The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis Podcast

Episode Title:Jack Gilbert's Defense: Poetry on Risking Delight, Accepting Gladness in the Ruthless Furnace, and Making Room for Joy Amid SufferingEpisode Description:In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Jack Gilbert's profound poem that challenges us to embrace happiness and delight even as we remain aware of suffering everywhere. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this essential work, Laura explores Gilbert's argument that denying our own gladness actually diminishes rather than honors others' pain. This episode offers support for anyone struggling with guilt over experiencing joy, seeking poetry that gives permission for happiness amid sorrow, or looking for language that reconciles awareness of injustice with celebration of beauty.What Laura Covers in This Episode:How Gilbert's unflinching catalog of suffering—babies starving with flies in their nostrils, slaughter everywhere—creates the context for his radical argument that we must still enjoy our lives because denying happiness lessens the importance of others' deprivationWhy the poem insists we cannot do without delight and enjoyment, arguing that "to make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil" and that we dishonor both God's creation and human resilience if we refuse gladnessThe stubbornness required to accept our happiness in what Gilbert calls "the ruthless furnace of this world," and how this acceptance becomes an act of defiance rather than denial or privilegeHow the poem's final image—standing at the prow of a small ship, hearing faint oars in silence—demonstrates that moments of transcendent beauty are "truly worth all the years of sorrow that are to come," offering a framework for embracing both suffering and joy as essential parts of being fully humanAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.About the Featured Poet:Jack Gilbert (1925–2012) was an American poet known for his spare, emotionally direct verse that explored love, loss, and the search for meaning. Born in Pittsburgh, he gained early recognition when his first collection, Views of Jeopardy (1962), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, but then largely withdrew from the American poetry scene, spending decades living in Greece and Italy in deliberate simplicity. His infrequent but powerful work, including The Great Fires (1994) and Refusing Heaven (2005), was characterized by its refusal of ornament and fierce commitment to emotional truth, often centering on his marriage to sculptor Michiko Nogami, whose early death haunted his later poetry.Connect with Laura Davis:Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at:https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: Hard Choices: How I Decided to Publish Another Book and Risk Losing my Family.Episode Description: In this deeply personal episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares the essay she published in Publishers Weekly about her wrenching decision to publish her award-winning memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, nineteen years after publishing her last book. Laura takes listeners inside the private calculus every memoirist faces: What happens when telling the truth might cost you the people you love? And as an exclusive for her Substack readers, she shares the actual letter she wrote to her family before the book came out — a document of rare candor and courage.What Laura Covers in This EpisodeThe unexpected aftermath of publishing The Courage to Heal (co-authored with Ellen Bass in 1988) — and the family fracture it causedHow Laura spent two decades as a writing teacher, keeping her own most urgent stories unpublishedThe moment she realized she had a new book growing inside her — and why she kept telling herself she'd never publish itThe line she had to cross before she could seriously consider putting The Burning Light of Two Stars into the worldHow she weighed her obligations to her family against her identity as a writer and storytellerWhat actually happened when she told her family the book was coming — and the range of responses she receivedThe exclusive family letter she wrote before publication — shared here for the first timeEpisode HighlightsThe First Reckoning — Laura traces the seismic family rupture that followed the publication of The Courage to Heal, and how she and her mother spent years finding their way back to each other.The Silent Bargain — For two decades, Laura kept the peace by keeping her most personal stories out of print. She reflects on what that cost her as a writer — and why it couldn't last.Writing in Secret — Scrawling dialogue on scraps of paper in hospital rooms and doctor's offices, Laura describes writing the book she told herself she'd never publish.The Weight of the Question — Laura unpacks the central dilemma facing any memoirist writing about family: How do you honor your truth without destroying the relationships you've rebuilt?The Decision — After years of deliberation, Laura chose to become an author again — and what she did the day she signed the contract is something every memoir writer should hear.The Family Responses — From silence to direct confrontation, Laura shares what happened when her extended family found out the book was real.Joy Tempered — Laura reflects on what the lead-up to a book launch actually feels like when