Panel with Four Authors on Emotional Resilience and Creative Practice

In recent months, we came across 4 local authors with wonderful new books on the relationship between emotional life and creative practice:
- Amy Bernstein, author of Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration
- Sharon Burton, author of Creative Sparks: 21 Affirmations and Inspiration for Creativity at Midlife
- Erica Ginsberg, author of Creative Resilience: Reclaiming Your Power As An Artist
- Frankie Rollins, author of Do You Feel Like Writing? A Creative Guide to Artistic Confidence
We thought: what an incredible array. And what a resource for all of us creatives in Baltimore! What resulted was this one-of-a-kind event, where all 4 authors will come together for a panel, moderated by Leslie Gray Streeter, to share their work, research, and thoughts. Whether you're a veteran creator, just starting out, or at a moment in the middle, this discussion is for you.

Creative Sparks: 21 Affirmations and Inspiration for Creativity at Midlife
- will be available for purchase at the event.

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Amy L. Bernstein is the author, most recently, of Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration, an inspirational book for self-doubting creatives. She is an award-winning multi-genre novelist, a former journalist, and a certified book coach helping authors of creative nonfiction, in particular, find their best path to publishing. Amy also writes on Substack, teaches a variety of writing workshops, and may often be found at conferences and on podcasts discussing writing, publishing, and creativity.

Sharon J. Burton is an artist, art curator, author, poet and certified creative coach and Founder of Spark Your Creative based in the Washington, DC area. She is a visual artist whose preferred medium is collage and mixed media and has exhibited her art in galleries, art venues and other settings across the country since 2007. Sharon has curated a number of art exhibitions in the Washington, DC area since 2006 and has served as an art consultant for novice art collectors. Since 2016, she has focused on helping people in "creative recovery"...those looking to revive or jump start their creativity through group and individual coaching, workshops, her blog and as the host of Spark Your Creative Podcast which features artists and other creatives who are using their unique talents to create more mindful communities and a safer world.
Sharon is the author of Creative Sparks: 21 Affirmations and Inspiration for Creativity at Midlife (Swiner Publishing Company, 2024) which is a guidebook for artists and others who want to launch their creative passions after 50. Sharon has served as a Teacher Artists through Art Works Now, Artomatic, and Del Ray Artisans. ​When she is not working or creating, you can find her hiking in the forests along the East Coast or indulging in Artist's Dates to museums, cafes or spending quality time with her calico cat, Athena.

Erica Ginsberg is a writer, documentary filmmaker, story consultant, and project manager with a dual background in the arts and public diplomacy. She co-founded the Maryland-based documentary film organization Docs In Progress and served as its founding executive director for more than a decade. She co-hosts The D-Word, a peer-to-peer global online community for documentary professionals. As an artist herself, Erica has long been interested in the topic of creativity and particularly the psychology of creativity. She co-directed a film called Creative Feds about several civil servants in the U.S. federal government who moonlight as musicians. She started a blog about how those in the creative arts can develop more resiliency and this led to her book Creative Resilience. The book and the blog help artists navigate the struggles and realities of the creative process and arts careers, including motivation, creative blocks, embracing imperfection, impostor syndrome, time management, and creating realistic expectations, healthy boundaries, and unique measures of success. In addition to working in the arts, Erica organizes professional development study tours to the United States for mid-career professionals from around the world as a Senior Program Officer with Meridian International Center in Washington DC.

Frankie Rollins has worked 41 different jobs in her desire to live a life that centers writing. From demolition worker to bookstore clerk to barista to caregiver to attic cleaner, Frankie has gathered a broad understanding of the human condition, which has taught her that each writer’s experience, imagination, and voice are essential to the human community. Frankie has published a guide, Do You Feel Like Writing? A Creative Guide to Artistic Confidence, and two works of fiction, The Sin Eater and Other Stories, and The Grief Manuscript. After years of teaching creative writing in community classes, as a teaching artist in the schools, and as a full-time creative writing college academic, Rollins launched her own writing coaching business, the Fifth Brain Collective, offering one-on-one coaching, weekly creative memberships online, and live/online classes. Find a way for Frankie to serve your writing dream at fifthbraincollective.com.
Leslie Gray Streeter is an award-winning journalist and columnist for the Baltimore Banner. She is the author of the memoir Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like "Journey" in the Title, the cohost of the podcast Fine Beats and Cheeses, and a frequent speaker on grief. She is also a slow runner, an amateur vegan cook, and a fan of Law & Order. Leslie lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her son, Brooks. For more information, visit www.lesliegraystreeter.com.

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