WELCOME TO SMALL BRAVE THINGS SUMMER CAMP
ONLINE JULY 17-21 OR AUGUST 14-18 2023
BROUGHT TO YOU BY WRITERS IN BLOOM & FRIENDS
FORGING YOUR OWN PATH DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO WALK ALONE…
Welcome to Small Brave Things Summer Camp. These two weeks are carefully curated by Meg from Writers in Bloom to bring you a variety of events from Special Guests who are incredible at doing their own small brave things.
As with all Writers in Bloom events, tenderhearted and tender bodied folks are celebrated here. These weeks will gently orient you towards your creativity, offer you connection, and give you the courage to write, and do, your own small brave things.
All workshops and events are suitable for experienced and new writers.
Each session of camp features a different set of guests and events. Here’s the schedule and detailed event and guest information.
Most events will be recorded, so you can still do small brave things with us, even if you can’t attend live. There’s an option to receive only the recordings if you aren’t available the weeks camp is running.
Camp is offered on a sliding scale. You can also email Meg with any questions, help with registration or to join the interest list for a community funded seat.
TLDR/CAMP HANDBOOK (ALL THE INFO YOU NEED IN ONE SPOT)
WHAT IS CAMP?
-
Small Brave Things Summer Camp is for folks who want to write, be held in community, and connect with themselves and their creativity.
Writers in Bloom events always celebrate and hold space for the experiences of neurodivergent, mentally ill and chronically ill folks.
-
Camp is a series of events curated by Meg from Writers in Bloom, featuring workshops from a variety of Special Guests who want to help you do small, brave things.
CAMP INFO
-
Small Brave Things Summer Camp runs July 17-21 and August 14-18. All events will be held on Zoom. Times posted are in EST. You can check event times in your own time zone here.
Most events will be recorded. Only 15 live spots are available per week to keep workshop sizes cozy.
You can sign up for one week, or attend both weeks of camp for a special price. There is also an option to sign up to receive event recordings if you can’t attend live.
Registration allows campers to attend all events. Recordings of events will be available to all campers. You don’t need to register for individual events, signing up for camp lets you attend all workshops that week.
Certain events may not be recorded, and recordings may be edited. See the schedule for more info.
Email Meg with questions.
-
Small Brave Things Camp is offered on a sliding scale.
$200- Come to camp with the support of your fellow campers (limited spots)
$275- Pays for your spot at camp
$325- Covers your spot at camp, and helps support your fellow campers
$500- Do a big brave thing and come to both weeks of camp!
$575- Bring a friend to camp! You’ll cover your own spot, and we’ll be able to invite someone from our community funded seat waitlist to camp.
Recordings only: $100 for one week/$150 for both weeks
Not sure what you should pay? Check out this and thisto help you decide.
Here is a cheat sheet with the codes, in case you’re finding checkout confusing.
Email Meg to inquire about community funded seats.
SCHEDULE AND SPECIAL GUESTS
-
-
Keep scrolling for Special Guest Bios and Event Info.
Camp is curated and hosted by Meg Max, the founder of Writers in Bloom. Meg is offering several events throughout each camp session.
JULY SPECIAL GUESTS
Azul, Zen Alladina, Sara Prisma, Julia Sage, Erica Richmond, Maya Stein
AUGUST SPECIAL GUESTS
Yoda Olinyk, KR Moorhead, Victoria Koops, Jaclyn Desforges, Madhu
SMALL BRAVE THINGS CAMP MIGHT BE FOR YOU IF…
You know, or suspect, that writing is about more than just words on a page, and you want to explore what else there is to it
You’re new to writing, nervous about creating, or you’re neurodivergent and seek ease while you explore
You long for a writing life that is joyful, restful, and sustainable
Writing feels lonely and you’d like to meet other writers and build community
You’d like to write a bunch of new things in a bunch of different workshops exploring different facets of creativity and writing, with a bunch of different facilitators who all want to help you do some small, brave things
SMALL BRAVE THINGS MIGHT NOT BE THE RIGHT FIT IF…
You’re looking for rigid rules, academic instruction, a focus on craft and workshopping
You have a project on the go and really want to work on that
If creating art and community as part of your creative practice doesn’t interest you
You don’t like writing with other people, or sharing your writing
Learning from a bunch of different facilitators feels stressful or annoying
Starting a bunch of new pieces of writing feels useless
Writing with and learning from with neurodivergent, queer, trans and disabled folks feels uncomfortable for you.
A NOTE FROM MEG, YOUR HOST FOR CAMP
This summer, I’m thrilled to host two weeks of online camp where I have the joy of introducing you to many of the wonderful people I’ve met during my writing journey. Some came into my life before this community existed. Others, I’ve connected with through Writers in Bloom.
All of these people have a knack for holding space for new, nervous and neurodivergent writers. All of them, in their own ways, live lives and create art full of small, brave things.
The special guests are different each week. (You can see the schedule here.) Each guest will host one workshop, and most of the events will be recorded so you can watch later if you can’t make it live.
