Monthly Archives: September 2010

I just got back from attending the She Writes DC Meet Up that was held this evening at Teaism, Penn Quarter in D.C. It was hosted by Ananda Leeke, and in addition to myself there was another woman writer in attendance named Beandrea Terese. We had a lively conversation about our lives as writers, how we make a living as writers and how we balance writing with the rest of our lives.

We held a book swap amongst us, and there occurred a wonderful synchronicity when both Beandrea and I brought Anne Lamott books to swap. Since Ananda has not yes read any of Lamott’s work, and Beandrea and I were both fans, we spoke about our favorites.

I am so glad that I took the time to come out of the house and drive into downtown D.C. to attend this meetup. I received some inspiration and encouragement and it made me feel happy and proud to be a Black woman writer at this moment in time in D.C. I became aware of how important it is for each of us to tell our stories and to read the stories that each of us write.

So, if you are a woman writer, I recommend that you join shewrites.com and attend a meetup in your local area. What? You don’t see one scheduled? Create your own meetup. It’s a great way to network with other writers, and to get some much-needed inspiration to keep those creative energies flowing.

Last night I made a guest appearance on a personal development podcast called, ‘Reinvent U One Talk at a Time,’ with co-hosts, Diana McCray and Patricia Rivera. This is a Blog Talk Radio show created by two women who are coaches and business development and personal development rock stars. The guests on their show all seem to be women who come from a spiritual perspective, which really resonated with me.

Normally, I’d be a completely nervous wreck before going on a live radio show, but I took the time to meditate first and get grounded and then I just relaxed and let it all go. On Monday night I totally nailed my first Toastmasters speech, so I felt like I was on a roll. That accomplishment really gave me an amazing amount of confidence, so I felt comfortable and excited for the opportunity to share my message.

The cool part is that I got thrown for a loop towards the end of the call. You see, as a courtesy, interviewers often send you a list of the questions they will ask you so that you can be prepared with answers. Well, one of the questions they asked was different than the advance questions, so I had to come up with some answers off the top of my head. I managed to pull it off and then I was able to read the answers that I had prepared initially.

It went well and I was thrilled to no end. I was observing this morning as I was sipping my tea, that all of the things that I have been envisioning, dreaming, planning and praying for are coming to fruition right now. It’s really quite challenging to keep up with everything that is coming my way, but I have not forgotten that I have been blessed to be a blessing to others.

When I get a better handle on the huge influx of work that is on my plate right now, I am going to start leading some workshops in my local area. I just attended a lovely workshop tonight at a local branch library put on by one of my Toastmasters colleagues. He totally inspired me to host some workshops to share my gifts and knowledge with my neighbors.

So, I’ll end by asking you what do you have to give? How can you be of service to your community but using your gifts and skills? I have found that the best way to move forward in life is to help other people to move forward. You have been blessed to be a blessing.