Cougar Puberty: Writing Menopause as Transformation

Menopause is a profound transition—physical, emotional, and symbolic. Too often, it is framed only as loss or silence. This workshop invites participants to use creative writing as a means of exploration, healing, and empowerment during this transformative stage of life.

Through guided prompts, journaling exercises, and group discussion, we will explore themes such as:

• The body as a changing landscape
• Identity, invisibility, and power
• Memory, cycles, and the symbolism of endings and beginnings
• Humor, resilience, and wisdom
• Writing against silence: telling the stories culture forgets

Participants will experiment with writing. No prior writing experience is required—only a willingness to explore and share. By the end of the workshop, each participant will leave with original writing, new tools for ongoing creative practice, and a strengthened sense of community.

Workshop Outcomes:

• A deeper understanding of personal and collective experiences of menopause.
• Written work (poems, vignettes, essays) that can be developed further.
• Strategies for using writing as a tool for reflection, resilience, and renewal.
• A supportive network of peers who share and honor this journey.

About the teacher:

Kali Meister received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee and an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. She is also an established writer, public speaker, academic and actress. Her writing has been featured in several lit reviews, newspapers and magazines including 34 Orchard, Caduceus, Pitkin Review, Low Explosions, and Knoxville Metro Pulse. She was the 2008-2009 John C. Hodges Writer in Residence for the University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries.

She is the founder of She Wonder Production, a film production company that focuses on the female experience and narrative. Her short films have been selected for numerous regional film festivals including the Knoxville 54 Hour Film Festival, The Knoxville Film Festival, The Chattanooga Horror Film Festival and The Knoxville Horror Film Festival and have won awards for best screenplay, best performance, and best overall short film.

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