anupa is attending a writing workshop!

hello pals, family, and supporters!

good news! i've been accepted to the 2024 "Roots. Wounds. Words. (RWW) Writers’ Retreat For Storytellers of Color." (RWW website). i'm sharing this request with a small group of people — friends, colleagues, and readers who have been with me for a long time: please consider making a gift, or contributing financial support, toward this next step that i am committing to as a writer!

i left media in 2018 because i became alienated by the pressure to be public, very online, and reactionary. in the moment this felt like self-annihilation, and i was holding a lot of fear about the future. you might remember i made a podcast called 'burn out' to explore this experience. since then i've been working on myself and my writing — """healing""" lol — in a variety of ways: therapy, daily journalling, self-directed study, listening to music for pleasure and not work hehe, online reading groups, movement and time spent outdoors, dialogue, and lots more. the goal all along was to see myself more honestly on the page, and while there will always be more work to do... well, i've been catching glimpses :))))

and now, after receiving a handful of rejections from mainstream workshops/retreats, i've been accepted to RWW! i'm ready to deepen the connection to my craft and form creative bonds that a solitary pursuit like writing requires. i'm excited to do this in the context of a workshop that nurtures writers from outside of the literary and academic establishments. i applied for this workshop specifically because it cultivates diversity of perspectives, across migrant and class status, as well as connections to the carceral system, while being a supportive space for black and brown, queer and trans writers.

i'll be writing forever, even if it's just for me, but i'm finally committing to the process of writing a damn book. this scares the shit out of me, but i promise to: trust my voice, ideas, and intuition, ward off self-isolation and shame, and honestly edit ego from both my work and my spirit. this retreat is an opportunity to be who i say i want to be. i'll be writing, learning, and connecting amongst a peer group of 11 other writers and the instructor, Putsata Reang.

one day you'll read the fruits of this time and effort. until then, i'm asking for donations to cover the workshop fee of $1050 USD (~$1500 CAD) + a one-week airbnb rental (~$1500) so i can physically retreat during the virtual sessions in mid-january.

it is uncomfortable to ask for this kind of support but i've been working hard on not making fear-based decisions. i'm grateful for anything you choose to give, including kind words!!

thank you so much for being here + gratitude for being a reader!