gripping conclusion. Laura's teaching approach combines practical craft techniques with deep understanding of the emotional journey inherent in memoir writing.

Resources Laura Mentions

"The Burning Light of Two Stars" - Laura's BookLife Prize-winning memoir exploring mother-daughter relationships

Joshua Townshend-Zellner - Theatre director who coached Laura through story structure and narrative tension

"The Courage to Heal" - Laura's first published bestseller about healing from child sexual abuse (HarperCollins, 1989) referenced in the push-pull examples

StoryCorps Interview Project - National storytelling initiative where Laura recorded her mother's stories

The Art of Memoir Workshop - Laura's upcoming five-day intensive retreat (November 3-7, 2025) at Villa Maria del Mar - Oceanside retreat center in Santa Cruz, California hosting Laura's memoir workshop

The Writer's Journey Substack Newsletter - Laura's regular publication for writers and memoir enthusiasts

Laura Davis Official Website - Complete resource for writing classes, published books, and international retreat information

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Map your relationship's push-pull dynamics - Create two detailed lists of twenty moments each: specific instances that brought you closer and concrete events that drove you apart throughout your shared history

Focus on concrete, sensory details - Include physical memories like sounds ("clink of ice cubes"), locations, and visceral experiences that ground readers in authentic moments rather than general statements

Embrace relationship complexity - Show how we simultaneously love and resent the same people by strategically juxtaposing contradictory moments that reveal the full spectrum of human connection

Transform raw material into compelling story - Move beyond chronological recounting of events to purposeful narrative construction that reveals deeper truths about relationships and human nature

Episode Call-to-Action

Ready to apply Laura's push-pull technique and many others to your own memoir? Join her transformative five-day workshop, "The Art of Memoir"

The Art of Memoir: Crafting Compelling, Vivid, True Life Stories

Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, CAMonday, November 3 - Friday, November 7, 2025

If you’d like to experience five unforgettable days writing to powerful and effective memoir prompts under the guidance of a master teacher, join Laura in Santa Cruz, California the first week in November for an intimate, unforgettable retreat at a gorgeous retreat center perched right on the Pacific Ocean. The Art of Memoir will lead you deep into your story and the craft of memoir.

In this transformative workshop, you’ll connect with your inner voice, discover the healing power of language, and birth powerful true stories onto the page. Evocative prompts will lead you deeply into the world of memoir and story. Discover how to “find the story beneath the story,” why writers need to “slow down where it hurts,” and the secret of crafting tales rooted in the immediacy and physicality of the moment.

Join Laura this November in Santa Cruz.

https://lauradavis.net/memoir-retreat/

Connect with Laura Davis

Official Website: lauradavis.net - Comprehensive resource for Laura's writing classes, published books, workshops, and international writing retreats

Newsletter: The Writer's Journey at laurasaridavis.substack.com - Regular writing insights, curated poetry, nature photography, and essays on both life and writing craft

Award-Winning Memoir: "The Burning Light of Two Stars" https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

Upcoming Intensive: The Art of Memoir retreat, November 3-7, 2025, Santa Cruz, California - Five days of transformative memoir writing instruction. https://lauradavis.net/memoir-retreat/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Join host Laura Davis as she dives deep into the art of crafting powerful writing prompts that unlock forgotten memories and generate compelling memoir material. In this episode, Laura shares 35 years of experience creating personalized writing exercises that help writers excavate their deepest stories and reveals the techniques behind her most effective prompts.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The anatomy of effective writing prompts - What makes a prompt evocative vs. generic

The "burr in your side" principle - Why good prompts should feel provocative and edgy

Specificity over generality - How "My father's hands" beats "Tell me about your father"

Laura's famous "mother's legs" prompt - A detailed breakdown with real examples from her teaching

Memory recovery through writing - How targeted prompts help writers reclaim forgotten experiences

The ruthless editing process - When good writing doesn't make the final cut and why that's okay

Episode Highlights & Timestamps

[05:30] Why generic prompts fail to generate powerful writing

[12:15] Breaking down the "mother's legs" prompt and why it works so well

[18:40] Laura reads aloud her own powerful response to the mother's legs prompt

[25:20] How physical details unlock deeper emotional revelations

[31:10] Laura's process for developing targeted writing prompts for students

[38:45] The art of cutting beautiful material that doesn't serve your story

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over three decades of experience perfecting the art of memoir instruction and prompt creation. She is the author of the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and 7 other best selling books. She specializes in helping writers access their most authentic stories through carefully crafted exercises. Laura leads intimate writing retreats worldwide and has helped thousands of writers discover their voices.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Replace generic prompts with specific, visceral details that create immediate images

Look for prompts that feel like a "burr in your side" - slightly provocative and compelling

Use physical characteristics to access deeper emotional truths about relationships

Trust that targeted prompts will reveal more than direct, broad questions

Remember that even beautiful writing might not serve your larger story arc - and that's okay

Episode Call-to-Action

Ready to unlock your own powerful stories? Try Laura's "mother's legs" prompt for yourself, or join her for an intimate 5-day memoir writing retreat, The Art of Memoir, right on the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz, California this November.

