About
I have long been a student of philosophy, religion, spirituality in all its forms, and personal development. I am a lifelong avid reader—it is where and how I learned the most—and also an avid learner.
I was born to an English Jewish mother and an Indian Catholic father, in East Africa. We moved a lot, from Kenya to England and back again, from town to town and house to house, and from one continent to another. The constant moving and the quest for identity have been intrinsic to my life path and search for meaning. I emigrated with my family to Canada from Kenya in 1975 and lived in Calgary for six years before moving to Vancouver.
Over the years, writing has been an immense conduit to empowering myself; it has crystallized a certain self-knowing.
My Philosophy
on Writing:
My classes are about connecting; not critiquing. No one can teach you how to write. You learn to write by reading, and by writing. However, we all have stories to tell; we do it all the time. We all have a need to express ourselves, to be known and understood. We have all experienced pain. We are all utterly unique, and yet we are all human, and experience the same feelings as all other humans. Pain, joy, grief, love, delight, mystery.
I love bringing people together in an intimate way, in a way that strips away the exterior shells and exposes the inner self or core, that part we can all relate to and be touched by. When you have an urge to tell your story, to express yourself through this sacred medium, and you come together in a collective and open yourself, magic happens. It happens every single time; it is inevitable.
I think that what happens in my classes is an uncovering. No one knows what anyone else does for a living, what their social or financial standing is; what their family or relationship situations are. These things may be discovered or shared over time, but they are unimportant in the context of the space I create. No one even knows if you can spell, not even me. Because these things are not the focus here. Rather, what begins to come forward through the writing is the utterly beautiful and vulnerable being that you are; that we all are. I think of it as getting to know each other from the inside out (rather than the ‘backwards’ way it usually happens in society, from the outside in). I am most interested in who you are, what life has taught you; what you might teach me.
The world is a mess and it is difficult to manage the challenges we face as a species, never mind on a personal level. I think this makes it ever more challenging for people to take time to develop and nurture the creative within them. It may feel selfish or self-serving. Yet this is the most important time to do exactly that. We cannot change the world, that is too big a challenge. But by doing your own evolutionary and personal development work, people around you shift and grow, and the impact of that is exponential. First you, then family and friends, and their family and friends; and their communities, and so it goes - and grows. One small act actually can change the world. And you becoming your better self is in actuality a way you can change the world. Writing is a wonderful tool to get you there. If you want to find clarity, healing, self-knowledge, peace, purpose and connection, a writing class is a wonderful place to explore. All you need is pen and paper, and time. Never doubt how your joy and happiness impacts those around you.
Writing & Teaching
I was published by the City of Vancouver in a magazine entitled ‘A Hurricane in the Basement’. I am also one of ten writers chosen to have their work inscribed on a story stone; my stone sits on Kitsilano Point at the foot of Arbutus street in Vancouver, B.C. The piece is entitled 'Vancouver in the Rain'. I have been fortunate to teach at some wonderful places over the years: Langara College since 2003, Roundhouse Community Centre, Hycroft Manor, and to intimate groups in my private writing studio since June 2012. I also had a wonderful experience teaching a workshop entitled "Writing into the Light" in Southern Spain on the grounds of an old mill in April 2016, hosted by Flavour of Spain. Finally, 18 years in, I have realized why and how my teaching matters and makes a difference in the world.
“Thank you so much for another amazing writing course.
I so appreciate the way you facilitate these writing sessions. Sometimes it was hard for people and you always had the right words to say. You are more than a teacher. You are a counsellor and a mentor at the same time.
The structure of the course is so good and I love the way we get to know each other throughout the 8 weeks we are together. This was an amazing group of people and it just goes to show how we all have a story.”— Diane Jubinville, 2022
Courses Taken & Subjects Studied
The Silva Method - Basic, Intuition, Health; Advanced (2000, 2015, 2016, 2019 - and other dates I can’t recall), Harv Eker - Millionaire Mind, Herman Muller - The Art of Reading Faces (2010), Aura reading, Yoga: Iyengar, Kundalini, Hatha and Yin, mindfulness, meditation, meditation through Brahma Kumaris, Ho'oponopono, The Courage to Craft (1999), The Heroes Journey (2010), The Hour Stories (multiple times from 2000-2010, all with Dale Adams Segal), Creative Writing class with Lillian Boraks-Nemetz at UBC, Writing Your Life’s Story Intensive and Writing Your Life Story Advanced (both one week workshops with Marlene Schiwy at UBC - 2003), Jungian Women’s Writing Series (2003, with Marlene Schiwy), Write a Wild Horse with Donaleen Saul at Langara, Booming Ground writers conference with Gary Ross at UBC (2001), Numerology, Creative Awakening, Paint from the Soul to Expand the Heart (various times, starting in 2008, with Anita Nairne), Water Colour painting (various classes and instructors), Drawing, Tarot with Tegan Forbes, Langara - Instructor Skills Workshop (2012), Feminine Power (2013), Gardening (many courses over the years), Caroline Myss: Discovering Your Archetypes (1997), Sacred Contracts (1999); numerous other courses and conferences with Caroline Myss, NLP, EFT, Pranic Healing (1999), You Inc and EASY with Gael McCool, Hynotherapy, women's workshops galore, philosophy, religion, interior design, Instructor Training Program (1990), legal secretarial course (1989), many courses taken via Canadian Legal Education including time management, various accounting, and bookkeeping, and various other professional courses long forgotten. Mostly from the school of hard knocks, meaning none of us in my family had the opportunity for further education until later in life, so what we have learned, we learned through applying ourselves in our work lives, and we always had a strong work ethic. Also, travel - another great teacher - England, Israel, India, Thailand, New Zealand, Spain, UK, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Israel, United States (New York, New Jersey, Arizona, California, Washington, Oregon), Canada and Kenya.
“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”
— Ray Bradbury
“No matter how ‘fictional’ the account of these writers, or how much it was a product of invention, the act of imagination is bound up with memory. You know, they straightened out the Mississippi River in places, to make room for houses and liveable acreage. Occasionally the river floods these places. “Floods” is the word they use, but in fact it is not flooding; it is remembering. Remembering where it used to be. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was. Writers are like that: remembering where we were, what valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place. It is emotional memory – what the nerves and the skin remember as well as how it appeared. And a rush of imagination is our “flooding”.
— Toni Morrison