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Linda Mitchell
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“We each were born as a character into a family and cultural story and not always in the roles we would have chosen for ourselves,” she says. “Then fate takes us in unexpected directions. Writing memoir is a way to weave our outer and inner lives to create meaning and trace and direct our evolving identities over time.” What does all that mean for the culture at large? Nothing helps the human race see and understand itself more than such honest witnessing in every corner of the human experience. There is no taboo territory in autobiographical writing, which the author William Dean Howells once called “the most democratic province in the republic of letters.” In her workshops and writing retreats Lorraine presents nuts-and-bolts techniques and examples from successful published works to guide new writers in creating their very best work. Participants learn to find their strongest writing voice, structure their stories in compelling ways, and see their lives from surprising and useful new angles. All these goals are achieved in an informal backdrop of serenity and relaxation. “The ultimate achievement for writers,” Lorraine says, “is to lead themselves, and their readers, to some truth.” Through her business, Lorraine Ash Literary Enterprises, she also ghostwrites and edits books and coaches authors one-on-one. In addition to her books, she has written shorter memoiric works that have appeared in anthologies, including Steeped in the World of Tea and various journals and webzines such as Cairn, Journeys, Ducts, and Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing. Currently, she is working on Missing Mae, a memoir. Lorraine brings her sensibilities as a journalist to all she does. In another professional incarnation, she was an editor/reporter in her native New Jersey and holds a master’s degree in Communications from Fordham University. She worked for the Ridgewood News, Daily Record, and Daily Voice. Her articles and special series have gained global, national, state, and regional attention and awards and have appeared in a number of newspapers, including USA Today. Lorraine is active in the evolving world of stillbirth research and legislation. As a peer grief contact, she also works one-on-one with bereaved mothers of infants. She lives in Allendale, New Jersey, with her husband, Bill, a jazz trumpeter. Her non-literary passions include cooking, yoga, great dramas, and the state of Maine. Lorraine Ash
Julie Lange Groth
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Debra M. Hollinrake
Sharon Kulawiak
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Experience & Education
Julie Lain Trilling
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She did not get here on her own. She has had tons of support, lessons, encouragement and motivation from teachers, counselors, friends and other healers. She has needed a lot of energy from the Universe to grow and change, and now has the opportunity to Pay It Forward, which she considers a tremendous privilege. It’s time to give back. Claire spent many years in therapy sitting across from people with whom she felt very little connection or understanding. Some had knowledge, fewer still had compassion or wisdom. Because of these experiences, her goal is to bring the absolute best to the fore for her clients and students. She views her work as sacred, and an honor. Claire was born and raised in a Detroit suburb to a musical family. She came to NYC after her mother died in 1996 to follow her dream of acting ~ which she did not bring to fruition. Why? Because she did not know my Authentic Self yet, nor had she done the healing and empowerment work necessary to speak from her Truth. Claire spent the next several years working in the corporate and legal worlds, as she figured her Self out, getting clear about who she is. Yet she knew something was missing, and she couldn’t figure out what…. Then in 2004, Claire discovered Reiki ~ and something opened up inside her like she had never experienced before. She felt a connection, a love, a lifting of soul and spirit....it was extraordinary. She sought out the best teachers and most in-depth study she could find. She became a graduate of the Reiki Master program at the Reiki Arts Continuum in 2006, the only two-year course in the country, which required over 400 hours of class and practicum work. She then received her Reiki Master Teacher certification in 2007 in traditional Japanese methods and history from the International House of Reiki out of Australia. Claire founded Miriam’s Well Healing LLC in 2006 in New York, bringing her practice with her when she moved to New Jersey in 2009. Here she is able to create a space where Transformation and Empowerment live, the kind of place she wishes she had found when she was seeking change in her life. She can use her BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan, her certification in Spiritual Counseling and as an Interfaith Minister woven together, for the benefit of all her clients and students. And the Journey doesn’t end here ~ with every new person who walks through the door, connection, compassion and inspiration happen, and she is filled with gratitude! Claire M. Schwartz
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Renay Tripp
Robert Cubby
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Melissa Acuña
John Drinkard
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Our Alliances· American Legion
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