the stakes are this personal — and why she wouldn't make a different choice.The Letter — Exclusive to Substack readers: the full text of the letter Laura sent to her family before The Burning Light of Two Stars was published — an intimate, generous act of courage rarely seen in the memoir world.About Host Laura DavisLaura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find and tell their most important stories. She is the author of seven books, including The Burning Light of Two Stars, winner of the 2021 BookLife Prize, and co-author of The Courage to Heal with Ellen Bass — a landmark work that helped launch the incest survivor empowerment movement.Laura teaches all forms of writing through weekly online Zoom classes, writing retreats at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, and international programs including her Creative Camino pilgrimage in Spain. She publishes The Writer's Journey on Substack and hosts two podcast series: her main writing-focused show and Midweek Pause for Peace, which pairs poetry with peaceful imagery. Her teaching is known for its warmth, rigor, and deep belief that every writer's story matters.Resources Laura MentionsThe Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis — her award-winning 2021 memoir (BookLife Prize Winner) https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis — the landmark 1988 book on healing from childhood sexual abuseSoapbox, Publishers Weekly — where "Hard Choices" was originally published (August 9, 2021)Free Two-Hour Writing Workshop: Flourishing as We Age — Laura's upcoming online preview event. You can register here: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#onlineLaura's Substack, The Writer's Journey: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/Laura's website: https://lauradavis.net/Key Takeaways from This EpisodeThe "safe container" is a legitimate writing strategy. Telling yourself "I'm just writing this for myself" isn't self-deception — it's a way to protect the process while the work finds its form. Many writers need this permission to begin.Publishing a memoir about family is rarely a one-time reckoning. Laura's story shows that the consequences of writing your truth can span decades — and that rebuilding relationships is possible, even after rupture.The decision to pu

Episode Title:Julia Fehrenbacher's Rays of Kindness: Poetry on Imagining Kindness as the Water We Drink, the Air We Breathe, and the River Through EverythingEpisode Description:In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Julia Fehrenbacher's visionary poem that invites us to reimagine kindness not as occasional gesture but as the fundamental element of existence. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this transformative work, Laura explores how the poem challenges us to make kindness our north star, our measure of success, and the river flowing through everything. This episode offers support for anyone seeking hope for a kinder world, poetry that envisions radical transformation through simple acts, or language that reframes kindness as essential infrastructure rather than luxury.What Laura Covers in This Episode:How Fehrenbacher's opening invitation—"Let's let ourselves imagine"—creates permission to envision a world where kindness becomes as fundamental as water, air, and ground, transforming it from occasional virtue into the essential medium of existenceThe poem's call to "pledge our allegiance to kindness, cast our vote for kindness, worship kindness" as a radical reorientation of values that positions human connection and care above all other measures of right and successWhy the image of kindness as "the river that flows through everything" and "rays of kindness that reach out and out and out" suggests that acts of care create expanding circles of influence, each compliment and warm smile and reaching hand generating more kindness downstreamHow the poem's closing vision of "sky that opens wide and waters every parched inch of this holy, hurting world" acknowledges both the world's wounds and its sacredness, offering kindness as the water that nourishes what is parched rather than what is already flourishingAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.About the Featured Poet:Julia Fehrenbacher is a poet, an author, a life coach, a teacher, a regular practicer of yoga, and a sometimes-painter. She is most at home by the ocean and in the forests.Connect with Julia Fehrenbacher: https://juliafehrenbacher.comConnect with Laura Davis:Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

SHOW NOTES:Episode Title: The Stage I Never Planned to Take: Writing as a Path to Courage and ResistanceEpisode Description: In this timely and deeply personal episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis offers both a writing practice and a story of unexpected courage — one that reminds us we have more bravery inside us than we may realize. Recording on the morning of the third No Kings rally, Laura connects the urgency of this political moment to the power of looking back at our own histories to find the strength we need to act now.What Laura Covers in This Episode:Why the current political climate makes reclaiming our personal courage essentialA powerful writing prompt for excavating your own history of bravery and resistanceHow writing fleshes out memories and gives them visceral, usable powerThe story behind The Courage to Heal — and why Laura chose a different story to write about todayA raw, twenty-minute free write from Laura's own early years as an out lesbianWhat happened at a women's music festival forty-five years ago that Laura has never forgottenWhy revisiting past courage can fuel present action — and how to make that memory available to yourself right nowEpisode Highlights:Laura opens from Lexington, Massachusetts on the morning of the third No Kings rally — and reflects on the historical resonance of that placeShe shares the Margaret Mead quote that has guided her through moments of collective fear and uncertaintyLaura reflects briefly on The Courage to Heal — a landmark book that came at enormous personal cost — before turning to a less obvious storyA twenty-minute free write takes listeners into a vivid scene from Laura's early twenties: a women's music festival in northern California, a drunk woman, and a terrified little boyThe moment Laura steps between the woman and the child — and what she discovers about herself in that instantLaura organizes four other lesbians to take the stage with her, drafts a statement on the spot, and speaks out in an unwelcoming crowdShe closes by inviting readers and listeners to write their own courage stories and share them in the commentsAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find their voices and tell their truest stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021), and co-author of The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, one of the most influential books ever written for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.Laura teaches weekly Zoom writing classes, leads national and international writing retreats — including Flourishing as We Age and the Camino de Santiago Creative Pilgrimage— and hosts a podcast: The Writer's Journey. Her Substack newsletter, The Writer's Journey, reaches readers and writers around the world.Resources Laura Mentions:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse — co-authored with Ellen Bass (1988), a landmark book for survivorsThe Burning Light of Two Stars — Laura's BookLife Prize-winning memoirFlourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — Laura's upcoming June retreat at an oceanfront retreat center in Santa Cruz, California https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/A free two-hour introductory workshop based on the concepts explored in the Flourishing as We Age retreat. Free and online: April 18th online. You can register at: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#onlineThe Writer's Journey Substack newsletter: www.laurasaridavis.substack.com Laura Davis official website: www.lauradavis.netKey Takeaways from This Episode:Writing activates courage — Putting a memory of bravery on the page doesn't just record it; it re-embodies it and makes it available as a resource in the present moment.Your courage history is real and retrievable — Most of us have moments of moral or physical bravery we haven't thought about in years. Writing brings them back into focus.Courage doesn't have to be grand — The moment that comes to mind may be quiet, private, or unexpected. All of it counts.Collective action starts with individual memory — Before we can show up fully in the resistance, it helps to remind ourselves that we have shown up before.The prompt works — Whether you write, speak it aloud, share it with a friend, or sit quietly with it, the act of recalling a time you stood up with courage can shift how you move through the world today.Episode Call-to-Action:Laura invites listeners to respond to the courage prompt in this episode — and to share their stories in the comments. She also encourages listeners to join her for a free two-hour writing workshop, Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women. April 18th, 10-12 Pacific time, 1-3 Eastern time. It will be recorded for those who can't attend live. You can register here:https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#onlineA weeklong version of this worksh

Episode Title:Rob Brezsny's Blessing: Poetry for Sustaining Hope, Cooking Meals, and Building Community as Democracy CollapsesEpisode Description:In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Rob Brezsny's powerful blessing that honors the everyday acts of resistance, care, and community-building that sustain us through political collapse. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this litany of affirmations, Laura explores how cooking meals, scattering seeds, and gathering kitchen table strategies become sacred acts when democracy crumbles. This episode offers support for anyone feeling exhausted by resistance work, seeking poetry that blesses ordinary acts of care, or looking for language that transforms daily choices into revolutionary practice.What Laura Covers in This Episode:How Brezsny transforms mundane acts—cooking meals, tending healing hands, rising on quiet mornings—into blessed resistance when performed against the backdrop of collapsing democracy and empire's breakingThe poem's recognition of multiple forms of survival work: preserving stories others would erase, careful documentation of what must not be lost, protecting small and wild things, and building bridges between wounded communitiesWhy "strategic joy deployed against despair" and "kitchen table strategies where sly revolution simmers" reframe pleasure and community care as tactical