WAVES:
grief writing & movement circle
poetry ~ movement ~ journaling ~ wisdom
Join Gloria in a 5-week workshop series where you’ll be guided through creative and reflective writing prompts inspired by the poems in her book, Waves.
In each session, she’ll guide you through grief movement practices to shift energy and allow emotions to process through the body, community conversation and reflective sharing, and opening and closing rituals that honour passed loved ones and acknowledge the resilience of your grieving human spirit.
Gloria uses the themes and lines from her book as reflective writing prompts for you each week. It’s encouraged (but not required) to purchase a copy in case you'd like to follow along in your own time and rhythm.
Q + As
What inspired this circle?
My poetry book, Waves: Poems on Grief, was born out of the journaling I had done after the death of my dad in May 2019. Through writing, I was able to capture my emotional landscape of grieving and acknowledge the pain, love, and power in my path through loss. I'm honoured to guide others now in navigating grief. This small group circle is a five-week journey (90-minute sessions) blending guided writing prompts and simple grief movement practices to help you explore, process, and ultimately transform your grief in a supportive environment.
Who is it for?
Ideal for those who have experienced the death of a loved one at any point in their life and are craving a nurturing space for emotional release and introspection.
I don’t mind having the community but I may not want to share. Is that okay?
Yes. Interact how you wish. There will be no more than 10 of us in the circle. You can come camera-on, pen and journal in hand or you can come camera-off, laying on the floor and writing sentences in your head. You may share your writings or you may embrace deep listening and keep your experience all to yourself. However you participate is perfect and totally up to you.
It's your own ‘write’ to grieve, after all.
How do I know that it’s the right time for me?
I believe you are not too early nor too far out from your loss to tell the truth to yourself on paper about what it’s like to be living in it. Only you know if the timing is right to embrace your grief through writing, and if you choose to join us, I trust you to make this experience yours and care for yourself inside and outside the writing circle.
What’s the movement about?
We use gentle, accessible grief movement techniques that anyone can do right from their chair. A little movement helps shift energy and allow emotions to process through the body. The focus is on liberation and expression, not physical performance.
When is the next circle?
I host the circle once or twice a year sometime between September and May. Times and dates are scheduled in consultation with the group to ensure everyone who registers will attend. Please express your interest by submitting your name and email using the waitlist form below.
It felt like being wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket by the fire, or feeling a cool breeze while out in your favorite spot to be in nature. It felt like returning home to my heart. I had space to be with things I didn't even realize I needed to BE with. The tears I cried in the container were always cleansing, healing, tears of release. I'm no longer actively grieving; yet, it was so helpful to see younger versions of myself in Gloria's poems. This experience helped me have words for - and come to a deeper understanding of - what I've been through.
— Ve'Lyn Crosby, Los Angeles, CA; Parent loss
It is a beautiful, safe space that allowed me to gently, kindly, and carefully look into my grief in a way that I can continue working with it for the time that it takes.
— Mari
Grieving is hard but it doesn't have to be lonely. This circle will give you a supportive space to explore and make sense of your grief in ways that will be tender and warm. The prompts from each poem were so thoughtful and relatable to my grief journey. Some of the most profound revelations where experienced not just in my writing, but also in the sharing of writing with our little community. I'm so grateful to Gloria for creating a space that for me was a valuable step in my journey of healing and being in relationship with my grief.
— Lyn-Marie, Toronto; Parent loss
In this busy world it's not often we have the gift of slowing down, but this circle gave me the space to do that. Gloria held our complicated feelings with such grace and compassion and allowed us to feel whatever we needed to feel, to let it all out. The breathing and movement exercises throughout also allowed me to reset and release energy and calm down after facing painful emotions or memories. It's powerful to be understood with no questions asked. Unless someone has lost someone close to them too soon, they cannot relate, and it can be hard to talk to people that just don't get it. Being seen in this way, without any need for explanation, is healing.
— Jaz W, Toronto; Parent Loss