The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis Podcast

PODCAST SHOW NOTES

Episode Title:

A Blessing for Uncertain Times by Kate Bowler: A Poem for Anxious Days | Midweek Pause for Peace

Episode Description:

When the future feels unreadable and the news won’t let up, where can we find our footing? In this Midweek Pause for Peace, author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares Kate Bowler’s poem “A Blessing for Uncertain Times,” a piece that meets anxiety with honesty rather than easy reassurance. Paired with calming imagery, this short episode invites listeners to slow down, breathe, and rediscover what remains within reach when so much feels out of their hands.

Laura also extends a warm invitation: food is never just food. She shares details about Explore the Flavors of Your Life, a free Zoom writing workshop she is co-leading with three-time cookbook author Myra Goodman on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to noon Pacific.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

How Kate Bowler’s poem offers comfort for anxious times without pretending the future is certain or the worry unfounded

Why turning attention toward what is close and manageable can ease overwhelm and help calm the nervous system

The blessing as a literary form: how writers can borrow its structure of direct address and gentle invocation in their own poems and prose

An invitation to Explore the Flavors of Your Life, a free food writing workshop with Laura Davis and cookbook author Myra Goodman

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir “The Burning Light of Two Stars,” which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book “The Courage to Heal.”

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners’ emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis’ signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura’s Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis’ Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system’s need for calm.

The Writer’s Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You’ll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura’s writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

Resources

Explore the Flavors of Your Life: Free Zoom Writing WorkshopSaturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to noon Pacific, with Laura Davis and Myra GoodmanRegister here: https://questforeternalsunshine.com/exploring-the-flavors-of-your-life

Listen: Kate Bowler on Hidden Brain, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”Hear more from Kate Bowler in this conversation on the Hidden Brain podcast.Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?i=1000793303400

About the Featured Poet:

Kate Bowler is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and an Associate Professor of American Religious History at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. Her books include “Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved” and “No Cure for Being Human,” and she hosts the podcast “Everything Happens,” where she explores how people find meaning when life doesn’t go as planned.

Website: https://katebowler.com/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: Iron Bladder: I Could Hold It All Day Until I Couldn’t Anymore

Episode Description: For her whole adult life, Laura Davis took quiet pride in her “iron bladder.” Then the damp underpants started. Then the dash from her backyard office that she didn’t win. In this candid, often funny episode of The Writer’s Journey, Laura reads her essay about the problem she wasn’t talking about: urinary urgency and leakage, one of the most common and least discussed health issues facing women as they age.

Laura moves between a reluctant walk down the incontinence aisle at CVS, a long-buried memory from sixth grade involving a public library and a piano lesson, and the moment she finally said the words out loud to her doctor. What she learns next surprises her. Along the way, she models what it means to write honestly about the body, embarrassment, and aging, and why breaking the silence matters.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The slow, unsettling progression from a one-time “fluke” to a pattern she could no longer ignore

How a lifelong point of pride became a source of secrecy and shame

A role reversal in the drugstore aisle she once walked for her mother

A sixth-grade memory that resurfaced with startling clarity

What happened when she told her doctor what was going on “down there”

Her first visit to a pelvic floor physiotherapist, and the questions that reframed everything

Why so many women avoid seeking help, and what that silence costs

Practical bladder-training insights she brought home from her first session

Writing with candor and humor about subjects most people won’t say out loud

Episode Highlights:

The opening confession: Laura begins with an image few writers would dare to lead with, and it pulls listeners straight in.

The lid that slowed everything down: A household annoyance becomes a race against time.

The CVS aisle: Laura revisits a familiar store with a very different shopping list.

Between the stacks: A shy sixth grader, thick white tights, a library, and a secret kept from her mother.

Mr. Moltzer’s piano bench: An unforgettable hour in a room with four pianos and a teacher with an extraordinary past.

“Down there”: The moment Laura breaks her silence, and her doctor’s surprising response.

The private room: Laura’s first pelvic floor physiotherapy session, complete with an anatomy chart, a joke about speculums, and an assessment she didn’t expect.

