Finding power in community

How a week with fellow writers empowered me on the page

Hello! If you’re new to POWERS, welcome! To those returning, welcome back! My name is Carolyn Fallert. I’m a 5’3” writer and retired ballerina. Here, I share my self-defense journey to help you defend your body and reclaim the best version of yourself.

You are worth fighting for. Thanks for being here.

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As I walked up to the microphone at Kenyon Review Writers Workshop last week, 150 fellow writers clapped, cheered, and whooped. Some whipped lanyards above their heads. From their seats, the twelve other writers in my workshop chanted “Flashers” like loyal sports fans — a team name chosen not for a habit of public indecency but for the copious amounts of flash nonfiction (1,000 words or less) that we were writing.

I felt like a kid at summer camp.

When the Kenyon Review invited me to attend their Residential Writing Workshop for the second time this summer, I was honored. The Kenyon Review is one of the most well-renowned and respected literary publications in the world. Their residential writers workshop selects accomplished authors who are also talented teachers to serve as faculty and fellows. The participants are brilliant writers at all different stages in their writing careers.

Writing my memoir about learning self-defense has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do.

But it’s so much easier with a community.

During daily three-hour workshops, my writing instructors celebrated my strengths while challenging me to take risks on the page. Around communal tables, I commiserated over the volume of rejection letters I’ve received. Swimming laps with one of my favorite authors, I felt the healing power of stories stories. Walking with a poet among the fireflies, I marveled at the abundance of beautiful things we can create with twenty-six letters on a page.

By the end of the week, my heart was swelling with gratitude, courage, and hope. Among these fellow writers, I felt seen and celebrated. I remembered why I chose this writing life — for the abundance and connection it creates. Most of all, I knew I was not alone.

I pulled the microphone toward my lips, took a deep breath, and began to read. The words were unpolished — I had written them just days earlier and revised them only hours before stepping on stage. But on that stage, I knew it was safe to share. Being in that community of fellow writers empowered me to be me.

If you’d like to listen to my reading, you can check it out here. Consider this a taste of what my book will one day sound like:

Do you feel like you are part of a community? What do you love about your community? How do they empower you to be you? I would love to hear about it. Please send me a DM or share in the comments!

With fist bumps & fancy pumps,

Carolyn

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For more content, you can also follow me on Instagram: @ carolynfallert