‘writing vital for healing’

THIS IS HOW IT IS: TRUE STORIES FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The Life Righting Collective Jacana Review: Helen Grange

AT THE risk of bursting a bubble, I don’t believe there’s “a book in all of us”. What I do believe is that we all have a “story”, one that grows more valuable in sharing it, not only because it’s unique, but because our stories connect us, heal us, and make us more human. This is why I love the Life Righting Collective, which runs courses that promote selfdiscovery, self-recovery and more effective communication through writing, thus the play on the word “righting”. The goal here is not to have your memoir published necessarily, but to use the memoir writing process to tease out parts or the whole of your life, converting it into the written word and polishing it with expert guidance along the way. In the process, you get to touch the holy grail that feeds the published writers club – catharsis through words.

And once that’s done, who said it’s not good enough to be published? Enter the first anthology of the Life Righting Collective, titled This is how it is: True Stories from South Africa. I confess, I would have rethought that title, and I was sceptical of how worthy of publishing the stories inside it really are, but once I plunged in, I was amazed at how poignant and beautifully written these pieces are. In fact, I’m constantly amazed at the swell of writing talent in South Africa, which continues to pump vigorously from the humblest places, hungry to get out there. Each of the 52 memoirs is original work by Life Righting Collective course participants, and the topics range widely from tragedy and trauma to loss, from addiction to relationships, from war to survival, from dreams and the unconsciousness to illness and mental health. They are derived from many ordinary yet extraordinary experiences, and the writing spans from prosaic to brilliant, but always compelling. The collective is the brainchild of author, poet and medical doctor, Dawn Garisch, who has been teaching life writing for nine years, but was propelled to formalise it into an NPO offering courses, in March this year. Garish says that during the courses, which span five weekdays or three weekend days – “you need a lot of time to tap into that creative download, of relaxing, walking, sleeping and self care”. Donning her doctor hat, Garish says she doesn’t like the word “therapy”, but rather focuses on creative writing, or any creative arts, as a necessary part of healing and self exploration. “The arts are a way to engage with yourself, to get curious rather than fearful, to start learning stuff about yourself.” The book has found so much favour with readers out there as to warrant a reprint, exceeding even Garisch’s expectations. It means that more sponsored people will be able to come on her courses, and more of your stories will be told. To read more stories from The Life Righting Collective, or book a course, visit its website www. liferighting.com