“She’s going to misbehave”: Why her physiotherapist talks about the bladder as if it has a mind of its own, and how that changes the way Laura thinks about control.

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping people tell their stories with courage, craft, and honesty. She is the author of seven books, including the groundbreaking classic The Courage to Heal and her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars, winner of the 2021 BookLife Prize. Her books have been published in 11 languages and have sold more than 1.8 million copies.

Through The Writer’s Journey, Laura teaches all forms of writing in online classes, workshops, and international writing retreats. Her students come from around the world to develop their voices, deepen their craft, and write the stories that matter most to them. Laura lives in Santa Cruz, California, where she hosts The Writer’s Journey with Laura Davis podcast and Substack.

Resources Laura Mentions:

Johns Hopkins Medicine: Pelvic Floor Therapy: An overview of pelvic floor physical therapy, what it treats, and how it works.Johns Hopkins Pelvic Floor Therapyhttps://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/physical_medicine_rehabilitation/services/rehab-therapy/physical/pelvic-floor-rehab.html

Explore the Flavors of Your Life: A Free Food Writing Workshop: A free two-hour Zoom workshop Laura co-leads with Myra Goodman on Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Pacific. It will be recorded for those who can’t attend live.Register for Explore the Flavors of Your Lifehttps://questforeternalsunshine.com/exploring-the-flavors-of-your-life

The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story: Laura’s award-winning memoir, winner of the 2021 BookLife Prize.The Burning Light of Two Starshttps://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/

The Courage to Heal: The million-copy bestseller Laura co-authored with poet Ellen Bass.The Courage to Heal at Bookshop Santa Cruzhttps://www.bookshopsantacruz.com/book/9780061284335

All Books by Laura Davis:https://lauradavis.net/books/

The Writer’s Journey with Laura Davis (Substack):The Writer’s Journey on Substackhttps://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Laura Davis’s Writing Classes, Workshops, and Retreats:lauradavis.nethttps://lauradavis.net/

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Name what you’re hiding. The problems people don’t talk about are often the ones most worth addressing, on the page and in life. Laura shows how naming an embarrassing truth can be the first step toward changing it.

Tell your doctor sooner, not later. Urinary urgency and leakage are common and often treatable. Bringing them up early can keep a small problem from becoming a bigger one.

Know that a specialty exists for this. Pelvic floor physiotherapists treat a wide range of bladder, bowel, and pelvic issues. Wait lists can be long, so it’s worth getting on one early.

Don’t assume tightening is the answer. Kegels aren’t right for everyone. Some people need to learn to relax the pelvic floor instead, which is one reason individualized assessment matters.

Write the body with honesty and humor. Laura’s essay is a model for writers tackling aging, illness, or shame. Concrete sensory detail, a well-placed memory, and a light touch can turn an awkward subject into a story readers recognize and remember.

Episode Call-to-Action:

Consider a subject you’ve avoided writing about because it feels too embarrassing. Spend ten minutes writing the first line you’d never say out loud.

If anything in this episode resonated with your own experience, talk to your doctor.

Sign up for Laura’s free food writing workshop, Explore the Flavors of Your Life, on November 14, 2026: https://questforeternalsunshine.com/exploring-the-flavors-of-your-life

Share this episode with a friend who might need permission to talk about an embarrassing body issue.

Connect with Laura Davis:

Substack: The Writer’s Journey with Laura Davis, https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Website: lauradavis.net, https://lauradavis.net/

Books: lauradavis.net/books, https://lauradavis.net/books/

Instagram: @laurasaridavis, https://www.instagram.com/laurasaridavis/

Facebook: The Writer’s Journey, https://www.facebook.com/thewritersjourney

Engage: Click the heart, leave a comment, or share this post to help new readers discover The Writer’s Journey.

