Friends,

Since the election – which woke many of us up into a world we weren’t expecting – two questions feel important to me: How will we meet this moment as writers and citizens? And how will each of us use our voices as beacons of beauty and connection in the new world?

 On December 6th we welcome poet, spiritual friend and guide, Mark Nepo, into the classroom to consider these questions with us, and to help us carve a path from the heart to the page and into the world.

 Mark is a master teacher, a benevolent soul, and his style of weaving story with poetry, with myth and modern life are transformative. As a writer, sitting in circle with Mark deepens my awareness and my commitment to how I mean to show up on the page, and in life – especially now when the world needs our voices the most.

 27 Powers is pleased to be able to bring Mark to you for an online class which includes in class writing and the kind of deeper discussion that Mark brings alive in his teachings. You do not need to be a writer to join us, only someone who wants to reach into the material of their own life and make something beautiful and meaningful from it.

I’M EXCITED TO BE PARTNERING WITH CHAPTER 510, A NONPROFIT GROUP IN OAKLAND SERVING BLACK, BROWN, AND QUEER KIDS, AGES 7-18.

Chapter 510 is a writing, bookmaking & publishing center that wants every young person in Oakland to write with confidence and joy. Chapter 510 believes that writing is an act of liberation, and that young people transform themselves and their communities when they write and get published, succeeding in work, school, and life.

A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to supporting their free creative writing programs for black, brown, and queer youth.