Welcome to The Bardo
The Bardo is a seven-week, thirteen-session writing program for Storytellers looking to express themselves through the art of writing.
This program is for you if…
You have a story to tell
You desire to build a writing life
You long to connect with your inner creativity
You carry the seed of something to say
You write by the light of the moon
You have felt disconnected from your creative process or voice
With Poet, Writer, and Witch, Kate Belew.
WHY WRITing?
Putting it simply, storytelling is essential.
Language and the ways in which you communicate with the world are sacred art. From each of our perspectives and crafts we construct, destruct, and break down walls. Words create worlds. Inside each of you, is a storyteller.
And while magic, the results are also proven. As a human being, you are programmed for stories. A story can catch your attention, drawing you in. Neuroscientist Uri Hasson, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University found that when they recorded the brain activity between two people, as one person told a story and another listened, they found that the listener’s brain waves actually began to synchronize with the brain waves of the storyteller. Amazing, right?
Who is a Storyteller?
A storyteller is an authentic human being who is living on the earth at this present time who weaves, shares, connects, and tells tales and poems about what it means to be present through the act of writing.
Writing can help you share our truths (yes, plural).
You May Be A Storyteller If:
It may feel scary to share, to put pen to page. You may have been told that you're not a writer, that your writing is not good (enough). You may have felt like the archetype of artist, poet, the mystic was “not yours to claim.” Maybe copywriting has been difficult, or you have struggled to find cohesion in your voice, and connected to your creative process and that's okay.
But, that's why we're all connected, to carry these tales together. I first fell in love with poems as a small human. At the same time I fell in love with magic, witchcraft, and plants, and I think that you may have felt the same. Or maybe, you're just learning to fall in love with these spaces now, the liminal, the healing, the storied.
I created this program for you, to support you on your writing path.
The Bardo is For…
The word witches
The spellcasters of language
For those who have hidden their artist heart away
For those who are looking to create in a community
For those looking to learn from experienced writers and facilitators
For those who want to communicate their story/brand/business more clearly
For those who want to reconnect with their voice
For those who have a story to tell
So…
In this dynamic, never-before-experienced creative container, I've invited my favorite teachers Grace Belew, Xenia Viray, Tyler Knott Gregson, Robin Rose Bennett, Maia Toll, Kristin Lisenby, Amy Torok and Risa Dickens, and Daje James, people who have taught me to come to share this space with us.
After the seven weeks together, you will…
Leave with the tools to build a writing life
Learn about supportive practices for creative courage
Craft a deep connection to your intuition
Come to know new poems, quotes, prose
Be given a wealth of prompts and explorations
Meet storytellers, poets, and writers, much like yourself.
Receive feedback (if you desire) on your written work.
Join a writing community.
"The Bardo is a special space, impeccably structured and thoughtfully executed by Kate with care and attention to detail. Whether you're looking for writing inspiration, tips on how to better navigate the industry, a community to share your work with, or all of the above - this is it. What I loved most - both about the structure of the course and Kate as a facilitator - was the diversity of tools and breadth of techniques that were brought into the fold. I struggle with the woowoo, with the mystical and the astrological. But this course does a beautiful job of weaving together different approaches - from nitty gritty nuts-and-bolts writing suggestions to spiritual discussions about how to get your butt in the chair and your pen to the page. It all served to motivate and inspire me." - M.
“I found the Bardo last fall after following Kate on IG and the description pulled me in. I knew that this was where I needed to be but I wasn't in the space to participate at the time. When I got the email that The Bardo was open again, I jumped at the chance. Kate creates an atmosphere of calm, ease, authenticity, and vulnerability. From day 1, our group felt like a community. This was very much due to Kate’s effortless ability to make everyone feel seen and valued upon meeting her. Working with her was one of the biggest joys and benefits of the program as she infuses her knowledge and intuition from multiple modalities. The guest instructors were all amazing and I really enjoyed the variety among them. They all brought something unique to the table. I left every class with my mind reeling and my pen scribbling with ideas. All the instructors were open, kind, and created a collaborative environment for us to explore together. The Bardo was a safe space to let my guard down so that I could reconnect with creativity. A place where I could rediscover my confidence as a writer. I've been a writer and a poet my entire life but had lost my way- this space healed me in a number of ways. The thing about the Bardo, is that it gives back to you what you give to it. If you surrender to the program and your scared creativity, you will meet yourself in so many new ways. If you’re thinking about joining, follow the call. Who knows what is waiting for you inside The Bardo?” - D.
