Are you interested in a Linked Descendants Writing Pod?

Many emotions arise when we research our enslaved and enslaver ancestors. One way to process these emotions, and the new material being excavated in our family histories, is to write: just for yourself, or for your family, for our BitterSweet community, or for a broader audience. Writing and journaling are ways to share our experiences, emotions and learnings; and reading others’ writing is a way to witness and support their journeys. Writing can help us go deeper into the sometimes traumatic events we find, come to terms with the realities of these histories, and enable us to discuss these difficult topics with others. The goal isn’t necessarily to publish, but to document our experiences, and share them in a supportive setting.

Does forming a pod of 4-6 people to share writing about your Linked Descendants’ journeys appeal to you? If so, please follow the two steps below. Writing pods are for Linked Descendants members, are self-managed and autonomous, with each group determining goals, monthly meeting schedule, topics for discussion, or more open-ended sharing of experiences. You would be guided through your first meeting, given general best-practices that have worked for other pods, and receive periodic future support if needed.

We will let you know when we are launching our next series of writing pods.  We typically wait until we have enough interest from individuals with similar interests and availability to meet.

Step #1: Join Coming to the Table and the Linked Descendants group (both are free of charge and have no attendance requirements – but you’ll receive great resources periodically via email). Join CTTT here and Linked Descendants here. (If you have a reason this doesn’t work for you, please reach out to us to discuss).

Step #2: Fill out this form to get on our writing pod list.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Allison & Libby
BitterSweet Co-Coordinators

Please also reach out if you have any interest in supporting BitterSweet in other ways, we welcome your volunteer time (even just a few hours a month is appreciated, eg: newsletter, social media, SEO optimization, WP support, etc.).