As with all Writers in Bloom events, camp is offered on a sliding scale. Because of the nature of the work involved to put camp together, and because it’s important to me that the people I’ve invited to join me are properly compensated, the price point is higher than at other Writers in Bloom events. I hope that you’ll see the value in this small, brave offering. If you need a community funded seat, please email me to put your name on the list, and I’ll reach out as spots become available.
I’ve put this Summer Camp together with every ounce of executive function I could muster, and I hope you find all the information you need on this page. I welcome you to send me any questions you may be left with.
I hope you’ll come do some small, brave things with us.
Stay soft. Write hard.
Meg
-
Azul (azul/they) is a queer, neurodivergent, Canadian/Brazilian multi-passionate artist, community connector and facilitator based in Tkaronto.
They envision a world where the needs and desires of queer folks, chronically ill, disabled, neurodivergent, IBPOC and youth are not seen as hindrances to growth but the very wisdom through which creative, innovative, healing realities are born.
Azul invites audiences to contribute to the power of collective imagining by planting seeds of healing and optimistic possibility for ourselves and our world through their poetic audio tapestries, activations, music, and storytelling.
They can be found talking out loud to themselves in the Toronto ravines (come on, we all do it), eating homemade hummus with a spoon, checking out way too many (there’s no such thing) library books at a time, and perfecting the perfect playlist.
JOIN AZUL TO MELT AROUND THE CAMPFIRE ON JULY 17 AT 6:30PM
-
Creating using automatic movements and intuitive whims, Sara Prisma specializes in ambiguous abstractions that invite viewers into worlds of curiosity and imagination ✨
Prisma has a passion for holding safer spaces where folks are encouraged to “exploriment” and find adventurous flow, channeling childlike wonder and inspiring inquisitive participation 🍄
She feels strongly that together we have the power to uplift each other, and that intimate spaces where vulnerable creations are made together have emotionally healing effects 🌈
Connect with Sarah
JOIN SARA FOR ART MAKING JULY 18 AT 7PM
-
Yoda Olinyk loves to make people comfortable, which is too bad because she is a poet. Yoda uses the page to embrace her bratty inner child and will always choose truth in a game of Truth or Dare because she knows telling the truth is the most daring thing you can do. Yoda believes poetry should reveal our sharp corners and writes mostly about addiction, recovery, grief, shame, and is currently working on a book about reproductive rights in Canada.
Yoda's poems have been published with Button Poetry, SamFiftyFour, Third Iris, Sky Island Journal, Free Verse, Ink & Marrow, Sage & Cigarettes, and Quail Bell. Yoda works full-time as a writing coach and book doula, and also wrote a full-length, best-selling memoir called Salt & Sour.
Connect with Yoda
JOIN YODA FOR A SACRED WRITING CIRCLE ON AUGUST 16 AT 7PM
-
JACLYN DESFORGES is the award-winning author of a poetry collection, Danger Flower (Palimpsest Press/Anstruther Books, 2021) and a picture book, Why Are You So Quiet? (Annick Press, 2020). She holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia's School of Creative Writing and lives in Hamilton with her partner and daughter.
Connect with Jaclyn
JOIN JACLYN FOR INTUITIVE POEMMAKING ON AUGUST 17 AT 10AM
-
KARA OLSON Kara Olson (she/her) lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and holds a Master's Degree in Art Therapy & Counseling. Since childhood, she has found comfort and joy in creating art through many mediums. When working with clients, she finds art to be an amazing tool for self-reflection and transformation.
Kara has lived most of her life unknowingly Autistic. Since this discovery, she has become passionate about learning how she can best serve the Autistic and disabled communities. She currently offers art-guided coaching to Autistic adults.
Kara enjoys working through an empowerment lens, where she sees every person as a creator with the ability to transmute pain and awaken their inner magic. She likes to remind people of how powerful they truly are.
Connect with Kara
Substack
JOIN KARA FOR A WALK IN THE WOODS ON AUGUST 16 AT 7PM
-
Julia Sage (she/her) MSW, RSW, RYT-200hr.
Sage Heart Psychotherapy.
Julia is a curious, sensitive soul who operates a small private psychotherapy practice where she offers open-hearted counselling for other humans struggling with anxiety. She is a passionate student & teacher of yoga & mindfulness… mostly because they have supported her so deeply on this journey of life thus far.
Connect with Julia:
JOIN JULIA FOR MINDFUL MOVEMENT ON JULY 20 AT 10AM
-
Erica Richmond is a published author and has been writing ever since she could hold a pencil. She is the founder of Open Sky Stories which is community that inspires connection, collaboration, and creative living through writing. Despite her formal training in linguistics and expressive arts courses, it’s her own real life that has provided her with inspiration to write and share her words with others. Follow her on social media or visit openskystories.com to learn more.
JOIN ERICA TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS ON JULY 20 AT
-
KR Moorhead is your friendly neighbourhood trans* non-binary and neurodivergent writing mentor. They have an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where they have been teaching Creative Writing since publishing their autofictional novella, The First Law of Motion, in 2009. As a freelance mentor and facilitator KR runs four week 'crash courses' in elements of creative writing, hosts FLUX (a monthly trans* writers group), and works one-to-one with writers to support them in developing their creative projects.
