COLLECTIVE BREATH – Week of Sunday, July 19th, 2020

Number of people attending Facebook (personal portion):

Number of people attending Zoom Meet (group portion):

Introduction:

A transcript of this segment and each subsequent session will be posted (for anyone interested) at http://www.sidewayseight.co which is my main outlet for personal poetry and photography: Sideways Eight Projects.

Hello fantastic people! My name is Jesse James Ziegler. I am the current Poet in Residence for the Bruka Theatre of the Sierra in Reno, Nevada. I am an active poet, special event MC, principle photographer, and now weekly wellness writing workshop host in collaboration with Spoken Views Collective of which I am also a Board Member.

This Weeks Writing Prompt:

This week’s Prompt comes from a phrase I came across while reading an opinion piece in the New York Times. Optimal move. The question came to me, given the current climate, “In the midst of perceived chaos, what is the optimal move?”

Between Tuesday evening and Saturday Morning I had the distinct honor and privilege to work with the Bruka Theatre Summer Camp students regarding the expansion of the annual event to incorporate poetry as performance art. The culmination of our work ‘WE WANT TO BE’ is a piece which was co-written between myself and the wonderful bunch who attended.

WE WANT TO BE

I want for this podcast style personal portion to contain information about famous writers and their quotes as well as, futuristically speaking, local guests to this program who help everyone involved gain a diversity of perspective and positively impact our individual process.

Quote(s) of the Week:

“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just… do something about it. Say something. Have the courage. Have the backbone. Get in the way. Walk with the wind. It’s all going to work out.” —John Lewis

“Stress is our internal response to an experience that our brain perceived as threatening or challenging. Trauma is our response to an experience in which we feel powerless or lacking agency. Until now, researchers have treated these conditions as different, but they actually lie along a continuum. She explains the significance of this continuum, how it affects our resilience in the face of challenge, and why an event that’s stressful for one person can be traumatizing for another.”

—-Excerpt from the book ‘Widen the Window’ by Elizabeth A. Stanley, Ph.D.

Perceived chaos can be either stressful and or traumatic depending on the person or group of individuals and their collective body of experience. It is my hope that this Collective Breath can help unpack and unravel the stress and trauma in the midst of the chaos.

I’m hoping this sharing and vulnerability I’m demonstrating will encourage others who love creative writing as well to open up, by sharing from their innermost, related to the topic provided. I’m hoping we all gain perspective, compassion, hope, and discipline through such organized sharing.

Piece or Pieces of the Week: (3)

CRAVINGS

THESE DAYS UPON US

COMPASSION IN SMOKY SKIES

Next Week’s Writing Prompt:

Which will also be posted across Collective Breath and Bruka Theatre’s social media platforms.

WHAT IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR?

Closing Sentiments and an Invitation

That’s it for my personal portion. If this is where you get off this train of thought, because you checked in to listen, thank you for tuning in and absorbing. I appreciate your time and consideration. If you are here for the Weekly Wellness Writing Workshop group portion via Zoom Meeting, please transition to that application now using the link provided in the ‘Collective Breath’ Facebook Event Page.

Keep writing. Keep your heart open and your mind aware. Keep coming back for more. Keep going. Keep doing. Keep loving and creating. Keep each other safe and sound. Keep it real, and keep the faith. I love you. Goodbye for now.