Search This Blog

Friday, September 23, 2011

Autumnal Equinox
© 2011 Mary Saracino

Red maple leaves
sail through the crisp morning air
returning their brilliant
cargo to the waiting lap of earth
they kiss the soil
goodbye
& bear the darkness
of winter’s biding time
saying farewell to
summer’s heat &
blazing sun
equal parts
hope & death
this day, this equinox, a reminder:
all that rots
returns
renewed

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

MOTHEROOT Memoir Writing Workshop

I'm teaching a memoir writing workshop in Central Denver on Saturday, October 15th. Check out the attached flyer for more info.

Here's a brief overview:

You don’t have to be a celebrity to write a memoir. Everyone has a story to tell because everyone’s life is touched by poignant events and memorable experiences. The birth of your first child. The day you got married. The valuable lessons your parents taught you or the story of their lives. That trip that changed your life forever. The day you were diagnosed with cancer.

For less than the cost of a month’s worth of Starbucks lattes you can learn how to fine-tune an idea, develop your story, and craft a first draft version of a compelling memoir that showcases your personal experiences. No previous writing experience necessary.


Saturday, 10/15; 9:00 AM-1:00 PM; Central Denver   
Fee: $85; Buddy Discount: Enroll with a friend; pay only $80/person



Reserve your place by October 1st
Email: marysar1004@msn.com

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Donna Henes, The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife


Donna Henes’ ground-breaking book, The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife, is now available in e-book format from Amazon.com and other places. Part mid-life training manual, part middle-age manifesto, this powerful book is a clarion call for clarity and courage as we face and transform what it means to be a middle aged woman in the world, today.

Though many of us are no longer occupying our childbearing/child-rearing role, we haven’t yet reached the level of wise elder. In that in-between realm, Henes invites us to claim our sovereignty, embrace our Queendom and assume our rightful agency.

From the very first page, The Queen of My Self rings true. Cultivated in the soil of authentic, first-hand experience, Henes writes (and speaks) with unabashed honesty. Forthright, humorous, tender and inspiriting, this book will enliven your soul and hasten your determination to be the best you can be. It will inspire you to reclaim every remnant of your soul that might have been misplaced, lost, or stolen during your journey from girlhood to womanly maturity.

Henes draws upon her more than 30 years of experience as an internationally recognized urban shaman, writer, and artist. She’s led countless celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies and she’s written numerous books and articles. In short, she’s been around the proverbial block a few times, and because she has, she possesses a wealth of embodied knowledge, which she so generously shares with us in this remarkable book. Her stories are as delightful as they are instructive. Her anecdotes are poignant and real. Her hope is boundless and her keen ability to tell it like it is, is refreshing and empowering.

She writes: “I offer my services as the advance scout.” And, any woman lingering in the shadows between self-doubt and self-reclamation should heed her offer, for she encourages each of us to become the “mature monarch, the sole sovereign” of our own life and destiny.

As the book unfolds, you’ll learn about Henes’ story and the stories of other women, throughout time and from many different societies, situations, and stations, who’ve crossed the challenging river of transformation to created rich, daring and dynamic lives. Henes intersperses folklore,
poetry, myth, practical suggestions, exercises, affirmations, celebrations, rituals,
and invocations to create a must-read handbook.

Whether you’re just entering the middle years of your life or have fully and unequivocally arrived in that grand land of opportunity, the Queen archetype is a perfect fit for the 21st century woman.

As Henes’ notes, the Queen is “Not yet old, yet no longer young, She is a regal Queen standing in Her proper place—after the Mother and before the Crone in No Woman’s Land. She plants Her flag and claims Her space in this previously uncharted midlife territory. Still active and sexy, vital with the enthusiasm and energy of youth, the Queen is tempered with the hard-earned experience and leavening attitudes of age.”

Get ready to savor this gem of a book. Then toss out any of the outdated ideas of how you thought a middle age woman was supposed to act, feel, or live her life. Crown yourself Queen, not just for the day, but for the rest of your precious, splendid life.

For further information about Donna Henes’s work or to request a calendar of
upcoming events, a list of publications and services, and a complimentary copy
of Always In Season, contact Mama Donna at www.thequeenofmyself.com.

To order an e-book or print book version of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife, visit:

Art and Words Editions (The publisher of the E-book)http://www.artandwordseditions.com/home/2010/08/27/e-book-the-queen-of-my-self/

AMAZON


BARNES AND NOBLE

APPLE
Link to the book page in iBookstore (Apple's bookstore app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod). If you don’t have the app installed, it will link to the iTunes pages on Apple's site. 

US store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780982812549

Great Britain store: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9780982812549
Queen Mama Donna Henes