choices rather than indulgences or distractions from "real" activismThe blessing on sacred rage that fuels redemptive justice, acknowledging that anger at injustice is holy when channeled toward healing rather than destruction, and that sustaining hope when vulgar bullies assault it is itself an act of defianceAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.About the Featured Poet:Rob Brezsny is an American astrologer, author, and musician. His weekly horoscope column "Free Will Astrology," formerly "Real Astrology," has been published since 1980, and by 2010 was syndicated in around 120 periodicals. You can find it here: https://freewillastrology.com/This poem "Blessing" was published on Facebook on March 5, 2025.Connect with Laura Davis:Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast Show NotesEpisode Title:When Ambition Loosens Its Grip: On Aging, Endings, and the Change That Finally Found MeEpisode Description:What happens when the drive that has defined your entire creative life begins to shift — not through loss, but through something quieter and more surprising? In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares an essay born from her own writing class, exploring endings, ambition, and the unexpected season of change that has arrived in her 70th year. This is essential listening for any writer — or human — navigating the tension between who they've always been and who they're becoming.What Laura Covers in This Episode:A stunning excerpt from writer Patti Digh that reframes endings as invitations rather than lossesA writing exercise on endings that Laura uses with her students — and writes herselfA candid look at the long list of endings Laura has lived through across her lifetimeThe surprising subject that didn't make her initial list — and why it matters most right nowWhat it means when lifelong ambition begins to transform from the inside outHow Laura's relationship to work, time, and creative output has quietly, profoundly changedThe difference between drive disappearing and drive evolvingWhat it looks like to let go of projects, plans, and "should-dos" — with relief instead of guiltWhy open space has become as essential to Laura as the writing and teaching that has shaped her work life for decadesEpisode Highlights:The Endings Exercise — Laura introduces a powerful classroom prompt inspired by Patti Digh's A Geography of Endings that invites writers to inventory the endings they've lived — and discover what wants to be written.A List That Spans a Lifetime — Laura reads from her own wide-ranging list of endings, moving from profound losses to quiet turning points, modeling the vulnerability she asks of her students.The Ending She Didn't See Coming — The subject Laura chose to write about in depth wasn't on her list at all — and it turns out to be the one that illuminates everything.Still Writing, Still Teaching — But Differently — Laura reflects on what she has and hasn't let go of during a period of deep health challenge, and why her two weekly Substack posts never fell away.The Loosening — Laura pinpoints exactly what has changed: not the love of writing or teaching, but something that was always tangled up with it — and the relief of finally setting it down.The New Architecture of a Day — Laura paints a vivid picture of how her mornings have changed, and why open, unscheduled time has become non-negotiable for her creative life.Crossing Things Off — Not Because They're Done — Laura describes a new and deeply satisfying relationship to her to-do list, and what it means to release a plan with grace instead of guilt.A Sea Change, Arriving on Its Own — Laura reflects on how the transformation she sensed coming for years finally arrived — not through effort, but through surrender.About Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience guiding writers of all levels toward their most meaningful work. She is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and the Midweek Pause for Peace, teaches weekly writing classes on Zoom, leads international writing retreats, and publishes The Writer's Journey newsletter on Substack. Her Creative Camino pilgrimage brings writers together on the Camino de Santiago for transformative experiences at the intersection of walking, writing, and community.Resources Laura Mentions:"A Geography of Endings" by Patti Digh (December 2025 Substack post) — https://pattidigh.substack.com/p/a-geography-of-endingsThe Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis — award-winning memoir (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) — https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-starsThe Courage to Heal by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass — available wherever books are sold: https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Heal-Survivors-Sexual-Abuse/dp/0061284335Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — oceanfront retreat in Santa Cruz, California, June 2026 — https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/A Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago—September 2026 https://lauradavis.net/camino/The Writer's Journey — Laura's Substack newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.comLaura Davis's website — writing classes, books, workshops, and retreats: https://lauradavis.netKey Takeaways from This Episode:Endings are not failures — they are, as Patti Digh writes, invitations that reshape us.The most revealing writing prompt is often the one you least expect. The subject that didn't make Laura's initial list turned out to hold the most truth.Drive and ambition can evolve without disappearing.Open, unstructure

