InkWell Workshops is a community of writers who meet once a week to improve our craft and share our stories. Over the last four years, we have grown from having a few attendees to reaching our space’s maximum capacity on a weekly basis. Throughout that time, we have had the chance to learn from many talented authors in various genres. What connects us is that we all have lived experience of mental health and/or addiction issues. This blog, Still I Rise, is an opportunity for us to celebrate our community, talk about writing through the lens of mental health, and empower readers who are marginalized.
Still I Rise is a nod to the great American author and poet, Maya Angelou, and her poem of the same name. Those of us who have lived experience with mental health issues know that stigma can be difficult to process along with the life-long journey of recovery. We all have unique stories of adversity, being knocked down and picking ourselves back up, either on our own or with the support of those around us. Continuing to get up, rising to our feet again is not easy, but finding the will to do so and building our community of supporters makes us stronger each time.
We hope to share our experiences with a wider audience who might relate to what we have been through and are interested in learning more about what InkWell is all about. Stay tuned for posts from InkWell members on a bi-monthly basis. We hope that the strength of our community can serve as inspiration to others struggling out there—to continue to rise to their feet and stand in their power.
Maya Ameyaw