The Art of Memoir: Crafting Compelling, Vivid, True Life Stories

Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, CA

Monday, November 3 - Friday, November 7, 2025

If you’d like to experience five unforgettable days writing to powerful and effective memoir prompts under the guidance of a master teacher, join me in Santa Cruz, California the first week in November for an intimate, unforgettable retreat at a gorgeous retreat center perched right on the Pacific Ocean. The Art of Memoir will lead you deep into your story and the craft of memoir.

In this transformative five-day workshop, you’ll connect with your inner voice, discover the healing power of language, and birth powerful true stories onto the page. Evocative prompts will lead you deeply into the world of memoir and story. Discover how to “find the story beneath the story,” why writers need to “slow down where it hurts,” and the secret of crafting tales rooted in the immediacy and physicality of the moment.

Connect with Laura Davis

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You’ll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura’s writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

This episode is designed for writers, memoirists, and anyone interested in personal storytelling techniques. Laura shares practical, immediately applicable methods while demonstrating the emotional power of well-crafted writing prompts.

This Midweek Pause for Peace, curated by Laura Davis, features Colorado Poet Laureate Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's healing poem "For When I Am Hard on Yourself." Laura Davis shares how this poetry became medicine during a difficult re-entry from Bali, offering gentle wisdom for anyone struggling with self-criticism, shame, or perfectionism.

Key Questions This Episode Answers

·       How can poetry help with self-criticism and negative self-talk?

·       What are practical ways to practice self-compassion during difficult times?

·       How do you handle re-entry challenges after transformative travel?

·       What does it mean to "soften toward yourself" when experiencing shame?

·       How can mindfulness practices support nervous system regulation?

Featured Content

Poem: "For When I Am Hard on Myself" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer Host/Curator: Laura Davis

Theme: Self-compassion, healing shame, poetry as medicine

Location Context: Post-Bali retreat re-entry experience

Cultural Insight: Contrast between Balinese values (beauty, creativity, spirituality, community) and Western productivity culture

About Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Colorado Poet Laureate (San Miguel County 2006-2010, Western Slope 2015-2017). Known for daily poetry practice and healing-focused work. Dedicated to helping others explore creative practice as medicine.

You can subscribe to her daily poetry feed here.

 https://www.wordwoman.com/a-daily-dose-of-poetry/

Episode Highlights & Actionable Insights

·       Body-Heart-Mind Connection: "If you can soften your body, your heart can settle, and if your heart can settle your mind can listen" - Augusta Kantra

·       Memory as Medicine: Plant seeds of peaceful memories to recall during shame spirals

·       Nature Metaphors for Healing: Float like water, soften like milkweed down, become gentle without thorns

·       Self-Talk Transformation: Shift from self-regret to self-remembrance

·       Travel Integration: How to process cultural contrasts and difficult re-entry

Practical Applications

1.     When Experiencing Self-Criticism: Remember moments of floating, peace, gentleness

2.     Body Softening Practice: Physical relaxation as pathway to emotional healing

3.     Shame Response: Use poetry and gentle metaphors instead of harsh self-judgment

4.     Cultural Re-integration: Honor both transformative experiences and present reality

5.     Daily Practice: Subscribe to healing poetry for consistent emotional support

Perfect For Listeners Who Experience:

·       Self-criticism or harsh inner dialogue

·       Perfectionism and shame cycles

·       Difficulty with life transitions

·       Travel re-entry challenges

·       Interest in poetry as healing practice

·       Need for midweek emotional support

·       Nervous system overwhelm

·       Cultural contrast processing

Series Information: Pause for Peace

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You’ll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura’s writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

In this episode, Laura Davis explores the profound types of silence we experience in life through creative writing and poetry. Inspired by Ada Limón's "The Quiet Machine," Laura shares a personal memoir about her relationship to different kinds of silence. This episode includes a transformative writing prompt: "Tell me about the kinds of silence you have known." Perfect for writers, poets, memoirists, and anyone using storytelling for healing and self-discovery.

Key Topics & Timestamps:

00:00-03:00 - Introduction: Why silence matters in memoir writing

03:00-08:00 - Ada Limón's "The Quiet Machine" analysis and writing techniques

08:00-15:00 - The silence writing prompt: step-by-step guide

15:00-20:00 - Real examples: Types of silence in personal narrative

20:00-25:00 - Creating safe writing spaces for vulnerable content

25:00-28:00 - Building sustainable writing practices

Featured Writing Exercise:

Core Prompt: "Tell me about the ways you seek silence. Times you've been silent—or silenced. Tell me about the kinds of silence you have known."

Host Bio:

Laura Davis is a six-time HarperCollins author. Her books, including The Courage to Heal and I Thought We’d Never Speak Again have been translated into 11 languages and sold 1.8 million copies. Laura leads writing workshops in the U.S. and internationally that focus on writing as a tool for healing and transformation. She is currently completing a memoir about the dramatic twists and turns of mother-daughter love, The Burning Light of Two Stars www.LauraDavis.net.

Call to Action:

Join Laura's weekly writing classes at https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/ There are current openings.

You can find information about Laura’s other classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Midweek Pause for Peace: "Let Them Not Say" by Jane Hirshfield

Episode Description

Welcome to another episode of Midweek Pause for Peace with Laura Davis. In this weekly series, Laura pairs stunning images from nature with carefully chosen poetry to offer listeners a moment of reflection and restoration for both heart and nervous system.