The Writer’s Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You’ll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura’s writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: Not a One: A Midweek Pause for Peace with Mark Nepo

Episode Description: In this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "Not a One" by poet and spiritual teacher Mark Nepo. Laura pairs the poem with peaceful imagery in her signature style, inviting listeners to consider the identities and stories they've outgrown but still carry. This episode offers a moment of clarity for anyone ready to set down an old version of themselves.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

·       Laura introduces Mark Nepo and shares why this poem inspired an entire writing class

·       Laura reflects on the masks people wear, including the ones built from past pain, dreams, and stories

·       Laura explores the poem's arc toward presence and the freedom that comes with releasing an old identity

·       Laura offers listeners a grounded, imagery-paired pause for the heart and nervous system

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Mark Nepo is a poet, philosopher, and spiritual teacher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 40 years, drawing deeply on his experience as a survivor of a rare lymphoma diagnosed in his thirties. He has published nearly 30 books and recorded 20 audio projects, most notably the #1 New York Times bestseller "The Book of Awakening." His poetry and prose, including collections like "Acre of Light" and "The Half-Life of Angels" (winner of a Gold Nautilus Award), center on themes of inner transformation, presence, and relationship, and his work has been translated into more than twenty languages.

Learn more about Mark Nepo and his work at: https://marknepo.com

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: In a Time of Peace: A Midweek Pause for Peace with Ilya Kaminsky

Episode Description: In this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "In a Time of Peace" by poet Ilya Kaminsky. Laura pairs the poem with peaceful imagery in her signature style, exploring how ordinary daily routines can continue undisturbed alongside witnessed violence. This episode invites listeners to sit with an uncomfortable question about distance, privilege, and what it means to look away.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

·       Laura introduces Ilya Kaminsky and the themes at the heart of "In a Time of Peace"

·       Laura reflects on the poem's juxtaposition of domestic routine against witnessed violence

·       Laura explores the idea of "peace" as something unevenly distributed and often built on distance

·       Laura offers listeners a grounded, imagery-paired pause for the heart and nervous system

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Ilya Kaminsky is a poet, critic, and translator born in Odessa, who lost most of his hearing at age four and emigrated with his family to the U.S. as refugees in 1993. He's best known for "Dancing in Odessa" (2004) and "Deaf Republic" (2019), a National Book Award finalist; the BBC named him one of "12 artists who changed the world" in 2019. He now teaches at Princeton and serves as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

Learn more about Ilya Kaminsky and his work at: https://www.ilyakaminsky.com

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: In a Time of Peace: A Midweek Pause for Peace with Ilya Kaminsky

Episode Description: In this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "In a Time of Peace" by poet Ilya Kaminsky. Laura pairs the poem with peaceful imagery in her signature style, exploring how ordinary daily routines can continue undisturbed alongside witnessed violence. This episode invites listeners to sit with an uncomfortable question about distance, privilege, and what it means to look away.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

·       Laura introduces Ilya Kaminsky and the themes at the heart of "In a Time of Peace"

·       Laura reflects on the poem's juxtaposition of domestic routine against witnessed violence

·       Laura explores the idea of "peace" as something unevenly distributed and often built on distance

·       Laura offers listeners a grounded, imagery-paired pause for the heart and nervous system

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Ilya Kaminsky is a poet, critic, and translator born in Odessa, who lost most of his hearing at age four and emigrated with his family to the U.S. as refugees in 1993. He's best known for "Dancing in Odessa" (2004) and "Deaf Republic" (2019), a National Book Award finalist; the BBC named him one of "12 artists who changed the world" in 2019. He now teaches at Princeton and serves as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

Learn more about Ilya Kaminsky and his work at: https://www.ilyakaminsky.com

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title:

In Defense of Writing Circles Where No Feedback Is Given

Episode Description:

In this episode, Laura Davis draws on more than three decades of teaching experience to make the case for a teaching philosophy that runs counter to conventional writing workshop wisdom. Drawing from her own formative experiences as a young writer in Santa Cruz and her training with two influential mentors, Laura examines what happens in the space between reading raw new work aloud and responding to it, and why that space matters more than most writers realize.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

