Writing Warm-Up
First, write about a time when you did something courageous. Some examples:
Did something alone for the first time
Practised self care when you didn’t feel like it
Stood up for yourself or for someone else
Made a difficult decision
Was vulnerable with someone
Rode a rollercoaster; went sky-diving or bungee jumping; travelled somewhere far away
Reading
“Every gym that I have ever loved has been housed within four cement walls; every single one nestled between pillars of steel. Scarborough was peppered with these repurposed industrial buildings, giants that had been abandoned as quickly as they appeared. My capoeira family took up residence in these industrial complexes in the east end, made old shipping headquarters into some semblance of home. In the warmer months we’d raised the garage shutter and let our legs hang off the cement wall, hoping to catch that summer breeze.”
This is the opening to Natasha Ramoutar’s short memoir, “These Four Cement Walls,” which appeared in The Unpublished City: Volume II in 2018. The essay describes how she fell in love with capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian sport that combines song, dance, martial arts, and acrobatics, and the many homes her capoeira “family” has had over the years.
We discussed the piece in terms of the narrator’s arc from thinking of herself as “a quiet, short, thin brown girl” to embodying “that power [she] found so intimidating” on her first day of practice, and how her transformation was enabled through the support of her teammates.
Writing Exercise
Think of a place that, perhaps unexpectedly, has been important in your recovery journey—a place of healing, belonging, and hope. It could be the home of a friend or loved one, a community space like Routes, a hospital, a city neighbourhood, or a place in nature. Use the five senses to describe the place and the people in it, focusing on the transformation that happened for you there.
For example, it could be a day at Routes when you realized you were a good writer, a place where you finally felt free to define yourself on your own terms, or a space where you overcame shyness.
Bonus Writing Exercise
Write a short piece of memoir that begins: Every ___ I have ever loved has been…