This week, Laura features the profound and urgent poem "Let Them Not Say" by award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield. This powerful piece explores themes of witnessing, collective responsibility, and the courage required to face difficult truths rather than turning away.

Featured Poem

"Let Them Not Say" by Jane HirshfieldFrom the collection "Ledger: Poems" (2020)

Key Themes Explored

The importance of bearing witness to difficult realities

Overcoming the impulse to look away from pain and suffering

Collective responsibility and shared experience

The tension between beauty and destruction

Finding light and warmth even in challenging circumstances

About the Poet

Jane Hirshfield is a celebrated American poet, essayist, and translator with an impressive literary career spanning decades. Her accolades include:

Author of ten poetry collections, including the National Book Award-longlisted "The Beauty" (2015)

Finalist for the PEN USA Poetry Award for "Come, Thief" (2011)

National Book Critics Award finalist for "Given Sugar, Given Salt" (2001)

Author of influential essay collections including "Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry" and "Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World"

Translator and editor of significant works featuring historical poets, including "The Ink Dark Moon" and "The Heart of Haiku"

Episode Highlights

Laura's reflection on why this poem resonates in our current moment

The power of poetry to help process difficult emotions and experiences

How nature imagery can provide grounding during challenging times

The role of witness and testimony in creating meaning from struggle

About Midweek Pause for Peace

Midweek Pause for Peace is Laura Davis's regular series designed to provide listeners with a moment of calm and reflection in the middle of busy weeks. Each episode combines the healing power of nature imagery with carefully selected poetry, creating space for both emotional processing and nervous system regulation.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Midweek Pause for Peace: "Womanifesto" by Libba Bray - A Call to Action

Episode Description

Join Laura Davis for a special edition of Midweek Pause for Peace that breaks from the usual gentle reflections to deliver something designed to rouse and awaken. This week, Laura features "Womanifesto," a fierce and unapologetic poem written by bestselling novelist Libba Bray in 2017.

Unlike the typical pairing of nature imagery with contemplative poetry, this episode presents a powerful call for activism - a rallying cry that demands we not look away, but instead channel our anger into action and authentic voice.

Featured Poem

"Womanifesto" by Libba BrayWritten in 2017

Key Themes Explored

Reclaiming authentic voice and power

Rejecting societal expectations and constraints

Transforming rage into purposeful action

The cost of silence and performative femininity

Collective awakening and sisterhood

Breaking free from internalized oppression

The power of "unladylike" expression

Why This Poem Matters Now

Laura explains her choice to feature this provocative piece as part of her typically gentle series, emphasizing how sometimes we need to be stirred rather than soothed. The poem serves as a manifesto for women who are ready to shed the "good girl" persona and embrace their full, messy, powerful selves.

About the Poet

Libba Bray is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her bold, uncompromising voice in both young adult and adult literature. Her acclaimed works include:

The Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing)

Going Bovine (Michael L. Printz Award winner)

Beauty Queens (L.A. Times Book Prize finalist)

The Diviners series

Under the Same Stars

Originally from Texas, Bray now divides her time between New York City and Paris. Her writing consistently explores themes of female empowerment, social justice, and breaking free from restrictive social norms.

Episode Highlights

Laura's reflection on we need fierce words right now

The difference between destructive anger and transformative rage

How poetry can serve as a catalyst for social change

The importance of authentic expression over social acceptability

Creating space for the "messy, expansive, unraveled" parts of ourselves

About Midweek Pause for Peace

Midweek Pause for Peace is Laura Davis's regular series designed to provide listeners with a moment of calm and reflection in the middle of busy weeks. Each episode combines the healing power of nature imagery with carefully selected poetry, creating space for both emotional processing and nervous system regulation.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

—Laura Davis

Episode Overview

In this transformative episode of "Pause for Peace," host Laura Davis explores Chelan Harkin's profound poem "November 6" - a rallying cry for finding our inner strength when everything seems to be falling apart. Laura reflects on how this poem reminds us of the inner strength that lives in all of us, and how we just need to find a way to tap it. This midweek pause reminds us that our deepest challenges often awaken our most powerful potential, calling us to rise and find the indomitable light within.

Featured Content

Poem: "November 6" by Chelan Harkin

Theme: Rising from collapse and finding inner strength

Format: Poetry reading with inspirational commentary

Duration: Midweek pause episode

Key Themes Explored

Inner Resilience: Discovering strength we didn't know we possessed

Rising from Devastation: Transforming collapse into fuel for growth

Collective Support: The importance of reaching for each other in difficult times

Light in Darkness: Embracing our luminous nature during challenging periods

Integrity Under Pressure: How trials test and strengthen our character

Indomitable Spirit: Finding that which cannot be defeated within us

Episode Highlights

Opening reflection by Laura Davis on the inner strength that lives within all of us

Full reading of Chelan Harkin's stirring poem "November 6"

Exploration of how foundations crumbling can awaken our light

Discussion of burning through devastation to make it fuel

Message about not being afraid of the dark but bringing forth our light

Call to action: "Rise, and find the strength in your heart"

Guest Spotlight: Chelan Harkin

Chelan Harkin is a celebrated poet and inspirational speaker who explores the mystical connections among "the family of things." Her work focuses on:

Published Works:

Susceptible to Light

Let Us Dance: The Stumble and Whirl with The Beloved

Wild Grace

The Prophetess: The Return of The Prophet from The Voice of The Divine Feminine (newest work)

Expertise Areas:

Healing from trauma through poetry

Self-realization and personal growth

Cultivating wholeness and unity

Dismantling barriers that divide us

Mystical spirituality and connection

Speaking & Impact:

Chelan has shared her unique, inspired voice across the country, encouraging others to open their hearts and break down divisive barriers. She lives in Washington State with her children, Amari and Nahanni.