Episode Title:Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" - A Celebration of Unbreakable ResilienceEpisode Description:In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares one of Maya Angelou's most powerful poems, "Still I Rise." Laura pairs this triumphant piece with peaceful imagery to offer listeners a moment of inspiration and nervous system regulation. Drawing from her personal experience of hearing Angelou perform this poem, Laura celebrates this timeless work that honors resilience in the face of racism, misogyny, and cruelty.What Laura Covers in This Episode:The power of Maya Angelou's voice and performance style, drawing from Laura's personal experience hearing her performHow "Still I Rise" celebrates unbreakable resilience and determination in the face of systemic oppression and crueltyThe poem's masterful use of natural imagery—dust, tides, moons, suns, and ocean—to convey strength and inevitabilityMaya Angelou's remarkable legacy as a groundbreaking memoirist, poet, performer, and civil rights activistAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.About Featured Poet Maya Angelou:A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for her work as an author and poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by a Black woman. Some of her famous poems include "Phenomenal Woman," "Still I Rise," and "On the Pulse of Morning," which she recited at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993 and which earned her a Grammy Award. Angelou enjoyed a career as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and singer in plays, musicals, and onscreen. In her work as a civil rights activist, she collaborated with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, among others. The Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient died in May 2014 at age 86.CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS:Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.Subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

PODCAST SHOW NOTESEpisode Title: Embracing a Different Camino: Six Months of Illness, a Saturday Hike, and a September DreamEpisode Description: In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed teacher and author Laura Davis shares her return to hiking after six months of illness during breast cancer treatment. Midway through radiation, Laura laced up her hiking boots and headed out to one of her favorite Santa Cruz County trails—and began to reimagine what her upcoming Camino de Santiago pilgrimage might look like. This episode is an honest, moving reflection on resilience, acceptance, and the art of meeting each day as it comes.What Laura Covers in This Episode:Her first hike in six months after breast cancer treatment limited her physical activityThe joy and significance of returning to Bryne-Milliron Preserve in Santa Cruz CountyThe origin story of the Creative Camino—how a chance meeting in Peru with artist and guide Brenda Porter sparked a dreamThe long road from idea to reality: how Covid twice derailed the Creative Camino before it finally launched in 2023What makes the Camino de Santiago unlike any other hiking experienceHow illness has fundamentally shifted Laura's relationship to physical goals and personal expectationsHer safety plan for the September 2026 pilgrimage and why she's no longer attached to walking every mileThe deeper lesson the Camino is already teaching her—before she's even stepped on the trailEpisode Highlights:Boots Back On — After six months of illness that reduced her to barely walking around the block, Laura describes the quiet triumph of lacing up her hiking boots and heading out with her wife Karyn, their friend Mary, and their yellow lab Luna for an afternoon hike.Feeling Strength Return — Laura reflects on what it felt like to stop and rest along the trail, yet still feel her body growing stronger beneath her—a powerful moment of embodied hope midway through radiation treatment.A Dream Is Born in Peru — Laura recounts the 2017 Sacred Valley retreat where she first met Brenda Porter, an artist and skilled guide whose on-the-go watercolor practice captivated her and sparked the idea for a writing and art pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.Covid and Cancellations — Laura describes the painful process of canceling the Creative Camino twice due to the pandemic, finally launching the first successful pilgrimage in 2023—and why the wait made it all the more meaningful.Walking Across a Country — Laura captures what sets the Camino apart from any other hike: the experience of walking through farmland, villages, and cities alongside pilgrims from around the world, all moving toward the same sacred destination.The Van Will Be There — Laura explains the logistical safety net built into the Creative Camino—luggage transport and support vans that meet pilgrims at key stops—and how this year, for the first time, she's genuinely grateful it exists.A Different Kind of Attachment — In one of the episode's most reflective moments, Laura shares the shift in her relationship to achievement: where she once insisted on walking every single mile, she now finds peace in meeting each day as