Gathering for

Sisters Singing Contributors

November 7, 2008

Santa Cruz Integrative Medicine & Chi Center

Over sixty writers, artists and musicians from Sisters Singing gathered on Friday, November 7 to meet each other, to celebrate, and to continue to thread the web of our beautiful new book.  Our Santa Cruz community warmly welcomed visitors from New Mexico, Arizona, Seattle, Ashland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, and throughout the Bay Area.

We feasted, toasted and celebrated each other and all of the Sisters all throughout the country.  We gathered in sacred circle to honor and bless the Grandmother Spirits who are the guiding elders of Sisters Singing.

Carolyn Brigit Flynn welcomed everyone, and offered an invocation for all of us to now stand in the Sun, and to let our voices be heard.  The timing for the release of Sisters Singing was celebrated by all as part of bringing forth a new way of living in connection with the earth, the animals, the spirits, the ancestors, and each other.

(Below, Beth Tozier, Laura Wine Paster, Carolyn Davis Rudolph, Gael Rozier, Kate Munger, Becky Reardon and partner, Gail Brenner, Carolyn Brigit Flynn).

Each woman spoke part the story that led her to become part of this book and community, and touched upon what Sisters Singing has meant in her life.  It was glorious to hear the many stories of miracle, creativity, connection and hope.

Alysia Tromblay, Kate Nelson, Zigger Rendler-Bregman,

Marigold Fine, Ahraiyanna DellaTone

Kate Aver Avraham, Bayla Greenspoon, Cara Lamb,

Gretchen Sentry, Judy Phillips, Cathy Pouls

It was a joy to be together, to meet Sisters contributors in person, to reconnect with beloved ones, and the know the amazing feeling of being exactly within the right arc of destiny together.  It was particularly wonderful to be graced by the Sisters who joined us from out of the area-- their beauty, energy, wit and creativity moved us all.  We were so grateful to have so many Sisters together -- and to remember the many, many wonderful writers, artists and musicians in the book who could not be with us in Santa Cruz, but who are in indelible part of the fabric of our lovely book.  We held all of our spirits together in a sacred circle.

Beth Tozier, Mary Camille Thomas, Nancy Rigg

Nancy Rigg, Miriam Chaya, Reema Hammad, Holly Metz,

who traveled from Los Angeles, Berkeley and Arizona to be with us.

Jane Nyberg, Founder, Wild Girl Publishing was thrilled

to show off Sisters Singing, as well as the other offerings from the press.

In the weeks leading up to the events, Carolyn Brigit Flynn had a dream of Mandaza Kandemwa, the healer and medicine man of Zimbabwe who is kin and beloved to many of the writers in Sisters Singing. In the dream, Mandaza took her to the ocean and gave her a drum that would hold the energies of the book as it moves out into the world.  This Grandmother Drum was discovered in this realm on November 7 at Rhythm Fusion in Santa Cruz, and will be present at all Sisters Singing gatherings–in body whenever possible, and always in spirit.  The book in this photograph is The Signature Book – and will, we hope, ultimately be signed by every contributor.  It sits always now in sacred relationship and ceremony with Grandmother Drum. 

May all we do now be towards the restoration of the earth, the animals, the spirits, the ancestors, and with all of humanity.

Thank you, Grandmothers.  We thank you.