Originally from Philadelphia, KR now lives in Norwich, UK with their partner and four cats.
Connect with KR
JOIN KR FOR ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? ON AUGUST 17 AT 10AM
-
Madhu (they/them) is a queer Tamil poet, writer, coach & facilitator settled in T'karonto, Canada. They love working with BIPOC, queer, Disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent humans on reclaiming hope, time, creativity, fulfillment and money. They are a Taurus sun who feels a deep connection and yearning for plants, mushrooms, birds, butterflies and more. They are always changing and embracing the chaos and power of change to open portals to new futures.
Connect with Madhu
JOIN MADHU FOR RECLAIMING TIME ON AUGUST 18 AT 1PM
-
Zen Alladina is a South Asian writer, poet, and chaos-brained creator. Her work draws from (yet dreams beyond) history, reimagining the ancestral to contextualize the speculative. A trained arts facilitator and tea sommelier, she has hosted tea-themed creative workshops for Reset Community Centre, East End Arts Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, and more — and she can’t wait to create with you!
Connect with Zen:
JOIN ZEN FOR TEA AND TIME ON JULY 18 AT 1PM
-
Maya Stein is Belfast, Maine's newest Poet Laureate. She moved to the midcoast in the spring of 2020 and lives in Northport with her wife and three cats in a house named Toad Hall. She wrote her first poem when she was 9 years old that was about the life cycle of a leaf. When she’s not writing poetry, Maya likes to look for shards of old bottles, ride her bicycle, eat chocolate ice cream, and weed her garden (though not all at the same time). This summer, she’s trying to grow her own artichokes and go swimming as much as possible.
Connect with Maya
JOIN MAYA TO MAKE TINY MEMOIRS ON JULY 21 AT 10AM
-
VICTORIA KOOPS never stopped playing make-believe and often writes while wearing a tiara. Her books are full of epic adventure and swoony romance, and navigate social issues through the power of fandom and geek culture. Who We Are in Real Life is her debut novel. As a practicing counsellor, Victoria lives with her family in Treaty 4 Territory. Victoria loves to sing off-key, tease her sisters and pretend that she’ll choose a different romance the next time she plays Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Connect with Victoria
JOIN VICTORIA FOR NERDY AND DIRTY ON AUGUST 16 AT
SMALL BRAVE THINGS SUMMER CAMP SPECIAL GUESTS & EVENTS
-
Meg is a queer, neurodivergent, anxious, writer, artist and mother. She is way more fun to hang out with than that intro makes her sound.
Her most recent short story, published in the Ex-Puritan, got her fan mail AND hate mail. Her fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
Meg enjoys being comfortable, using small spoons and forks, reading surprising books, and hanging out with her dog, kid and partner, preferably on the sofa or in the woods.
Meg is very enthusiastic about bringing people (but not too many people) together to do interesting things, which is how you ended up here. She is the founder of Writers in Bloom, and is your host for Small Brave Things camp.
MEG BRAVELY HOSTS SMALL EVENTS AT CAMP EACH DAY! (DOWNLOAD THE SCHEDULE)
CAMP EVENT INFO
THERE ARE 15 SPOTS AVAILABLE IN EACH CAMP SESSION, AND EVERYONE WHO REGISTERS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO EVENT RECORDINGS
NO NEED TO SIGN UP FOR INDIVIDUAL EVENTS. A ZOOM LINK WILL ALLOW YOU TO ATTEND ALL EVENTS FOR THE WEEK YOU ARE REGISTERED.
CAN’T MAKE IT TO CAMP? SIGN UP TO GET ACCESS TO THE RECORDINGS AND ENJOY CAMP ON YOUR OWN TIME.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE SCHEDULE HERE, AND SEE DETAILS ABOUT ALL EVENTS HERE.
SMALL BRAVE THINGS CAMP FEES
Camp is offered on a sliding scale. Email Meg to inquire about a community funded seat.
To keep workshop sizes cozy, there are only 15 seats available at each session of camp. Most events will be recorded, and folks who sign up to attend will have access to recordings of events.
If you can’t attend live, you can also purchase access to event recordings.
Here’s a cheat sheet to help at checkout.
-
$200 (supported by your fellow campers)
$275 (covers your spot at camp)
$325 (covers your spot at camp and supports your fellow campers)
$500 (special rate for 2 weeks of camp)
$550 (Covers your spot at camp and allows us to offer a fully funded spot to a friend.)
-
Can’t make it live, but still want all the goodness of camp?
$100- Recordings for one week of camp
$150- recordings for both weeks of camp
Please note that not all events will be recorded.
Sign up to get the recordings here.
-
I invite you to take a look at this and this to help you decide.
If you want to join us, we want you there. Please email Meg to inquire about a community funded seat.
With thanks to Ride Free Fearless Money and Alexis J Cunningfolk for the linked graphics.