Connect with Chelan Harkin

Instagram: @chelanharkin

Find her published works and speaking engagements

About This Episode's Message

This poem serves as a powerful reminder that our greatest challenges often reveal our greatest strengths. When everything external falls away, we're invited to dig deeper and discover the indomitable force that lives within us - our capacity to rise, to love, and to shine light in the darkness.

Reflection Questions

What hidden strengths have you discovered during difficult times?

How can you use your current challenges as fuel for growth?

In what ways can you reach out and support others during collective struggles?

What does it mean to you to "not be afraid of the dark"?

About "Pause for Peace"

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

In this deeply moving episode of "Pause for Peace," host Laura presents Dorothy Oger's stirring poem "For Love" - a powerful meditation on choosing love and compassion even in the midst of personal and global turmoil. This midweek pause offers listeners a moment of reflection, healing, and hope through the transformative power of poetry.

Featured Content

Poem: "For Love" by Dorothy Oger

Theme: Standing for love in troubled times

Format: Poetry reading with reflective commentary

Duration: Midweek pause episode

Key Themes Explored

Resilience Through Love: How to maintain compassion despite personal struggles

Global Consciousness: Expanding our circle of care beyond our immediate surroundings

Hope in Dark Times: Finding light amid worldwide challenges

Presence as Power: The transformative impact of witnessing and open-hearted presence

Peace Through Poetry: Using art as a tool for nervous system regulation and healing

Episode Highlights

Opening reflection on offering presence and love in uncertain times

Full reading of Dorothy Oger's poem "For Love"

Discussion of standing for love "even with a broken soul"

Exploration of choosing light over darkness, love over fear

Message of hope for children's safety and open borders

Guest Spotlight: Dorothy Oger

Dorothy Oger is a trilingual coach, facilitator, speaker, artistic harvester, songwriter and poet. She is a deep listener who reflects complex experiences through poetry and intuitive drawing. She is skilled at creating a sense of safety and trust while encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone. You can learn more about Dorothy’s coaching, poetry and artistic work on her website.

About "Pause for Peace"

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

Each week, Laura pairs a beautiful image with a poem—a little something for your heart and nervous system every Wednesday.

Episode Title: Hope as Resistance: Poetry & Peace with David Joseph Junior

Episode Description: Welcome to another episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, where host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with powerful poetry to nourish your heart and nervous system. This week, we explore "Hope is a Form of Resistance" by poet David Joseph Junior—a moving piece that reframes hope not as passive wishing, but as an active, embodied practice of courage and defiance.

Key Themes Explored:

Hope as active resistance rather than passive waiting

The intersection of faith, justice, and healing

Poetry as a tool for processing grief and building resilience

The sacred nature of hope in difficult times

How hope becomes a weapon against oppression

Featured Poem

"Hope is a Form of Resistance" by David Joseph Junior

Key Quotes from the Episode

"Hope is not passive. It does not whisper only when the storm subsides. It roars in the middle of the flood."

"Hope wears work boots, not wings."

"Hope is not for the untested. Hope is for the bold."

"Hope is how we resist without becoming what we resist."

About the Featured Poet:

David Joseph Junior is a writer, poet, and storyteller who explores faith, identity, and the quiet places where God still speaks. He writes for "the wilderness-walkers, the midnight wrestlers, and anyone learning to breathe again." Find his work on Substack at Whispers & Wildfires, where "quiet words ignite bold faith, healing community, and justice."

Episode Highlights:

Laura's reflection on hope as embodied practice vs. wishful thinking

Analysis of the poem's powerful imagery and metaphors

Discussion of hope's role in social justice movements

The sacred responsibility of carrying hope forward

How poetry can serve as both comfort and call to action

Resources Mentioned:

David Joseph Junior's Substack: Whispers & Wildfires

Midweek Pause for Peace series archive

Connect with the Show: About "Pause for Peace"

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

Today's featured poem is Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver.

Mary Oliver was a beloved American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Her poetry is known for its focus on nature, vivid imagery, and unadorned language. She found inspiration in the natural world and was known for her solitary walks in the wild. Don't Hesitate can be found in Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Ready for a free virtual vacation to Bali? Join Laura Davis as she invites you along on her 10th sacred journey to this spiritual island. Experience temple ceremonies, meet traditional healers, and immerse in Balinese culture through her Substack posts and Notes. It's the next best thing to being there!

Plus: discover her handpicked July Substack recommendations as a bonus.

