. . . You gave me . . . What you did not have, and I gave you . . . What I had to give—together, we made . . . Something greater from the difference.
— Alberto Rios, Poet, “When Giving Is All We Have ”
The Journal of Expressive Writing is more than a publication. We aim to be an engaged and supportive community of writers and listeners. We believe that giving our focused attention to each other’s voices, stories, and writing is a generous, necessary act of humanity, repair, and celebration.
Each month, the Journal OPEN MIC will open with a featured author, in addition to 15 pre-reserved spots for writers to read their work. During the OPEN MIC, each writer will read for up to 3 minutes max. All events are FREE to attend and OPEN TO ALL, but you do need to pre-register to attend AND you need to Sign Up ahead of time if you would like to read your work. See both links below. The Journal Open Mic is produced and hosted by Kelly DuMar.
Thursday, February 27, 2025
7-8:30pm EST
Louis Bourgeois is the Executive Director of Mississippi Prison Writes Initiative, a non-profit which provides training in basic literacy and creative writing for incarcerated Mississippians and Editor in Chief at VOX PRESS, which just published Unit 29: Writing from Parchman Prison, a collection of writings from over 30 Mississippi inmates housed in the infamously brutal Unit 29 at Mississippi State Penitentiary, better known as Parchman Farm.
Since its founding in 2004, VOX Press, Inc. has devoted itself to supporting neglected and underserved populations in Mississippi through education, literature, and the arts by publishing books by avant-garde authors, organizing and sponsoring readings, performances, and other special events featuring regional, minority, and avant-garde authors, musicians, and artists, and, by providing in-house educational services (remedial, secondary, and post-secondary) to inmates in the Mississippi prison system. VOX’s Prison Writes Initiative provides training in basic literacy and creative writing for incarcerated Mississippians, has been the recipient of the prestigious Mississippi Humanities Council’s Educator of the Year Award, as well as the Mississippi Governor’s Volunteer of the Year Award.
More about VOX Press, Inc. at: www.voxpress.org
Thursday, March 6, 2025
7-8:30pm EST
Nancy Slonim Aronie is the author of Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only You Can Write (Oct, 2024), published by New World Library. The author of Memoir as Medicine: The Healing Power of Writing Your Messy, Imperfect, Unruly (but Gorgeously Yours) Life Story and Writing from the Heart: Tapping the Power of Your Inner Voice, she is Founder of the Chilmark Writing Workshop on Martha’s Vineyard, where she lives.
Nancy has been a commentator for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, Visiting Writer at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and a monthly columnist for McCall’s magazine and multiple newspapers. She was the recipient of the Eye of The Beholder Artist in Residence award at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and won the Teacher of the Year award for all three years she taught at Harvard University for Robert Coles. In addition to teaching workshops on the Vineyard, Nancy also teaches writing workshops and lectures at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Omega Institute, Rowe Conference Center, Esalen, Wain-Wright House, and The Open Center in New York City.
More at: chilmarkwritingworkshop.com
