Activism for Introverts
Learn to re-enchant, to bring magic back into this dark world
One need look no further than the latest headlines to see familiar archetypes on the rise– the God of War stalking the land; King Midas turning everything to gold, including the food he eats, the children he is meant to protect.
Welcome to Writer In The World, the Wednesday section of Aimee Liu’s MFA Lore. This curated collection of essays on the writing life is written by acclaimed MFA faculty and alumni.
Activism for Introverts*
by Sherri L. Smith
Enchantivism is “activism for introverts,” as my teacher describes it. Dr. Craig Chalquist, PhD puts it simply, “If you want to change someone’s mind, tell them a story.” But it’s so much more than that.
Craig is a depth psychologist who has created a course in how to use dreams, myths and deep storytelling to inspire positive change. He is also a master gardener, which adds an ecological element to the work—our well-being is connected to the health of the living planet. He calls this practice “Enchantivism” because of the need to re-enchant, or bring magic back into the world.
One need look no further than the latest headlines to see familiar archetypes on the rise– the God of War stalking the land; King Midas turning everything to gold, including the food he eats, the children he is meant to protect. Innocents and the nurturing world being reduced to numbers and bottom lines.
I give a crash course on those eight weeks spent studying with Dr. Chalquist. Students learn about the extroverted nature of modern activism: marches, protests, raising voices to be heard and seen. And the quieter process of Enchantivism: soft voices around the fire, the storyteller’s circle, the dreamer.
Enchantivism is sort of like the Slow Food Movement. It’s not the sort of revolution that gets televised. It happens in groups called “heartsteads.” These are small collectives of like-minded thinkers, working from personal and cultural stories to slowly shift the course of society. Slow change— lasting change— is the hope.
The course in Enchantivism is run like a heartstead. Participants sit in a circle and we share the dreams that have been coming to us lately, along with the worries that keep us up at night. We delve into the meanings beneath those dream images, and stories that apply to the problems they reveal. And we talk about ways of addressing those issues, either through a series of actions in the outer world– one of the tenets of Enchantivism— or, as writers, through our work. How can we disseminate healing action through our writing? How can we plant the seeds for ideas in stories that will be retold and pollinate around the country and the world?
That is the work of Enchantivism in writing. It takes ingenuity, some good sleep perchance to dream, and a community willing to be magical and radical at the same time. Small, slow changes, but lasting ones. That’s how we will re-enchant the world.
Sherri L. Smith is the author of multiple award-winning fiction and nonfiction books for young people including the 2021 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award winner, The Blossom and the Firefly and the California Book Awards Gold Medalist, Flygirl. More at sherrilsmith.com
Sherri holds a Certificate in Enchantivism from Pacifica Graduate Institute. You can learn more about Enchantivism and Craig Chalquist’s work at Chalquist.com
SAVE THE DATES:
Tune in to MFA Lore’s Well Published! Substack Live series with hot new authors and industry professionals about the truths and tricks of getting… well published!
NARRATIVE NONFICTION- Live with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ed Humes, Monday, Oct. 27, 12 noon PT.
AGENTS TODAY- Live with veteran literary agent Kimberley Cameron, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 11am PT.
Would you like an MFA-level response to your work?
Becoming a Premium Member of the MFA Lore community will entitle you to Aimee’s written feedback on both your query and up to 5 pages (1250 words) of creative work (plus all other benefits of a paid subscription). Your “Take 5 Packet Letter” will highlight both the Strengths and the Opportunities in your work, helping you determine whether it’s time to “press send” to agents or to reorient your revision. Subscribe at the Premium level or upgrade today.
*Originally published in The Writer in the World Jul 23, 2019.
 |
|
So exciting to see all the Writer in the World posts from our halcyon days at the Goddard MFA program. I am so grateful to Aimee for bringing them back! Sherri is a great friend and colleague, someone whom I have done retreats with in the past, and I have witnessed first hand her Enchantivism workshops. Speaking of which (I plug this with Aimee's blessing!), you can experience Sherri in person on the former Goddard campus in Plainfield Vermont this coming June. She and I, along with Elena Georgiou, former director of the MFA program there, will be convening something magical in the space. To join us, check out twotreeswriters.com.
Love this concept! Thank you!