it comes.In Training — Laura declares herself officially in training for the September 2026 Camino pilgrimage—not with bravado, but with quiet, hard-won determination.About Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers transform their lives into powerful, personal stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and teaches weekly writing classes via Zoom, leads international writing retreats. Her work sits at the intersection of craft, healing, and the courage to tell the truth on the page.Key Takeaways from This Episode:Resilience is built one small step at a time. After six months of illness, Laura's return to hiking began not with a grand gesture but with a single Saturday afternoon walk. Writers and pilgrims alike are reminded that the journey back to ourselves often starts smaller than we expect.Meeting each day as it comes is a practice, not a personality trait. Laura describes learning—by necessity—to assess her energy and capacity day by day rather than committing to fixed plans. This is as true for creative practice as it is for physical endurance.Dreams worth having are worth waiting for. The Creative Camino took six years from concept to reality, surviving two pandemic cancellations. Laura's story is a reminder that meaningful creative endeavors often require patience and persistence.Community transforms experience. Whether on the Camino trail or in a writing classroom, Laura consistently points to an intimate writing community at the heart of the experience.Letting go of attachment to outcomes opens new possibilities

Episode Title:Oksana Maksymchuk's Arguments for Peace: Poetry on Denial, Cognitive Dissonance, and Living Through WarEpisode Description:In this episode of Midweek Pause for Peace, host Laura Davis shares Ukrainian poet Oksana Maksymchuk's haunting poem that captures the psychological reality of denial as ordinary life continues against a backdrop of impending war. Through carefully selected imagery paired with this powerful work, Laura explores how we navigate the cognitive dissonance between daily routines and rapid-fire cruelty in our world. This episode offers support for anyone processing the tension between normalcy and crisis, seeking poetry that names collective denial, or looking for language that holds the contradictions of living in uncertain times.What Laura Covers in This Episode:How denial functions as a psychological mechanism when we maintain normal routines—cobblestone streets, festive celebrations, children sledding—while ignoring warnings of imminent dangerThe cognitive dissonance of dipping noses in whipping cream while pretending not to notice phones lighting up with foreign leaders warning of invasionWhy we construct arguments against reality based on what we have to lose: our happy lives, our beloved children, our cherished homes, believing our love will protect us from what's comingThe universal human tendency to believe "it couldn't be" and "war wouldn't dare come" even as evidence mounts, and how this poem holds a mirror to our own denialsAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.About the Featured Poet:Oksana Maksymchuk is a bilingual Ukrainian American poet, scholar, and translator. She is the author of the poetry collections Xenia and Lovy, in Ukrainian. She coedited Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine, an anthology of contemporary poetry, and has published several single-author volumes of translations. Born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, she has also lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, Budapest, Berlin, Warsaw, and Fayetteville, Arkansas. She currently teaches at the University of Chicago.Connect with Laura Davis:Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title:Fear Isn't a Stop Sign—It's a Doorway: Graseilah Coolidge on How Forest Immersion Could Build World PeaceEpisode Description:In this inspiring episode of The Writer's Journey, host Laura Davis highlights the groundbreaking work of Graseilah Coolidge, a former intelligence analyst turned forest immersion guide who believes that the path to world peace begins in the quiet embrace of nature.Laura shares how she discovered Graseilah's transformative practice of forest immersion and explores the powerful insights from Graseilah's TEDx talk, "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace."From her background in nuclear disarmament and international conflict resolution to her profound revelation in California's redwood forests, Graseilah's journey demonstrates how inner peace can ripple outward to create global change.What Laura Covers in This Episode:How Laura met Graseilah Coolidge while co-leading writing retreats in Tuscany and developed a friendship through forest hikesGraseilah's fascinating background as a former intelligence analyst with expertise in nuclear disarmament and conflict resolutionThe definition and practice of forest immersion: spending multiple days and nights alone in the forest with minimal provisions, supported by communityGraseilah's transformative experience in California's ancient redwood forests that led her to discover that peace begins withinHow Graseilah moved from traditional diplomacy to forest immersion as a tool for personal growth and global peacebuildingKey insights from Graseilah's TEDx talk "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace"Graseilah's vision of guiding world leaders