August Break

CommunityJena SchwartzJuly 28, 2020August break, time off, self-employment, community, CapitalismComment

Day 119: You Will Not Be for Everyone

Community, ObservationsJena SchwartzJuly 10, 2020Comment

Beyond Book Clubs

Community, ResistanceJena SchwartzJune 14, 2020Antiracism, Tre Johnson, Whitenes, white privilege, racism, booksComment

Day 74: "Each of Us Has a Name"

COVID-19, Poetry, CommunityJena SchwartzMay 25, 2020Memorial Day, Covid-19, poetry groupsComment

Sustenance {a poem + local baguette delivery}

Poetry, COVID-19, CommunityJena SchwartzApril 28, 2020Comment

"Huddle Apart"

COVID-19, Poetry, CommunityJena SchwartzMarch 31, 2020Comment

Daily Dispatches: Day 18

COVID-19, CommunityJena SchwartzMarch 31, 2020Comment

Pay-What-You-Can Coaching Sessions

I'll be offering 2-3 a la carte coaching sessions per week on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Community, CoachingJena SchwartzMarch 14, 2020Comment

A Wave of Vulnerability

Community, ObservationsJena SchwartzFebruary 18, 2020vulnerability, confidence, self-confidence, community, Power Comments

Fear is the Common Denominator

Creative Process, CommunityJena SchwartzJanuary 20, 2020Truth, Fear, writing group, writing practiceComment

"In Love"

Being part of a community that truly acknowledges and values each person's unique contribution allows each of us to show up fully -- to the page, to our days.

Jewish Life, CommunityJena SchwartzNovember 17, 2019Jewish, Prayer, community, permission, creativity, love, d'varComment

How Far Down the Rabbit Hole?

We will mess up. All of us. Every last one. It is absolutely inevitable.

Jewish Life, Community, Creative ProcessJena SchwartzNovember 13, 2019Comment

Story Time: Inhabit Your Writing

Jena reads a story by Rabbi Alan Lew, illustrating the value of being present to the path of the creative process, rather than letting questions and outcomes.

Help Always Comes

It's the same mountain, you know. The one and very same mountain you've been scaling your whole life.

Community, Creative Process, ObservationsJena SchwartzSeptember 14, 2019Jewish Mysticism, death, Faith, trust, Keep going Comment

It's Not a Performance

It's like the rabbi reminds the congregation at the start of the Torah service, every time there is a bar or bat mitzvah: We are not here as performer and audience, but as a community.

Real Life, Observations, CommunityJena SchwartzSeptember 9, 2019self-love, friendship, connection, writing practice, being, TrustComment

Duality, Neutrality, Strangers, and Notre Dame

The world is broken and the world is burning and the world is beautiful. Things are never simple, and yet there's a simplicity in claiming the complexity.

International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day, my friends. Keep being brave. Keep seeing your own beauty -- right there in the mirror.

Observations, CommunityJena SchwartzMarch 8, 2019International Women's Day, women, women's livesComment

Take a Penny, Leave a Penny

CommunityJena SchwartzFebruary 6, 2019Comment

Abandoning the Quest for Balance

Community, Creative ProcessJena SchwartzOctober 24, 2018self-employment, working mom, motherhood, balance, Capricorn, Chani Nicholas, horoscoprComment

On Boundaries, Shabbat, and Not Neglecting the Soul

That’s exactly it. Taking these 24 or so hours “off” is really a chance to get quiet, to go inward, to look in the mirror, to turn away from the output and towards what is closest. The circles of what’s sacred to me are all beautiful, and when I disregard my soul in the busy mix and the caring for and focusing on others, something gets lost.

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