Journaling Together: Stories of Strength

Stories of Strength

Literary arts nonprofit Inkberry and REACH for Breast Health have teamed up again to offer women with breast cancer an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings through writing. Two years ago, their collaborative program, called Stories of Strength, paired breast cancer survivors with writers in an oral history project. This fall, a journaling workshop gives women a chance to engage in self-reflection in the company of women who share an experience of breast cancer. Women recently diagnosed as well as long-term survivors are welcome to attend the workshop.

“Women with breast cancer are often drawn to writing, even if they’ve never written before,” says Carol Guernsey, manager of REACH Community Foundation in North Adams, Massachusetts. “Dealing with an illness like cancer makes people examine their lives and maybe realign their goals and priorities,” she adds. “Writing and the creative arts are one way to do that.” Women who already keep a journal or diary may benefit from the camaraderie of a group setting, she notes, while those who would like to begin writing may find that the workshop provides both structure and inspiration.

Rachel Barenblat, executive director of Inkberry, also in North Adams, says that although the previous oral history project was a “real success,” it was time and labor intensive. “The journal workshop allows us to reach more women,” she explains. The workshop is free; a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a subsidiary of the Mass. Cultural Council, helped fund the project. Poet and TWT contributing editor Michelle Gillett leads the workshop, which she hopes will encourage women to “write diary entries, letters, poems, any form really, to express something that’s important to them.” Writing may be shared with the group or kept private. Inkberry will host a social reception and, perhaps, a reading to conclude the workshop.

Barenblat believes that writing helps combat a sense of powerlessness that illness can produce. “Telling your story allows you to take control over difficult life events,” she says “You decide on the language to use, the weight to give to different aspects of your experience. “It’s a powerful tool.”