BRW Live on the Beach in Brooklyn on Saturday, 9/21 ~ Goodbye, Summer!

Join us on Saturday, September 21, from 2:30 pm until ..... whenever you like! Here's how the day will flow:

• start to gather at 2:30 pm
• enjoy potluck snacks and delicious sips
• our Breathe/Read/Write circle guided by Lisa with meditation, poetry, freewriting, and gentle musical accompaniment by Oscar goes from about 4 to 5:30 pm
• then we mingle and enjoy the potluck snacks and sips some more
• end-of-summer sunsets are mesmerzing, and our sun is due to set at 7 pm on 9/21
• feel free to linger for as long as you like

This BRW will be a fun, sensory circle with meditation, freewriting, sharing, and connecting with old friends and new. Our friend Oscar will be on hand with his gorgeous guitar and musicianship. If you like, he will back you up when you read your freewrites. And, you never know - I've seen it happen! - a brand new song might bloom out of your freewrite...

Lisa and her beach crew guide all the activities. You can kick back and let your creativity flow.

What's this about a potluck?

Bring your favorite summer treat to share OR pick up some exotic food to share from shops on Brighton Beach Avenue, such as Tashkent Supermarket at 713 Brighton Beach Avenue near the B/Q train exit.

Everyone who wants to enjoy the potluck should bring their own plate, fork, knife, spoon, and glass to minimize our impact on the environment.

Your favorite poem or song or freewrite or story (ocean themes encouraged) are also welcome at the potluck.

BRW at the Beach will take place in the sand of Brighton Beach close to the water. To find us, go to the east end of the Brighton Beach/Coney Island Riegelman Boardwalk. (To orient yourself, Brighton Beach is east of Coney Island, and the east end of the boardwalk is at Brighton 15th Street.)

When you get close to the end of the boardwalk, you will see a sign with a bright yellow Emergency Call Box on it. When you see that, exit the boardwalk and walk down the beach until you see BRW's turquoise sun tarp. That's where we are. If you don't see us, call me at 917 319 4100.

You will receive instructions for travel via the B/Q subway line after you register. If you drive, parking might be a challenge. I can give you some tips about where to look.

What to bring besides your potluck food, utensils, plate, and glass?

• plenty of water - stay hydrated!
• your favorite pen or pencil to write with
• your favorite notebook to write in
• your sweatshirt or other wrap ~ it can get breezy and chilly
• i f you have your own beach chair, please bring it ~ if you need a beach chair, let us know in the registration survey, and we will provide one

What is BRW?

In Breathe/Read/Write circles, we gather, and Lisa guides us into a few minutes of meditation. Then Lisa offers a poem or short piece of prose as a starting point for a timed freewrite. Sharing is optional, and we listen closely to let the writer know what we like the sound of. We don't critique or workshop the freewrites.

Come enjoy this chance to tune into the outdoors, cultivate stillness, and express what arises.

What are people saying about BRW?

Lisa brings together a lovely group of perceptive and mindful writers in her Breathe/Read/Write circles. These experiences are exceptionally valuable for the person as well as the writer, in strong part because of the care, both formational and emotional, that Lisa shares in guiding us through her unique process. Cate D.

In BRW, there is no limit set on your imagination. The bonds developed between students and teacher and self are the richness of these free-writing circles. Rochelle S.

Your method of teaching -- as well as your encouragement -- has inspired me to start writing poetry again, which I used to do years ago. Alma C.

Today’s round of BRW was wonderful. I wish I could do it all the time. Incredibly healing and fruitful. Laura R.

To sit with Lisa and quiet down, then write, is a great feeling....no one knows what will surface, and the sharing is such a relief from the noise of daily nothings. Highly recommended for poets and for all those who feel. Pamela B.

You and the marvelous people of BRW not only inspire and support my writing, but also give me a contaminating sense of joy. Such magic you midwife. Veronica P.

Will we be riding the Cyclone Rollercoater after the BRW Circle and the Potluck?

This activity exists firmly within the realm of possibility.

What if I have questions or I get lost? You can reach Lisa at (917) 319-4100 or at [email protected].

L isa's bio:

L isa Freedman is an author, activist, and professor of creative writing at The New School in New York City. She holds an MFA from the New School and is certified as a mindfulness meditation teacher by Dhama Moon/Tibet House. She founded and directs Breathe/Read/Write, an online community where Lisa weaves mindfulness together with writing and revising. As Lisa puts it, meditation is about listening, listening without judgment, and cultivating the ability to open one’s heart to all that is. She also brings this perspective and this pair of practices – meditation and writing – to her work as a writing coach who offers developmental and editorial guidance on a wide range of projects.

Lisa has taught and presented extensively -- for the International Women’s Writing Guild, New York Zen Center, United Nations, Extinction Rebellion, and many others. Lisa’s poems and prose have appeared in Satya Magazine, The New York Times, the anthology Resist Much, Obey Little, and more.

For more, see BreatheReadWrite.com

Host or Publisher Breathe Read Write