“The midwife’s job is to do her best to bring both the mother and child through their passage alive and well and to see that the sacrament of birth is kept Holy.The Vow of the Midwife has to be that she will put out one hundred percent of her energy to the mother and child that she is delivering until she is certain that they have safely made the passage. This means that she must put the welfare of the mother and child first.”
~Ina May Gaskin, Spiritual Midwifery
While writing is not exactly like giving birth, there are many elements that can compare this art form to that of pregnancy and birth. In a sense, The Writer’s Midwife is here to assist in the birthing process of written creative artifacts. There are many things the writer’s mind can do to sabotage any creative attempts. Many poems can stay locked away inside dust covered journals. Many stories remain trapped on the tongues of those too afraid to tell them. Sometimes all that is needed is some gentle encouragement…
We offer:
- One on One Coaching
- Private Tutoring
- Workshops/Courses
- Writer’s Circles
Samantha Baldwin
From the time I was little, I have been drawn to and surrounded by books. As a teenager, I eagerly filled up journals with my angst.In 2004, after the birth of my first child, I trained as a birth and postpartum doula. It was my mission to help women have a birth experience that was as close to what they imagined as possible. Later, in University, I became more serious about my creativity with words and switched from a Psychology major to an English major and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 2012. I was quickly adopted into a poetry workshopping group that was made up of mostly published poets. It was then that I met my inner critic head-on. After two years of writer’s block, self-judgment, debilitating comparisons and a constant questioning of the worth of my writer-self, I landed safely on the other side. After helping women in birth and freeing myself from the tight grips of writer’s block I have brought my two passions together. It is from this place that I have a burning desire to help others bring themselves out of those murky waters of self-doubt and realize the worth and possibility hidden within themselves. I invite you to look at my personal blog and writing samples at www.samanthaannewiebe.com
Marsha Anderson
From the time I was 9 years old, I knew I was a teacher. Growing up inSaskatchewan, my family housed 3 foster children. One of these children, Grace, struggled with words on the page. I would sit for hours reading with her, helping her slay her dragon. I wanted her to fall in love with books as much as I had. I did not know it at the time, but I was to follow that path throughout my life. First, I would go to University, then graduation and teaching. Thirty years later, I am still in love with teaching children to read and write for the sheer enjoyment of it I want them to feel like successful writers, to love what they produce, and to become confident authors in their own way.
Surrounding myself with books became an obsession. My mom and I would regularly travel to our favorite bookstores and devour the many fabulous books that we came across. I loved the smell of them! Newly opened and fresh! The words flooding out of the page waiting to be read! We would hurry home with our many treasures in tow and the feeling that we had was nothing short of bliss. Oh, how we loved authors! Today, my daughter and I are continuing the tradition! We revel in our trips to see what fabulous books await us.
It is said that the more one reads the better one writes. Books are your mentors! I continue to be an avid reader but read books differently. I now look at books like a writer might. The language of books is what grabs me. My senses awaken with the use of juicy words and strong verbs. I become the characters. I see what the author wants me, the reader, to see.
I am now opening up a new chapter in my life….writing. However, my inner critic often tells me I suck at writing. She tries to curb my writing and sometimes does. This is when I feel vulnerable and awkward. My pen becomes silent. It waits. Soon, the blank page beckons me and once again I put pen to page.
Do I love to write? Resounding Yes! Do I like what I write? Not always. But for now, I have tamed that inner critic and I continue my passion.
