Author: Sherisa de Groot

WORKSHOP: Writing Through Life’s Transitions

Dates: May 1, May 3, May 5 Duration: 2.5 Hours | 7:30 PM – 10 PM EST (MAY 1 & 3); 12:30 PM – 3 PM EST (MAY 5) Location: Online Cost: $275 15 spaces available Details Explore the art of using writing as a powerful tool to navigate significant life transitions. Led by an experienced educator and writer, this course will delve into crafting compelling narratives inspired by personal experiences. Participants will learn how to harness the power of storytelling to find healing, transformation, and strength during times of change. Click here for more info and to register for WRITING THROUGH LIFE’S TRANSITIONS.

Dani McClain | Mama’s Writing

By Sherisa de Groot

Mama’s Writing is Raising Mothers’ monthly interview series, created by Deesha Philyaw. How has the experience of raising children shaped your own personal growth as a writer and as an individual? Being pregnant and having a very young child motivated me. I worked on a piece about the Black maternal health crisis while in my third trimester, and it was published in The Nation when my daughter was about six months old. That article became the basis of the first chapter of my book WE LIVE FOR THE WE, which was published in 2019 when she was nearly 3. It’s a book about parenting and it’s a memoir, so everything I was experiencing in my daughter’s early months and years felt like potential material for the book. As she has gotten older, I’ve taken on additional caregiving responsibilities in my family. I’ve also moved more behind the scenes in publishing. I worked as a ghostwriter on a memoir. I’ve served as a developmental editor on some fantastic nonfiction projects, supporting authors who are writing on topics …

Ten Questions for Chin-Sun Lee

By Sherisa de Groot

What inspired you to tell this story? About eight years ago, I spent two consecutive summers in a hamlet in the Catskills, where I was able to observe small town life. As someone who’d lived mostly in large urban cities, I found the ecosystem of a rural community pretty fascinating. On one hand, it was predominantly white, so it was a new experience for me to feel how I stood out. On the other hand, I was surprised by how tolerant most people were toward each other, despite varying backgrounds of class, race, occupation, and sexual orientation. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that within a small confine, you had to accommodate, or the society around you would become dysfunctional. This was also just before the Trump era, and the divisiveness it ushered in, so I’m not sure if that tolerance remained or changed in that community since. In any case, I’ve always had a sociological bent, so this dynamic of compression was intriguing to me, and in my novel, …

WORKSHOP: Love as Liberation for BIPOC Writers

By Sherisa de Groot

Date: April 20 Duration: 2 Hours | 10 AM – 12 PM PST (1 – 3 PM EST) Location: Online Cost: $55 15 spaces available Details In this writing wellness workshop, “Love as Liberation for BIPOC Writers,” Dr. Cecilia Caballero will draw on bell hooks’ assertion that love is an action and practice of freedom. Inspired by hooks’ “All About Love,” workshop participants will explore love as liberation through a guided meditation led by Cecilia, generative and self-reflective writing prompts, and group dialogue. How can love as liberation, the inner work of healing, and the power of poetics strengthen relationships with ourselves, our families, and our communities of color? Participants will also have the option to verbally share their writing and receive verbal feedback from Cecilia. No previous writing experience necessary. Click here for more info and to register for this workshop.

Literary Liberation Has A New Home!

By Sherisa de Groot

Literary Liberation (or LitLib for short) is a private membership creative community and an extension of the work happening here at Raising Mothers. Our resource hub is hosted on Substack and paid members also gain access to our private WhatsApp community. Membership is $12/month or $120/year to provide financial accessibility to more people. Literary Liberation is a community of artists, writers, and activists across multiple creative concentrations working towards our collective liberation. Read more from our About page. Become a member here.