The Santa Cruz laundromat flyer that led Laura to her first writing circle and her decades-long friendship with Ellen Bass

How a workshop with Natalie Goldberg introduced Laura to "writing practice" and reshaped her entire teaching approach

The specific reasons Laura believes freshly written, vulnerable work is better met with listening than critique

How praise can be just as silencing to a writer as criticism

The role comparison and internal pressure play when feedback enters a room too soon

Why "being heard" is its own form of validation, separate from commentary

A passage from Rachel Naomi Remen on the healing power of simply listening

Episode Highlights:

Laura recalls tearing a workshop flyer off a laundromat bulletin board at age 23, a small decision that changed the course of her creative life

The story of her first phone call and first living-room writing circle with a teacher who would become her lifelong collaborator

How a trip to study with Natalie Goldberg introduced Laura to a practice with no feedback at all, only the words "thank you"

Laura's reflection on the moment a single offhand comment from a fellow writer shut her down for weeks

Her explanation of why new, unshaped writing is especially vulnerable to being frozen into place too soon

A candid look at how praise, not just criticism, can quietly discourage a writer from taking creative risks

Laura's case for why writers need to build their own internal compass, independent of outside approval

The closing reflection from Rachel Naomi Remen on listening as one of the most powerful things we can offer another person

About Host Laura Davis:

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find their voices and tell their stories. She is the author of the BookLife Prize-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars and the co-author of the groundbreaking bestseller The Courage to Heal.

Laura leads writing retreats, pilgrimage programs, and weekly writing classes around the world, including trips along the Camino de Santiago, and hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and Substack publication. Her teaching draws on decades of study, including years of mentorship with Ellen Bass and training in Natalie Goldberg's writing practice method.

Resources Laura Mentions:

The Courage to Heal by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal by Rachel Naomi Remen

Ellen Bass's writing workshops

Natalie Goldberg's writing practice workshops

Laura's international retreats, including programs in Bali and along the Camino de Santiago

Key Takeaways from This Episode

New, vulnerable writing is often still being decided upon by its writer in the moment it's shared, and a poorly timed response can shut that decision down.

Silence after a reading gives words room to land, for both the writer and the listeners.

Feedback offered too soon can freeze a piece into a shape before the writer has discovered what it's meant to become.

Praise, just as much as criticism, can create pressure that keeps a writer from taking creative risks.

Learning to trust one's own work, without needing outside validation, is a critical part of developing as a writer.

Episode Call-to-Action

Listeners who want to experience this style of writing practice firsthand are invited to explore Laura's upcoming retreats and weekly classes, where deep listening remains at the heart of the creative process.

Connect with Laura Davis

Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Website: https://lauradavis.net/

Retreats: https://lauradavis.net/writing-retreats-2/

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: The Republic of Poetry: A Midweek Pause for Peace with Martín Espada

Episode Description: In this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "The Republic of Poetry" by acclaimed poet Martín Espada. Laura pairs the poem, written for Chile, with peaceful imagery in her signature style, celebrating the imagined power of poetry to move hearts and reshape nations. This episode offers a hopeful reminder of why poets are so often the first ones silenced by authoritarian regimes, and why their words matter so much.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

·       Laura introduces Martín Espada and the origins of "The Republic of Poetry," written for Chile

·       Laura reflects on the historical pattern of authoritarian regimes targeting poets and writers

·       Laura explores the poem's vision of a world transformed and unified by poetry

·       Laura offers listeners a grounded, imagery-paired pause for the heart and nervous system

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Martín Espada (b. 1957, Brooklyn) is a Puerto Rican-American poet, essayist, translator, and former tenant lawyer, now a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Called "the Pablo Neruda of North American authors" by Sandra Cisneros, he has published more than twenty books, including "Floaters" (2021), winner of the National Book Award for Poetry, and "The Republic of Poetry" (2006), a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His honors include the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Shelley Memorial Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and his work centers on social justice, Puerto Rican identity, and the working-class experience.

