“This is really why I made my daughters learn to garden—so they would always have a mother to love them, long after I am gone.”

― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

This event is sponsored by Breathe.Read.Write.

Did you know that increased sunlight triggers birdsongs? As the days get longer and life wakes up from the winter slumber, it’s time to go outdoors and enjoy the aliveness of  Earth’s renewal.  Join us for our pre-Equinox celebration  with a day of park volunteering, nature practices, poetry, and free-writing.

Come at any time between 9:30am-1pm to volunteer and celebrate this local park by helping with gardening and maintenance. Come see early spring blooms and learn about composting. No gardening experience needed and there will be light refreshments provided by the Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association (SPNA).

After volunteering, you can join the Breathe.Read.Write workshop from 1-3pm. We will begin with a nature meditation guided by Lin.   After that, Lisa will read a short poem and invite you to free-write (just let the pen move, non-stop) in response to it.  Then we will listen to each other. Close listening is the day’s main activity — listening to the plants, the garden, the sky, the poetry, ourselves, and each other.

Who: Lisa Freedman

When: Saturday, March 14, 2020

9:30am-1pm: “It’s My Park” Day – Volunteer at the park. Gloves and tools provided, no experience necessary. Refreshments served.

1-3pm: Breathe.Read.Write – Bring paper/your favorite journal and a pen or pencil.

Where: Stuyvesant Square Park (West Side), 16th Street & 2nd Avenue, picnic tables on the south side of the park

In case of rain, we will go to Sunburst Cafe (206 3rd Ave, corner of 18th St. and 3rd Ave) for Breathe.Read.Write. at 1 pm.

Public Transportation: Take the 4, 5, 6, N, R train to 14th Street Union Square

Registration Fee:  No prior registration necessary. We requested a suggested donation of $20 at the event.

No prior meditation or writing experience needed.

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Teacher’s bios

Lisa Freedman received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the New School, where she now offers courses including “It Starts in Silence: A Meditation and Writing Workshop” (in collaboration with the Rubin Museum) and “Writing and Activism.” She started her writing practice about 30 years ago as a way to make sense of confusing events in her life and in the world. When she got serious about her daily meditation practice five years ago, she started to feel more at ease with mystery.

See LFWritingCoach.com or reach out to lisabfreedman@gmail.com for more info.