Wouldn’t it be nice to hold your grief in a new way? Together we will draw cards and make a tiny book, helping us condense something big into something material. (I know it may sound complicated and sad but I promise we’re going to let in a little sunshine) Each card we draw from our deck will be used as a prompt for our tiny book of grief.
The book you make during our time together will serve as a beautifully imperfect “single printing” of your tiny book OR you can treat it like a draft and continue working on your grief zine or chapbook beyond the workshop.
Note: While we are working with the big theme of grief, I encourage you to pick an area of your grief that you are ready to play with and be in communication with so you may use the workshop time as a safe container for play. Although will be working collectively during the live call, we will not do any communal sharing during the prompts section. Please bring your whole self with care.
Required supplies:
- A single sheet of 8 1/2 x 11” paper folded and cut once to make a mini book—here’s a short video with instructions so you can make your book in advance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpqvTinDgVM Alternatives to a folded book are: a) a storyboard or grid with eight squares or rectangle sections b) index cards or c) using an existing smaller size notebook or sketchbook.
- A pencil and eraser or pen.
Optional supplies:
- A tarot deck, oracle deck, or deck of playing cards which we will use as prompts. Meli will also display cards on screen so if you don’t have your own deck, you’ll be able to work from these communal cards.
- More pens and pencils.
Meli Walker has been drawing tarot cards and journalling about it every day for the past year, helping her stay connected to creativity as a slow writer living with chronic pain and grief. A former theatre practitioner, Meli is fascinated with artistic process and how we create in community. She loves her role as community facilitator of Writerly Love where she gets to witness writers emerge from hiding and find healing in their creative expression.
Meli enjoys planting food for pollinators and people and living by the forest and the sea on shíshálh, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and W̱SÁNEĆ territories. She considers herself a student of trauma and healing (and tarot too!) and wants very much for anyone reading this to know that while she is no expert, she knows that everything good we do we do together.