Laura's Five Substack Recommendations for July

The Feral Stack by Summer Koester: Cultural commentary for curious misfits @summerisferal, The Feral Stack

Forager Field Notes by Michelle Dowd: Healing through creativity for cult survivors@mdowd, Forager Field Notes

Everyday Ambassador by Annelise Riles: Global change through local action @Anneliseriles, Everyday Ambassador

For the Love of Nature by Sue Kusch: Essays on place and natural connection @SueKusch. For the Love of Nature

The American Pamphleteer: Truth-telling for rebels and resistersExclusive Writing Workshop Opportunities @ladylibertie1, The American Pamphleteer

Upcoming Memoir Workshops with Laura

In-Person Intensive Workshop:

Title: "The Art of Memoir: Crafting Compelling, Vivid, True Life Stories"

Location: Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California

Dates: November 3-7, 2025 (5-day retreat)

What You'll Learn: Inner voice connection, healing through language, "story beneath the story" techniques

Registration Link: https://lauradavis.net/memoir-retreat-santa-cruz-november-2025

More Info: https://lauradavis.net/workshops

Online Masterclass:

Title: "How to Write About What You Can't Remember"

Format: 5-week interactive Zoom course with private Substack classroom

Schedule: Tuesdays, September 30 - October 28, 2025

Time: 12:00-2:30 PM ET / 9:00-11:30 AM PT

Unique Feature: Community feedback system via private Substack

Registration Link: https://lauradavis.net/online-memoir-course-fall-2025

Course Details: https://lauradavis.net/memory-memoir-workshop

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Today's featured poem: At Albany Bulb with Elaine by Alison Luterman.

Alison Luterman is a poet, essayist and playwright. Her books include the poetry collections In the Time of Great Fires (Catamaran Press), Desire Zoo (Tia Chucha Press), The Largest Possible Life (Cleveland State University Press) See How We Almost Fly (Pearl Editions), and a collection of essays, Feral City (SheBooks). Luterman's plays include Saying Kaddish With My Sister, Hot Water, Glitter and Spew, Oasis, Touched, and the musicals, The Chain (with composer Loren Linnard), The Shyest Witch (with composer Richard Jennings, and song cycle We Are Not Afraid of the Dark (with composer Sheela Ramesh). You can find her at: https://www.alisonluterman.net/

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Today's featured poem: For Citizenship by John O’Donohue. John O'Donohue (1956-2008) was an Irish poet, philosopher, and former Catholic priest known for his writings on spirituality, beauty, and friendship. This poem is from his book, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Today's featured poem: For When People Ask by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

Dedicated to helping others explore creative practice, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer is an American poet, associated with Colorado. She was Poet Laureate of San Miguel County, Colorado from 2006–2010, and was named Poet Laureate of Colorado's Western Slope by the Telluride Institute from 2015–2017. You can subscribe to Rosemerry’s daily poems here.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

"Laura Davis: From Premature Birth to Author - A Journey of Survival, Creativity, and Finding Awe"

Episode Description:

In this deeply moving interview from Kathryn Mockler's "I've Been Meaning to Ask You" series, bestselling author Laura Davis shares her profound journey that began with a dramatic premature birth weighing just 2 pounds, 12 ounces, separated from her identical twin sister.

This conversation reveals how early trauma shaped a life dedicated to creativity, spiritual growth, and helping others find their voices through writing retreats in Bali and beyond.

Key Topics Covered:

Surviving Against Odds: Laura's dramatic start - born decades before 2-pound premature babies regularly survived

Creative Upbringing: Growing up in a home filled with music, theater, and artistic expression

Spiritual Transformation: How early separation led to a lifelong search for connection and awe

Writing as Healing: The therapeutic power of storytelling and creative expression

Global Writing Retreats: Leading transformative cultural adventures for writers

Finding Purpose: How childhood trauma became the foundation for helping others

Guest Background:

Laura Davis, author of "The Burning Light of Two Stars" memoir, international writing retreat leader, and advocate for creative expression as healing. Currently leading her 10th writing retreat to Bali, focusing on sacred creativity and spiritual transformation. Laura is sharing this interview in her newsletter as a guest post from Kathryn Mockler's series.

Episode Themes:

Resilience and survival

The healing power of creativity

Spiritual awakening through nature

Family bonds and chosen family

Social justice and compassion

Travel as transformation

The Healing Heart of Bali: A Writer's Journey of Renewal for Body, Mind, and Spirit

"I take writers around the world on cultural adventures that spark awe, creativity and deep relaxation. In August, I’m bringing a group to Bali to study Balinese spirituality and meet with Balinese healers. We’ll be exploring three diverse “back roads” areas of Bali, meeting with artisans, hiking through coffee and clove plantations, experiencing the transformation that occurs when immersing in a culture that celebrates sacred creativity. And of course, we’ll be writing every day—writing together creates an intimate traveling community and gives people the opportunity to digest and integrate their experiences. This is my tenth time taking writers to Bali—obviously I feel a deep affinity for the stunning beauty and spiritual power of that island and its people."

