Writing Prompts

“The experience of silence is now so rare that we must cultivate it and treasure it. This is especially true for shared silence. Sharing silence is, in fact, a political act. When we can stand aside from the usual and perceive the fundamental, change begins to happen.” —Gunilla Norris Tell me about a time when […]

“She made of her life an offering, a beautiful gift far greater than the sum of the heartbreaks that had come one after the other. She proved, with her life, that great love can eclipse great sorrow.” —excerpt from a eulogy by Santa Cruz writer, Nancy Grace, for her mother Tell me about someone who

“All I know is that while I’m asleep, I’m never afraid, and I have no hopes, no struggles, no glories — and bless the man who invented sleep, a cloak over all human thought, food that drives away hunger, water that banishes thirst, fire that heats up cold, chill that moderates passion, and, finally, universal

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” – Albert Einstein What are you enthusiastic about?

“People long for the light, and that’s what the books in my store do. They shed light in a time of darkness. That’s why a bookstore is the place where heaven and earth meet.” ―George Whitman, owner of Shakespeare & Company Bookstore in Paris Tell me about a book (or books) that shed light for

“I must say a few words about memory. It is full of holes. If you were to lay it out upon a table, it would resemble a scrap of lace. I am a lover of history…[but] history has one flaw. It is a subjective art, no less so than poetry or music…The historian writes a

“Life goes along without a map and there is no way to turn back.” —Isabel Allende, The Sum of Our Days If you can only see the trajectory of your life looking back, look back now and describe to me the roadmap of your life.

“There are those who try to set Fire to the world We are in danger There is only time to move slowly There is no time not to love.” ― Deena Metzger What does this quote mean to you? What does it mean to move slowly when there is danger?

“I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend.” —Abraham Lincoln Tell me a time this was true in your life or when you witnessed it being true.

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” —Rumi Tell me about what you really love. Not what you think you should love or what you try to love or what you wish you could love, but what you really love.

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” —Audre Lorde What are you doing to care for yourself right now? When you feel under fire or threatened or scared or too many things are piling in on you, what can you do to take care of

“I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings that came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?” —Herman Hesse, Demian Tell us about your journey in trying to follow the promptings from your truest self. What got in your way? When have you succeeded? Failed to do so?

“When we honestly ask ourselves which people in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.” —Henri Nouwen Tell me about a time this

“Any real change implies the breakup of the world as one has always known it, the loss of all that gave one identity, and the end of safety. It is only when one is able, without bitterness or self-pity, to surrender a dream one has long cherished, or a privilege one has long possessed, that

“There’s still something to be said, when you want to really understand something, for slowing way down.” —Luke Dittrich, “Walking the Border,” from Esquire Tell me about the benefits of slowing down in your life—and the obstacles you face to do so.