speaking of community with Laura Munson

the lovespeaks series

Speaking of Community with Laura Munson
Episode #12 / Season Two
On this episode we are speaking about community and what happens when we, or someone we love, isolates. New York Times best-selling author Laura Munson says she wants to start a movement - for people to come together outside of their daily lives and gather to tell their stories using the power of the written word, which is her Haven Writing Workshop she offers AND also the theme of her new book Willa’s Grove. Laura Munson writes about community, and how desperately we need it.

The four characters in Willa’s Grove come together to basically save each other, even though some of them are meeting for the first time. The shared experience between these four women was so powerful for me as I read the book while recovering from COVID. I was literally isolating and reading the book. The message hit me hard.

Laura says she had no idea the theme of Willa’s Grove would be so timely. If you are feeling a need for community, I invite you to listen to my conversation with Laura Munson and read Willa’s Grove! Get the tissues because it broke me, in all the right ways!

Quotes from Laura Munson

I think this year is hyper-illuminated!

I’m trying to start a movement.

It’s a clean slate. (Laura’s Haven Writing retreats) And so people will go very deeply because they feel safe and suspended in time.

The characters were born and that’s when I gave them the steering wheel and hung on!

The characters write the book.

I ask people to open up their hearts and minds to the characters that they resist.

When we resist something or somebody that’s often the exact place we need to go to learn our lessons.

She (Willa) isolates like so many of us when we are going through a hard time.

That’s what’s so fun about fiction, you can have your characters go places you haven’t gone almost so that you don’t have to.

We go deeply into a hot button topic that people don’t want to talk about and that is – Money doesn’t buy you happiness.
We say we are fine when we’re not – when we are bleeding inside.

I want people to read it (Willa’s Grove) and say “I want to do this. I know somebody who is isolating, who is saying they’re fine when they’re not, and who desperately needs to come together in a safe circle. I’m going to reach out to them.”

I think a lot of us have lost our social IQ’s.

Those of us who are extroverts and like to express ourselves don’t necessarily have a really strong filter!

Let’s find radical self-love and love and kindness to all people.

The writing life ain’t for sissies!

I think writing should be up there with diet and exercise in the realm of for preventative wellness.

Some people started making bread and others learned how to knit. I just thought – pen & paper.

Never when I wrote this book did I think the theme would be so timely.

Writers mine their lives.

Part of this book was about wanting to reflect the magic that happens when people come together outside of their daily lives and gather to tell their stories using the power of the written word.

I have every single journal I’ve ever written starting in 4th grade in my office closet here in Montana.

I was the friend that really wanted to talk about the big stuff.

That little girl in her treehouse, or her blanket fort, in her closet in Lake Forest, IL is pretty much the same woman who is speaking to you today.

You’ll Learn:

We need community.

Reach out to people you think are isolating.

Writing is a tough business.

Start your own circle … aka Grove.

Writing heals and so does storytelling.

Resources:

Haven Writing Retreat: https://lauramunson.com/haven-writing-programs/

LauraMunson.com

Instagram: /lauramunsonauthor

Willa’s Grove: https://lauramunson.com/books/

Modern Love Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/style/modern-love-those-arent-fighting-words-dear.html
Haven Nest:https://lauramunson.com/haven-nest/