There is one final spot left on this trip.You can learn more here: https://lauradavis.net/bali/

About the interviewer, Kathryn Mockler:

Kathryn Mockler is a writer, screenwriter, experimental filmmaker, editor, and publisher and the author of the story collection Anecdotes (Book*hug Press, 2023), which won the 2024 Victoria Butler Book Prize and was a finalist for the 2024 Trillium Book Award, 2023 Danuta Gleed Literary Award, 2024 Fred Kerner Award, and 2024 VMI Besty Warland Between Genres Award. She co-edited the print anthology Watch Your Head: Writers and Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis (Coach House Books, 2020). Her films have screened at TIFF, EMFA, the Palm Springs Film Festival and most recently at the Arizona Underground Film Festival and REELPoetry/HoustonTX. She runs the literary newsletter Send My Love to Anyone and teaches screenwriting and fiction in the Writing Department at the University of Victoria.

LAURA DAVIS’ WRITING CLASSES AND RETREATS:

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Today's featured poem: First Reaction by Danna Faulds.

A long-term practitioner of Kripalu Yoga, Danna Faulds is the author of seven books of poetry: Go In and In, One Soul, Prayers to the Infinite, From Root to Bloom, Breath of Joy, and What's True Here, as well as the memoir Into the Heart of Yoga. You can find her at her website.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Today's featured poem: Continue by Maya Angelou.

A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for her work as an author and poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by a Black woman. Some of her famous poems include “Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” and “On the Pulse of Morning,” which she recited at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 and which earned her a Grammy Award. Angelou enjoyed a career as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and singer in plays, musicals, and onscreen. In her work as a civil rights activist, she collaborated with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, among others. The Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient died in May 2014 at age 86.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Episode Summary

A captivating story about discovering the power of voice and storytelling that takes unexpected turns through remote adventures, creative risks, and life-changing decisions. This intimate narrative explores how a young woman's passion for radio and human connection shaped her journey as a writer and interviewer, leading to profound personal discoveries and creative breakthroughs.

Subscribe to Laura's new The Writer's Journey podcast:

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey podcast on your preferred platform to hear more stories about writing, creativity, and the transformative power of storytelling. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Substack.

Link for spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5pzSIKx6nXONCVq7iLLm85

Link for apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-writers-journey-with-laura-davis-podcast/id1818171475

Link for YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXqh6Uxj-mVl44gIaLxQEZNJAz_zl0nBt

Today's feature: poem in which I choose a bundle of kale next to a stranger by Maya Stein. Maya Stein has been a freelance writer and editor for more than two decades. She began a weekly poetry practice in 2005—10-line Tuesday —and you can subscribe to her weekly poems and learn about her marvelous books of poetry here. Maya also teaches marvelous writing classes.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

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@aimeeliu, MFA Lore. Aimee Liu offers her audience the invaluable, precious gift of her knowledge and experience as a veteran novelist, ghostwriter and graduate-level creative writing teacher. Her bestselling novels, informed by her Asian American heritage, have been published in more than a dozen languages, and she has written for the Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books and Poets and Writers, among many others. She distills the essential elements of a creative writing MFA in her articles, interviews and feedback services. MFA Lore is a must-read for aspiring authors to learn and be inspired by Liu’s insightful wisdom.

@renpowell, Dramatic Roots. Ren Powell is a playwright and theater teacher whose work has been translated into eight languages. Her plays have been performed in the United States, Canada and Norway, where she now resides and teaches. She is also the author of six poetry collections. In Dramatic Roots, she explores being human through the creative process of writing, poetry and performance. Ren’s writing exercises help readers to find the physicality of language, peeling back description, revealing sensation and meaning. She offers readers a place to connect to the natural world, the self, to memory, and the human need to belong.

@jessyeaston, AFTER/WORDS. Jessy Easton’s writing will leave you breathless. Her story of a childhood filled with meth, incarcerated parents, addiction, chaos and love, always rivets me to the page. Jessy writes what most would be afraid to say, and in facing the past plainly and with compassion, she teaches us how to write our way into a new future. Her essays and her serialized memoir, The One Who Leaves, are searing and unabashed, a clarion call for anyone who wants to face a painful past and create something new from the ashes. There is so much to discover and savor in the After/Words.

@ronamaynard, Amazement Seeker. Full of wonder, joy and a lifetime’s worth of well-earned wisdom, Rona’s weekly posts are something I look forward to every Sunday. In a world that often feels disconnected and under threat, Rona’s writing grounds me, moves me, and reminds me to savor the beauty of life and its simple moments. As a lover of the art of writing and a well-turned phrase, Rona’s prose never disappoints. A master storyteller, she always makes every word count. An accomplished author of two memoirs, many articles, and former editor of Chatelaine, Rona’s stories always draw me in. Each week as I settle down to read her post, I never know what she’ll write about and am always eager to find out. Her contemplations of little things and big themes, whatever amazes her, always fills me with quiet, appreciative joy.

My highlighted news source for the month:

@thelefthook, The Left Hook. Wajahat Ali offers hot takes on politics and culture in this unapologetic haven for progressives and anti-fascists, with a good dose of humor and snark. A former commentator for CNN and writer for the New York Times, Waj has freed himself from the censorship of corporate media and writes frankly about everything from rising authoritarianism and pop culture to parenting and Legos. I especially love his live interviews and discussions—conversations you won’t hear anywhere else. The Left Hook is a vital compassionate community for those seeking to speak the truth freely and intentionally, with laughter, empathy, and no holds barred.