through forest immersions to foster reconciliation, trust, and collaborationHow forest immersion awakens presence, awe, compassion, and belonging—essential qualities for changemakersGraseilah's powerful teaching: "Fear isn't a stop sign—it's a doorway"Laura's personal decision to participate in her first forest immersion in California's redwood forestsEpisode Highlights:The Tuscany Connection: Laura describes meeting Graseilah Coolidge while co-designing writing retreats at a stunning Tuscan villa complete with peacocks, olive orchards, and gourmet meals, finding in Graseilah a work partner who is capable, dedicated, hard-working, committed, reliable, and fun.Discovering Forest Immersion: During one of their regular forest hikes with Laura's dog Luna, Graseilah introduces Laura to the concept of forest immersion—spending days and nights alone in the forest with just a sleeping bag and water, supported by community, for profound communion with self and nature.From Intelligence to Inner Peace: Graseilah's fascinating background as a former intelligence analyst with a master's degree in nuclear disarmament and conflict resolution, and how she discovered the limits of traditional diplomacy in creating lasting peace.The Redwood Revelation: Graseilah's transformative experience spending days alone in California's ancient redwood forests without food or shelter led her to a profound truth: peace begins within, not in negotiation rooms."Fear Isn't a Stop Sign—It's a Doorway": When Laura expresses her fear about trying forest immersion, Graseilah offers this powerful reframe that becomes the episode's central theme, demonstrating how we can transform resistance into opportunity.Forest Immersion as Peacebuilding: Graseilah's vision of using forest immersions with world leaders as a tool for fostering reconciliation, trust, and collaboration—moving beyond traditional diplomatic approaches to create lasting change.The Power of Presence and Awe: How Graseilah's forest immersion practice awakens presence, awe, compassion, and belonging—gifts that empower people to reclaim their agency as changemakers and heal themselves and their communities.A TEDx Talk Worth Watching: Laura enthusiastically recommends Graseilah's TEDx talk "How Forests Can Shape the Future of Peace," describing it as powerful, profound, and spirit-lifting during times when thinking about the world can feel depressing.You can watch Graseilah's TedX talk here:https://youtu.be/mvyG_URZEr8?feature=sharedAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience guiding writers through transformative creative journeys. Her award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars" won the prestigious BookLife Prize in 2021, cementing her reputation as both a masterful storyteller and an expert in the craft of personal narrative.Throughout her distinguished career, Laura has led writing workshops and international retreats, helping countless writers find their authentic voices and tell their most important stories.Her approach combines deep compassion with practical expertise, creating safe spaces for exploration and emergence. Laura's teaching emphasizes the connection between personal transformation and creative expression, and she is deeply interested in contemplative practices and experiences th

Episode Title:James Crews' "Interwoven": A Meditation on Grief and JoyEpisode Description:In this Midweek Pause for Peace episode, host Laura Davis shares acclaimed poet James Crews' "Interwoven," a profound meditation on how grief and joy arrive together in our lives. Through poetry paired with peaceful imagery, Laura offers listeners a moment of reflection for both heart and nervous system.What Laura Covers in This Episode:The essential truth that grief and joy cannot be separated—they arrive together like inseparable companions in our emotional livesUnderstanding why we cannot sort our emotions like picking stones from lentils, and what wisdom comes from accepting their simultaneous presenceHow poetry creates space for processing complex emotions and finding meaning in life's contradictionsThe practice of intentional midweek pauses that honor our need for beauty while supporting nervous system regulationAbout Featured Poet James Crews:James Crews is the editor of several bestselling anthologies, including The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy and How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope, which has over 100,000 copies in print. He has been featured in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, The Christian Science Monitor, and on NPR's Morning Edition.James is the author of four prize-winning books of poetry—The Book of What Stays, Telling My Father, Bluebird, and Every Waking Moment—and a book of short essays, Kindness Will Save the World: Stories of Compassion and Connection. James speaks and leads workshops on kindness, mindfulness, and writing for self-compassion. He lives with his husband on forty rocky acres in the woods of Southern Vermont.Connect with James Crews: Read his work on Substack and learn more about his books and teaching: https://jamescrews.comAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS:Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.Join Laura on the Camino de Santiago next September: https://lauradavis.net/camino/Subscribe here: https://laurasavisdavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe