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Nestling into November

Stubborn leaves are still clinging to branches. It doesn’t feel as if winter has arrived, but there is a whisper in the air- a reminder that once the leaves fade and fall, snow will hang heavy on these branches. When the weather gets colder, I find myself wanting to retreat into the warmth of my house, finding comfort in writing, reading and reflecting. I enjoy snuggling up by the fire or wrapping myself up in a warm blanket and savouring a hot cup of cider or tea. Taking time to ‘retreat’ is a vital and necessary act, especially when our personal and professional responsibilities are constantly vying for our time, attention and action.

Despite the impulse to stay in bed, we have to wake up in darkness and bundle ourselves up against the cold. We have to brace ourselves for the long commute to work or school, and after a full day of work, we return home in the darkness. While early nightfall can be a source of melancholy for many of us (including myself), I’ve been thinking about how to embrace it instead of fear its arrival.

Here are some of the ideas I came up with:

A candlelit dinner or board game night:

Invite a few friends over for a game, or enjoy your dinner by candlelight

Create with glow-in-the-dark paint:

See how creative you can get in the dark!

At-home movie nights:

Choose a favourite movie trilogy to watch over the course of the week

Reading by candlelight:

Curl up with a favourite book and read by candlelight

Go for a nature walk:

Observe how different flora & fauna look & sound in the dark

Have a storytelling night:

Choose a topic that interests you (for example: “Grandparents” “Travels” “School”) and invite a few friends to share their stories on the topic of your choice.

Have a listening party:

Take out a few of your instruments (or invite a friend/few friends who play music) and have a jam session. If you don’t have access to musicians, make a playlist of your favourite songs and listen/sing along.

Stargaze:

Drive to the country and marvel at the stars. Or, just bring a thermos out to your backyard and gaze at the moon.

I’d love for you to share some of your own “embracing darkness” ideas with me!

There is a reverence that accompanies darkness.

A time for reflection and silence.

A time to quieten your thoughts.

I hope that you find your own unique ways of nestling into November.

AGA KHAN MUSEUM: Sheniz Janmohamed & Guests

The Aga Khan Museum has commissioned me to curate three spoken word events featuring incredible poetic talent and brilliant musicians. I will be the consistent feature for all 3 shows, and will be sharing the stage with 3 guest poets/storytellers. Witness the magic that happens when poets are accompanied by world class musicians.

Open Mic: After the formal component of the evening, audience members will have an opportunity to sign up to participate in the open mic (read a poem, tell a story, sing a song!)

Sign-up for the open mic begins at 7pm at the entrance of the Aga Khan Auditorium. Be there early! Limited spaces available.

Tickets $20.00/ 10% off for members!

BUY TICKETS HERE.

UPCOMING FEATURES:

December 10th, 8pm: Honouring Rumi

Guest Storyteller: Ariel Balevi

Musicians: Ravi Naimpally on Tabla, Ernie Tollar on Nay/Bansuri

The Comforts of Autumn

October is the month when we turn the corner. Days become shorter, the breeze has a bite to it, and we stay curled up in bed a little bit longer. In September, we are still holding onto summer days and warmer evenings. In October, the fiery leaves remind us to embrace change. Leaves fall without having a choice but to fall, and we have no choice but to let go. However, there is comfort in letting go. There is strength in knowing what we can draw from to find comfort. The key for me has always been about balance– I find that I’m either diving head first into the deep end, or standing on the shore, not willing to even dip my toes in. Autumn is a bridge between summer and winter– and it doesn’t have to be a painful walk, if we know what we’re willing to leave behind.

Creature Comforts: things that contribute to bodily comfort and ease of mind, as food, warmth, or sleep.

As we prepare for cooler months ahead, we seek warmth and comfort from within and without. While we associate our ‘creature comforts’ with our weaknesses, the origin of the word “comfort” has its roots in the word ‘strength’ ( from com- (expressing intensive force) + Latin fortis ‘strong’). Indeed, being comforted and comforting others can strengthen us.

In keeping with these themes, I have decided to offer a writing workshop: Creature Comforts. I think that any transitional period requires a revisitation of self-care practices, a renewal of joy, and a reflection upon letting go.

This workshop will encourage participants to:

– Reflect upon the transient nature of autumn

– Honour the transition from Fall to Winter

– Examine our self-care practices

– Determine how we comfort ourselves and others by writing poems to find comfort in

– Explore questions of comfort vs. discomfort and comfort vs. complacency

– Analyze the etymology of the word “Comfort” and how it changes our relationship to the things we find comfort in.

– Express gratitude for our ‘creature comforts’

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:

REGISTER HERE.

GIVEAWAY:

The 5th person to register will win a prize pack courtesy of Nadiya Virani Design.

Join us in embracing Autumn!

Creature Comforts: The Instagram Challenge

In honour of my upcoming autumnal workshop, Creature Comforts, I decided to set an inspirational challenge for myself (and for all the lovely folks who’d like to participate on Instagram).

From October 1st to October 15th, I will be using the word prompts below to capture images that reflect my thoughts, experiences and inspirations related to my ‘creature comforts’. I hope you will join me in discovering your own.

Feel free to participate in all the prompts, or a just a handful. You can also use the words as tiny writing prompts if you prefer. All I ask is that you sit with the uncertainty that autumn brings, and document it as a reminder for yourself and those around you.

Don’t forget to use the hashtag: #creaturecomforts15

Schooling in September

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimmer of red, a smudge of gold, a hint of rust. September has stamped its presence on a handful of leaves. The garden is fading into fire. How did this happen so quickly? There were many wonderful summer moments left to experience. Although the weather is still warm (read: humid), there are reminders of autumn everywhere.

Reminders of transformation, change, impermanence.

There is a sense of loss but there is also the excitement that comes with the start of a new school year. I may have graduated eons ago, but it still feels like the year begins in September. Fresh notebooks, new ballpoint pens, crisp lined paper, sharpened pencils, new textbooks, course outlines and the perfect first-day-of-school outfit. Now, I walk into classrooms with armfuls of papers, books and markers. Instead of sitting at a desk riddled with doodles and hardened gum, I stand in front of a classroom and doodle on the board. The tables may have turned, but I’m still learning.

In honour of this lifelong journey of learning, I have decided to school myself this September. I’m listening to the audiobook version of “Landmarks” by Robert Macfarlane (a luminous book) and the print copy is on its way. My intention is to listen and read–but to also to write and respond. I want to enter into a dialogue with text to learn from it, not to critique it.

Perhaps I will stroll through the campus grounds of my alma mater, and pretend that I am a student once again. I will plop myself down at a carrel in the library, open my book and read the following:

“Certain books, though, like certain landscapes, stay with us even when we have left them, changing not just our weathers but our climates.”

-Robert Macfarlane, Landmarks

How will you school yourself in September?

Wishing you a spectacular September,

Adjusting in August

August is summer’s last glory- hot, humid days dripping with golden sunshine. Gardens and parks overflowing with blooms and butterflies. Children delighting in cool treats and warm evenings, making every moment count before they have to fill their backpacks with pencils and notebooks.

There’s something about this month that eases us into the fall. It gently moves us from hazy hammock days to afternoons filled with plans and projects. It’s a month of preparing for transitions, for anticipating change. It’s a month that requires us to soak up every moment of summer, basking in its scents and sounds- from the cicadas humming at night to the scent of firewood burning.

Take every moment and hold it like a gem.

A tiny writing prompt:

Three Questions

What do I intend to achieve this August?

What do I want to let go of by the end of August?

What will I take with me?

Write these questions in your journal, and respond in a way feels authentic to your creative process. Draw, collage, paint, write…the list goes on. Have fun with it (and feel free to send me a note to share your process).

And if you want to take your writing further, join me at Writing Ritual, my second workshop offering at Artscape Youngplace. We’ll be exploring our daily rituals, from the mundane to the magical. Click here for details & to register.

Hope to see you there.

Wishing you an abundant August,

Writing Ritual: Writing Workshop

REGISTER

Join Arts Educator and Author Sheniz Janmohamed for an inspiring, engaging writing workshop: Writing Ritual.

In this workshop, we will explore how ritual impacts and influences our daily lives and creative practices. We will write “ritual” poems, develop new creative rituals and make our own nature mandalas.

Themes we will explore:

– Ritual vs. habit
– Daily rituals
– Creative rituals
– Developing new creative rituals for our arts practices
– Major life events marked by ritual
– The rituals of people we love and admire (including our “characters”)

WHAT TO BRING:

*Your Ticket to Write
*Your favourite notebook & pen (pens & paper will be provided as well)
*Comfortable shoes for walking
*Sunglasses
*Water bottle/ Travel Mug/ Coffee
*Your enthusiasm 🙂

Materials & Vegetarian/Vegan-friendly Snacks included.

Please indicate food allergies/sensitivies by email:
shenizpoetics@gmail.com
www.shenizjanmohamed.com

What people are saying about Sheniz’s workshops:

“Sheniz is a gifted creative writer who has a unique ability to break down what most of us see as a complicated and involved process into simple digestible steps. She was able to create a safe and extremely warm space where we could share our visions and dreams and explore different ways to express ourselves creatively…She has a gentle way of guiding the students to push themselves, to share more, to delve more deeply and to reflect. My writing techniques have improved dramatically..”

-Toni De Mello

July Reflections

“Your broken heart is your greatest asset”- Paula Wing

Breaking open was certainly my theme for June– I had to break my heart open to fill it to the brim with gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose. Taking part in the Royal Conservatory’s Level III: Artist-Educator Course was an incredibly rewarding and challenging experience for me. Each day, we showed up with the willingness to bring everything we had into the circle. We were encouraged to play, create, share, experiment in a space that felt safe and nurturing. It reminded me of what it feels like to be part of a community- to share experiences that are sometimes difficult and challenging- but to know there is support.

We were given permission to play. We scribbled ideas in sketchbooks, got our hands dirty with pastels and glue, danced, sang and allowed ourselves to be silly and ridiculous. What a joy it is to remember what it’s like to be a child– and to not feel guilty about it.

We also worked on our dream projects, accessing the heart of what we wanted to do. We were given time for creativity and contemplation.

As we stood in our last circle on the last day of class, I felt a sense of accomplishment but also a pang in my gut. I knew that once our circle dispersed, I’d have to return to the isolation that often comes with being a writer who lives outside of the city.

I’ve had beautiful moments of connection through the workshops I’m offering, but they’re only once a week. There is something about waking up every morning to uncertainty and possibility, knowing that you’ll soon be reunited with your creative family.

So, as we turn the corner of June and enter July, I’m feeling a sense of melancholy. While I’ve tried to fill the gap with journaling, creating, planning, and writing, there’s still something missing.

COMMUNITY.

I know that no matter how creative, innovative and imaginative I can be when I’m in the comfort of my own room, it’s not as fulfilling as creating, innovating and imagining with others.

I know that while phone calls, emails, messages, texts and tweets remind me that I’m not alone in this journey, they do not and cannot replace hugs, jam sessions and communal meals.

I know now that I crave community.

I hope that July’s arrival will bring warmer breezes, sunnier afternoons and jacket-free evenings. And I also hope that it’ll bring more hugs, jam sessions, communal meals and creating with new and old friends.

Write to me, if you feel the same way. Tell me how you feel about COMMUNITY, and what you are hoping to do to participate more actively in a community that reflects the kind of life you want to lead.

Wishing you an inspiring July,

Dreaming in June

When June arrives, it feels like summer has arrived.

The light is golden, the breeze is warm, the forests are full and the trees glow green. In June, I like to laze around in the garden, sip iced tea and cold coffee, explore the city and the woods and read books on grassy blankets. It’s a time to recall memories from my childhood summers, and re-live those moments of joy.

May was a wonderful month, filled with spring blossoms and cool evenings. The Spring Verses workshop was a fitting start to the month, as we envisioned what we hoped for in the month of May. On my birthday, I recorded a beautiful poem by Nancy Wood, entitled “Earth, Teach Me” The poem is a request and a prayer, and sums up my wish for this year.

On May 25th, I joined 12 musicians and artists at the Small World Music Centre for a fundraising concert for Nepal. We raised $2,800, matched by the Canadian government for a total of $5,600! While Nepal is no longer dominating our news feeds or timelines, they still need help. Please consider donating to a reputable NGO to support relief efforts.

In late May, I was awarded the Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming Creative Teaching Scholarship. It will be applied to my Level III Arts Education training at the Royal Conservatory (Toronto) where I will be developing an arts education “Dream Project”. I hope that I can share it with you once I’ve completed my training.

Starting June 25th, I will be offering Mapping Ourselves, a four part workshop series, in partnership with the Varley Art Gallery in Markham. Taking inspiration from the Varley Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, Traversive Territories, this creative writing workshop series will involve fun, interactive and independent writing exercises that will incorporate themes of identity, belonging, and a sense of home.

Watch this space for my next workshop offering at Artscape Youngplace. If you have ideas or themes you’d like to explore, drop me a line and let me know!

Also, don’t forget to visit my official Facebook page for your chance to win a beautiful gift at the end of the month.

Wishing you a joyous June,

May Flowers

May has arrived.

I was born in May- a month when the cherry blossoms bloom, when the wind is warmer and you can taste summer around the corner. May is a time for me to reflect upon where I am and where I’m heading. To honour May, I’m offering a spring-themed poetry workshop: Spring Verses: An Afternoon of Poetry on May 2nd. Join me.

It’s also Asian Heritage month- a time to honour the journey of our ancestors, question how we identify and ‘label’ ourselves, and connect with our culture & heritage. I’ll be speaking about my discovery of the ghazal form at Storytellers: The Roots of Form on May 21st.

During National Poetry Month (April), I recorded some of my favourite poems. Click here to listen to them.

May 3rd is the first full moon of May, so be sure to take some time out of your evening to take stock of where you are and what has come to fruition in April.

Wishing you a reflective May, filled with flowers!