Now here’s the recipe.

I’ve been making this chicken dish for at least twenty years and every time I serve it, people want the recipe. It’s similar to Chicken Marbella, but not quite the same. I often double the recipe. It stores well and tastes better the second day—and the third, if it lasts that long.

P.S. If you need precision in your recipes, you’re out of luck. I’m not a cookbook writer, but I love to cook, and everyone I’ve given this recipe to has done well with it.

Laura’s Puerto Rican Chicken

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Apple cider vinegar

Lots of black pepper, oregano and fresh garlic (a bag of peeled garlic would be great)

4 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken thighs

3 medium-2 large onions, diced

2 medium-large green peppers, diced

1 jar capers, drained of juice

1 small or half a tall jar of green olives (I think the ones I bought were stuffed with garlic...definitely pitted)

20-30 pitted prunes, depending on size

4 TBL tomato paste

1 bunch freshly chopped cilantro

2 bay leaves

1 quart organic chicken broth

3-4 cups of white basmati rice

Marinate chicken in a pot, covered with lots of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, oregano and garlic. Tons of garlic. I don’t know exact amounts, but a lot more olive oil than the apple cider vinegar. 5:1 is my guess.

Marinate for at least an hour, or overnight. The longer the better. I aim for overnight, but it still tastes great if I run out of time and it doesn’t marinate that long.

Brown chicken on all sides in olive oil (after taking it out of the marinade). You’ll need to do this in batches.

Set browned chicken aside.

In the same large skillet or Dutch oven, sauté two diced onions, two diced green peppers and a bunch more garlic. I probably use 10 large or 20 small cloves of garlic. Cook slowly until the veggies get soft and tender. Crush another small handful of oregano between the palms of your hands and into the pot.

Add a small jar of capers, drained, and half of a large jar of green olives with juice, and 20-30 prunes, depending on size.

Add a finely chopped bunch of cilantro and a bay leaf.

Add the chicken back in.

Add 2-4 TBL tomato paste

Add chicken broth to make the whole mixture soupy and stewy so the chicken is submerged in broth.

Cook on top of stove for an hour.

Don’t add salt. Taste at the end and see if it needs any. Often the saltiness of the olives and capers is enough. I like salt and I never add salt to mine.

Adjust seasonings at the end.

Serve over basmati rice.

LAURA'S CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS:

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ 

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Today's featured poem: "Hold Out Your Hand" by Julia Fehrenbacher.

Julia Fehrenbacher is a poet, an author, a life coach, a teacher, a regular practicer of yoga, and a sometimes-painter. She is most at home by the ocean and in the forests. You can find her at her website.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

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Today's featured poem: The Hardest Days by Clint Smith.

Clint Smith is a teacher, poet, and doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University. He is a National Poetry Slam champion, an Individual World Poetry Slam finalist, and has served a cultural ambassador for the US Department of State. He has been featured on TED.com, NBC News, and TVOne’s Verses and Flow. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming in GRAVTAS, Off the Coast, and elsewhere.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive beautifully curated poems, essays about life and writing, writing tips, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura's writing classes, workshops and retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

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—Laura

Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing we can do, but we can always send love. This poem by Carrie Newcomer is a great demonstration of that.

Carrie Newcomer is a songwriter, poet & podcast co-host with 19 nationally released CDs and 3 books of poetry. She often catches something luminous from the corner of her eye, chuckles at things no one is noticing & lives in the woods with 2 rescue dogs. Learn more and support her work at carrienewcomer.substack.com.

If you'd like to regularly receive Laura's posts and poems, you can subscribe to her Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Dedicated to helping others explore creative practice, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer is an American poet, associated with Colorado. She was Poet Laureate of San Miguel County, Colorado from 2006–2010, and was named Poet Laureate of Colorado's Western Slope by the Telluride Institute from 2015–2017. You can subscribe to Rosemerry’s daily poems here.

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

You can find information about Laura’s writing classes, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Subscribe to The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis on Substack to receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems, essays, and photographs to build courage, resilience and creativity.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com

Listen now to discover what I learned.

You can find Laura Davis at: https://lauradavis.net/

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Episode Overview

In this intimate introduction episode, seven-time bestselling author Laura Davis welcomes listeners to The Writer's Journey and shares her remarkable story of transformation from trauma survivor to internationally recognized writing teacher and memoir specialist.

About Laura Davis

Laura Davis is a seven-time bestselling author, memoir writer, writing teacher, and workshop leader who has dedicated four decades to helping writers find their authentic voices. Known as "a midwife of stories," Laura creates safe, sacred communities for writers worldwide—both online and in beautiful destinations around the globe.

Laura's Literary Achievements

Laura Davis is the author of The Burning Light of Two Stars, the story of her loving, tumultuous relationship with her mother, and six other non-fiction books that have transformed lives worldwide.

Notable Publications:

The Courage to Heal - Paved the way for hundreds of thousands of women to heal from sexual abuse trauma

Becoming the Parent You Want to Be - Helped parents develop a vision for the families they want to create

I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation - Taught essential skills of reconciliation and peace building, one relationship at a time

The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story-Tells the story of Laura's estrangement and reconciliation with her mother; how she ended up taking care of a mother who betrayed her in the past

Media & Speaking:

Published in Publisher's Weekly, Writer's Digest, CrimeReads, Brevity, and The New York Times

Featured in The Los Angeles Review of Books

Popular podcast guest on QWERTY, Write-Minded, and dozens of other shows

Featured speaker for The National Association of Memoir Writers

Craft teacher at The San Miguel Writer's Conference

Teaching Excellence: For more than thirty years, Laura has dedicated herself to teaching writers how to find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft. She creates supportive, intimate writing communities online, in person, and through international writing adventures that combine cultural learning with creative development.

Key Topics Discussed

The Power of Healing Through Writing

Laura shares her journey from being a 28-year-old incest survivor to co-authoring the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal" with Ellen Bass in 1988. This book became a runaway bestseller and provided the first comprehensive map of the healing process for sexual abuse survivors.

Core Messages of The Courage to Heal:

You are not alone

It wasn't your fault

You can heal and thrive

There is a way out of the pain

From Trauma to Transformation

Laura discusses her evolution from being defined by trauma to creating a full, rich life beyond survival. She shares how she eventually stepped away from writing about sexual abuse to focus on living fully—building a family, writing about parenting, reconciliation, and caring for aging parents.

The Writer's Journey Community

Laura explains her vision for creating safe, sacred spaces for creativity and connection, especially crucial during times of uncertainty and turmoil.

Featured Segment: "Make a Commitment to Beauty"

Laura emphasizes that beauty is not optional—it's "oxygen for our tattered nervous systems." She encourages listeners to pause and savor beautiful moments as an essential survival skill.

Testimonials

"Laura is gentle, kind, thoughtful and rigorous--it's clear she's here for us to get the full benefit of what we signed up for." - Gavriella Delgado

"Mountainous in humanity, skill, depth, breadth. That's Laura. As soulful as she is grounded." - Caroline W

"Laura is a magnificent midwife of stories." - Nancy Kramer

Key Takeaways

Healing is possible - even from the most difficult circumstances

Community matters - safe spaces for expression are essential

Beauty is survival - savoring beautiful moments sustains us

Truth-telling transforms - authentic storytelling has the power to heal

Writing is a journey - not just a destination

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In this video, I describe in detail:

* the benefit of writing prompts

* who writing prompts are intended for

* the how: crucial steps in successfully responding to a writing prompt

* why it’s essential to separate the creator from the editor

* how writing prompts can increase your versatility and nimbleness as a writer

* what it means to “go for the jugular”

* why you should never cross out in a first draft

* how to find “the story under the story”

* four phrases that will break through any block and help you access deeper material and get you unstuck

* why it’s essential to read your work out loud

and much more.

As always, I invite you to share your responses or your experience with writing practice in the comments.

How To Get the Most Out of Writing Prompts:

Here’s my advice for how to mine the deepest material in your writing:

This is one of her poems that I’ve often used as the basis of a writing prompt for my students. What I love about prompts like this is that you can take them anywhere.

* Use timed writings and stop when the predetermined time is over. Knowing there is an ending time can give you permission to dive deeply into your writing. Knowing there is a time to stop builds a natural container. Even ten minutes can be intense and revealing. Open-ended writing time can leave you feeling too raw and overwhelmed.

* Explore any issues you may have about writing or keeping a journal. Many people are hesitant to write because their writing was criticized or used against them. Others have had journals read and their privacy violated in the past. Here are some tips to strategize working with these issues.

* Determine the best time and conditions in which you will write. It’s good to have time to digest and process what comes up in a writing session. If you’re writing about any difficult material or you think challenging material may come up, don’t sandwich your writing right between activities and obligations.

* Create rituals to ease yourself in and out of your writing time. Lighting a candle, playing music, sitting in a special spot, prayer, meditation, yoga, or stating an intention are just a few of the ways to mark the beginning or end of an exploratory writing session.

* Consider ways to ensure privacy and lack of interruptions. Privacy is essential. Keeping your notebook in a locked drawer, emailing it to a trusted friend, or writing “This is the private journal of….” are several potential ways to find privacy.

* Carefully choose people to share your writing with. It’s easy to share inappropriately, revealing too much to people who are not able to respect your words or respond well to the intimacy of the sharing.

* Don’t flood yourself by trying to go too fast or too deep. Keep it simple at first. Try one or two exercises at a time. See how they go.

* Start with simple open-ended prompts or ‘safer” prompts before moving on to more challenging ones. Save the most intense prompts or scene writing until you’ve established that you can handle the repercussions.

* Create a realistic self-care plan. What will you do if you feel triggered by your writing? Come up with strategies for self-care before you need to use them.

* Use writing not just to reveal, but also to ground. Consciously choose to write to prompts that enhance resilience, build strength, and reinforce your capacity for joy.

* Re-evaluate the appropriateness of writing as a therapeutic tool if you feel flooded or feel overwhelmed by what you write. Make sure you have the necessary self-nurturing skills and resources in place before proceeding.

* Notice topics you continually avoid as well as your obsessions. What someone doesn’t write about can be as revealing as the topics they return to again and again.

Subscribers, as always, I invite you to share your responses in the comments.

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