Learn more about Martín Espada and his work at: http://www.martinespada.net

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: Poem: A Midweek Pause for Peace with Muriel Rukeyser

Episode Description: In this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "Poem (I lived in the first century of world wars)" by Muriel Rukeyser. Laura pairs the poem, first published in 1968, with peaceful imagery in her signature style, reflecting on how little has changed in the decades since it was written. This episode offers a moment of connection for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the noise of the news cycle.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

·       Laura introduces Muriel Rukeyser and the enduring relevance of this 1968 poem

·       Laura reflects on the poem's portrayal of information overload and its parallels to modern life

·       Laura explores the poem's quiet call to reach for connection and peace amid constant noise

·       Laura offers listeners a grounded, imagery-paired pause for the heart and nervous system

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980) was an American poet, essayist, biographer, and political activist whose five-decade career addressed racial, gender, and class justice, war, and American history and politics. Her landmark long poem "The Book of the Dead" documented the Hawks Nest Tunnel mining disaster, and her wide-ranging body of work earned comparisons to Coleridge and Neruda from fellow poet Adrienne Rich. Rukeyser served as president of PEN America, taught for many years at Sarah Lawrence College, and remained politically active until her death, including undertaking peace missions related to the Vietnam War and advocating for imprisoned dissident poets abroad. "Poem (I lived in the first century of world wars)" appears in her 1968 collection "The Speed of Darkness."

Learn more about Muriel Rukeyser and her work at: https://poets.org/poet/muriel-rukeyser

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: The Good News: A Midweek Pause for Peace with Thich Nhat Hanh

Episode Description: In this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "The Good News" by beloved Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. Laura pairs the poem with peaceful imagery in her signature style, inviting listeners to notice the good that exists alongside the world's difficult news. This episode offers a gentle reminder that attention itself is a choice, and a source of healing.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

·       Laura introduces Thich Nhat Hanh and the origins of "The Good News"

·       Laura reflects on how media tends to monetize bad news while good news goes largely unpublished

·       Laura explores the idea that each person is responsible for noticing and sharing the good news present in their own life

·       Laura offers listeners a grounded, imagery-paired pause for the heart and nervous system

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) was a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, poet, and peace activist widely credited with bringing mindfulness practice to the West. Exiled from Vietnam for decades after opposing the war, he founded Plum Village in France and authored over 100 books, including "The Miracle of Mindfulness" and "Peace Is Every Step." Martin Luther King Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. "The Good News" appears in "Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh" (Parallax Press, 2005).

Learn more about Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings and the community he founded at: https://plumvillage.org

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Title: Kindness: A Midweek Pause for Peace with Naomi Shihab Nye

Episode Description: In this week's Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares "Kindness" by acclaimed poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Laura pairs the poem with peaceful imagery in her signature style, exploring the deep connection between loss and the capacity for tenderness. This episode offers a moment of grounding for anyone who has found compassion on the other side of grief.

What Laura Covers in This Episode:

·       Laura introduces Naomi Shihab Nye and reflects on why this poem resonates so deeply

·       Laura explores the poem's central idea that kindness is learned through loss and sorrow

·       Laura reflects on how grief can deepen rather than diminish a person's capacity for connection

·       Laura offers listeners a grounded, imagery-paired pause for the heart and nervous system

About Host Laura Davis

Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal."

Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation.

Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world.

Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content.

About the Featured Poet

Naomi Shihab Nye is a Palestinian American poet, essayist, and novelist, born to a Palestinian father and an American mother; she spent part of her adolescence in Jerusalem before settling in San Antonio, where she calls herself a "wandering poet." Author of more than thirty-five books, including "Different Ways to Pray" and "19 Varieties of Gazelle" (a National Book Award finalist), her work explores cultural connection and shared humanity through everyday life. Her honors include Guggenheim and Lannan Fellowships and the Wallace Stevens Award. "Kindness" appears in "Words Under the Words: Selected Poems."

Learn more about Naomi Shihab Nye and her work at: https://poets.org/poet/naomi-shihab-nye

CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS

Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm.

The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.

Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/

Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/

 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe