This time last week, I was wrapping up a visit to Savannah, Georgia, where I had an opportunity to gather with some of my favorite people – women I’ve coached over the past 8 years through Focused Writers, an online membership community I founded to support budding authors.
I am sunsetting this version of my coaching service as I prepare to launch a new model in 2025.
Our farewell month for the group included this “girls trip” to Savannah.
We strolled River Street, dined at the famous (and delicious) Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room and enjoyed a seafood boil at the beautiful home of our group member Wanda Lloyd.
Wanda invited local Gullah-Geechee storyteller (and recent TEDx Savannah speaker) Lillian Grant-Baptiste to join us for an evening of conversation about the power of oral and written stories, and their role in preserving culture and history. Lillian enthralled us with a performance of one of her works.
And I read my first draft of an inspirational nonfiction piece that I hope spoke to the women’s hearts.
Today, “writing in Savannah” (among other things) is on my To Do list, and I’ve scored a perfect pair of new readers to help me get it done.
Part of that time will include penning some grateful reflections for having had an opportunity since 2015 to closely guide 30+ writers of all ages and stages through some facet of their writing journeys.
From as far as London, and from the East Coast to the West of the U.S.; from brand-new scribes to a veteran newspaper editor; from a global speaker and retired educators to a law professor and entrepreneurs, it has been my honor to mentor them through the birth and publication of their books, blogs, essays and articles; to prep them for traditional publishing opportunities and self-publishing journeys, and to advise how to market themselves and their work.
The most treasured aspect of Focused Writers has been the community of authentic care and support that we collectively built.
Our most treasured “artifact” will be the anthology the group produced – On Womanhood: Connecting and Thriving in Every Season.
My pivot from hosting the group in its current membership format means new and exciting things are on the horizon. (Updates will be shared first with my newsletter subscribers. DM your email address to be added.)
However that unfolds next year, my mutual respect and care for these amazing alums, and others from the Focused Writers community, will endure!
Life Untapped with Stacy Hawkins Adams 