As we find ourselves in a time of year where the veil between worlds is thin—Halloween, All Saints Day, Día de los Muertos, and more—let us pause and turn to writing as a practice of self-knowing. In this Day of the Dead Sacred Writing Circle—a small, inclusive, interfaith gathering centered around creative writing—we will accompany each other as we explore ourselves and our lineages through guided meditations and creative writing exercises oriented around death, transformation, and remembrance.

Participants will leave with original, written pieces around the following questions: What are practices that help you feel rooted? Who do you consider to be your ancestors? And how do you honor what came before and what will be?

This Sacred Writing Circle will be facilitated by Gianluca Avanzato, a writer, artist, musician, and teacher from Oneonta, New York who holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and a Diploma in Interreligious Studies.

Everyone is welcome: no religious/spiritual affiliation nor creative writing experience necessary. I warmly welcome LGBTQIA+ folks as well as those who have felt left out or cast out by traditional religious institutions.