What is the bardo?
A seven-week, thirteen-session writing program dedicated to the magic of language, the in-between, and the liminal. The Bardo is held in the in-between of the internet.
The roots of The Bardo are from the Tibetan word Bardo, which is a translation of the Sanskrit term antarābhava , which means “existence in the interval”, referring to the period between death and rebirth. You can learn more from Joanna Macy, eco-philosopher, Buddhist scholar in their article with Emergence Magazine here.
“In The Bardo, there is the potential to forgive the unforgivable, to say the unsaid, to see The Unseen, to love the unloved, to let go of all the things that cause us pain. The Bardo suspends us in its spaciousness for just long enough to open us to higher wisdom. Its energy does not belong to Earth as we know it, but rather to the cosmic network of which we are a single thread.” -Kim Krans and The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck
And while unrelated, it conjures up alongside it the word Bard meaning, "ancient Celtic minstrel-poet," mid-15c., from Scottish, from Old Celtic bardos "poet, singer," from Celtic *bardo-, possibly from PIE *gwredho- "he who makes praises," suffixed form of root gwere "to favor."
WhO is the bardo For?
The Bardo is a space for beginners, seasoned writers, and those of you who have become disconnected from your craft. This is a writing space for those who are looking to carve out dedicated time to your writing and storytelling, ultimately developing your creativity and storytelling powers. The Bardo is for you if you feel called to write more creatively, passionately, and with fewer blocks (knowing better to address them). The Bardo is for you if you’re looking to claim the archetypes of Storyteller, Writer, and Artist in your own life.
The Bardo is about the possibility.
It’s possible to feel supported in your creative practice.
It’s possible to connect to your voice and honor your voice.
It’s possible to feel embodied in your writing practice and copywriting endeavors.
It’s possible to tell stories that support your vision, your business, your brand, and your life.
It’s possible to feel confident in how you create.
It’s possible to learn to connect with your intuition through practice, through storytelling.
It’s all possible. All that is needed is showing up.
The Magic of Writing Community
While writing can be solitary work, sharing it can be a joy. Plus accountability! It’s a way to carve out time for yourself to write.
Our Community Consists Of…
Expert Writing and Storytelling Instruction
Conversation and Discussion Around Creating
Live Group Calls
Q&A With Professional Writers and Storytellers
A Slack Channel During the Program
A Weekly PDF and Guide to the Program
Written Feedback on Two Pieces
"When I was young, writing felt natural and fun. As an adult, I lost touch with that side of myself as I learned a fear of evaluation and became busy with the responsibilities of life. I came to The Bardo in hopes of healing my broken relationship with this mode of expression. Here, I learned so much about the emotional and personal side of writing. I was surrounded by folks with different experience levels and perspectives on writing. The lessons and prompts lead me to create a piece of writing that I was proud of for the first time in ages. I left with new inspiration and a road map forward." - J.
What to Expect
The first session is Wednesday, October 5th. Each class will be 90 minutes in length. There are seven Wednesday evening sessions beginning at 7:00 pm EST each week. There are also supplemental Tuesday and Thursday programs running from 12:00pm EST. Find the detailed schedule below! Workshops with be recorded and will be accessible to you at any point during the program.
The Bardo Classes will be taught by me, Kate Belew (with additional speakers and guests such as Grace Belew, Xenia Viray, Tyler Knott Gregson, Robin Rose Bennett, Maia Toll, Kristin Lisenby, Daje James, Amy Torok, and Risa Dickens)! These classes will contain writings, discussions, new ideas, inspiration, prose, poems, and prompts. Each workshop will give you guidance through generating creative works and will give you tips and workflows through crafting a regenerative writing practice in your own life.
Guest Teachers will host eight of our ten workshops. Each of these guest teachers has been a teacher to me in some way. They are writers, poets, plant people, and magic makers, and will craft a creative writing class perfect for the liminal space.
Co-Writing Sessions are an open Zoom link hosted by me and an invitation to write together. Everyone from The Bardo is invited and you can network, find writing friends, or just work on your pieces.
Written Feedback will be provided on two of your pieces (of your choosing).
A Weekly Guide will be provided to you in PDF form. This PDF works to support you on your journey through The Bardo. Each week you will have prompts given to you, catalysts for creativity, and support in meandering through the teachings of our guest facilitators.
Recorded Meditations and Breathwork Sessions from Grace Belew.
Community! Our Slack channel will be open during the seven-week program and will be a place to make new friends, share work, and connect.
Our Schedule
The Bardo - 7 Week, 13 Session Writing Program
Wednesday, October 5th-Wednesday, November 16th
Class ONE: Welcome to the Bardo
Wednesday, October 5th, 7:00 pm EST With Kate Belew
Welcome to The Bardo. There will be death and rebirth cycles, ouroboros, howling wolves, oceans, strange creatures, tales that go bump in the night, hauntings, community, Samhain stories, poems, channeling, myths, archetypes, breath work, meditation, and the divine reminder that you are a writer and storyteller. Together, we’ll open The Bardo. You’ll set intentions, creative commitments, meet your creative community, and begin writing.
Class TWO: Creating & Holding Space in Your Writing Practice, Strategies of Support: Breathwork & Meditation
Thursday, October 6th, 12:00 pm EST, With Grace Belew
In this session, Grace Belew will guide you in supportive practices created to hold space for your inner storyteller. Using the breath and meditation you will compassionately create a deeper connection with yourself and the stories inside of you.
Class Three: Creative Ecology: Creating in Alignment with Your Nature
Wednesday, October 12th, 7:00 pm EST With Xenia Viray
Nature is brimming with creative templates, and diverse models for making, evolving and adapting. In this workshop, we will examine how ecological models can inform our creative practice, clarify our definition of creativity, and experiment with nature’s elements as storytelling archetypes.
From these explorations into nature's creativity, we will assemble a creative toolkit to resource ourselves as storytellers and realign us with our true potential as natural creative beings.
Class Four: Q&A Discussion with Tyler Knott Gregson
Thursday, October 13th, 12:00 pm EST with Tyler Knott Gregson
Tyler Knott Gregson joins us for a special session to discuss a writing life, creativity, and inspiration. Tyler is a published poet, photographer, artist, and bestselling author. Bring your questions, bring your ideas, and let’s talk.
Class Five: Channeled & Automatic Writing
Tuesday, October 18th, 12:00 pm EST, With Kate Belew
What can our writing reveal? Much like tarot, pendulums, or tea leaves, poetry can reveal messages. The divinatory arts have been called upon by artists for centuries to peer beyond the veil and connect with the muse. Pull back what we see as "meaning" to gaze behind the sentences, the poems, and the nuances of language to receive messages from the subconscious. In this workshop, you'll be guided to channel and divine all through the medium of poetry. We'll discuss Automatic Writing, what is it and how do we do it?, channeling: opening the channel, listening, intuition as a poetic practice and divination, and the power of a perfectly chosen word.
Class Six: Diving into the Ocean of Creativity Writing from the Heart of Wild Nature
Wednesday, October 19th, 7:00 pm EST, With Robin Rose Bennett
In this session, we’ll take a deep dive into the ocean of our creativity through a meditative and body-oriented journey into Mama Ocean. While we’re down below the surface, we’ll meet with one of the wild plants of the sea, commonly called Seaweed. When we rise up and emerge from the water, we’ll do a timed writing exercise from Seaweed’s point of view and discover what messages she wants to share with us.
Class Seven: The Business of Writing: So You Want to Get Published
Wednesday, October 26th, 7:00 pm EST, With Maia Toll
Award-winning author of five books, Maia Toll joins The Bardo to give insider tips and insights into the industry of publishing and writing. Maia will share her tips and tricks about sharing your work, community building, and how to approach the work with an even balance of business sense and creativity.
Class Eight: Entering The Bardo
Wednesday, November 2nd, 7:00 pm EST with Kate Belew
During the mid-point of The Bardo, we’ll gather and share. Together, we’ll address creative blocks and you’ll have the space to speak to what’s coming up with you and your work in The Bardo.
Class Nine: Stories that Go Bump in the Night
Thursday, November 3rd, 12:00 pm EST With Kristin Lisenby
Have you ever wondered how the dead can truly be dead when their memories still exist in the souls of the living? I have, so allow me to elaborate - storytelling is a unique form of magick, one that brings the dead back to life.
This week, in honor of Samhain and our muses disguised as ghosts, we’ll dive into the liminal world of Stingy Jack. Through storytelling and intuitive writing, we’ll cast a spell with our words and reflect on nostalgia, whimsy (with a side of spooky), and the ritual of remembering.
Class Ten: Creativity in Community: The practical and sacred art of collaboration
Wednesday, November 9th, 7:00 pm EST with Amy Torok and Risa Dickens, The Missing Witches
Amy Torok and Risa Dickens, co-authors of Missing Witches (2021) and New Moon Magic (2023) and co-producers of the Missing Witches Podcast invite you to explore a space of writing in community. In this class, Amy and Risa talk about their own experience as a creative team, from conception to publication and beyond, give advice on the process, and discuss some of their favourite writing duos. They’ll give tips for making fertile connections in community building through social media as a means of enhancing the creative, spiritual and business sides of being a writer. Together we’ll examine interaction and debunk the stereotypical myth of the writer working in isolation.
Class Eleven: Co-Writing
Thursday, November 10th, 12:00 pm EST with Kate Belew
Tapping into the power of community, together we’ll gather on Zoom and write. There will be prompts, oracle cards, free writings, and spending time together. Though some might believe the act of writing is a solitary practice, in The Bardo, writing is an act of the collective.
Class Twelve: A very Special Workshop with Daje James
Tuesday, November 15th, 12:00 pm EST with Daje James
More details coming soon…
Class Thirteen: The Bardo Salon
Wednesday, November 16th, 7:00 pm EST with Kate Belew
The Bardo is about living a poetic life, a life full of stories, and building a creative toolbox. In our last session of The Bardo, we will share our pieces, reflect, and set intentions for our creative lives as we leave the container.
"I’m so grateful for Kate for creating the space of the Bardo! A past life English major, there was a desire to reconnect to the feeling of a classroom workshop. The Bardo has offered the routine, community, and open door for new inspirations that I was looking for. A literal reference I sent to a friend of mine, “Kate is super cool and witchy, she starts each class with a card pull vibe to set the scene – I love it.” Thanks to Kate and her carefully crafted themed classes, and guests, and my fellow Bardo members, I feel I have been guided back to my sanctuary, the place where words play." - F.
Join this program and experience
Regenerated creative energy
Cultivation of a dedicated writing practice
Deeper self and creative confidence
Make new friends/accountability partners
Know that you are a Writer with a capital W
Have a collection of written works from the workshops
Connect to your inner Storyteller
Develop a mindfulness practice around your writing
Feel in touch with your intuition
Have a ton of fun
Pricing Structure
There are two tiers of payment for The Bardo. One tier includes a 45-minute 1:1 meeting with me. Both tiers include a payment plan.
Seven weeks and thirteen sessions of professionally guided creative writing workshops
Prompts and exercises to help you connect to your inner storyteller
A Weekly PDF and Guide
Expert Guest Teachers are available for Q&A during their sessions
A Slack Channel dedicated to The Bardo for seven weeks
The opportunity to receive written feedback on two of your pieces
Co-writing sessions with The Bardo community
Guided meditations and breathwork practices from Grace Belew
Tier #1: $999 for the program
Tier #1 covers the expenses of the program on the first tier of the sliding scale model
Tier #1: $1,200 for the program
Tier #2 includes a 1:1 45-minute call with me to review writing practices, discuss writing rituals, and review pieces as a part of the program. This is the only way to book a 1:1 writing and consulting meeting with me. Calls will take place Monday-Thursday between 9:00am and 5:00pm EST during the seven weeks of the program.
Payment Plans Available
Payment plans are available for three payments of $333, or $400.
Accessibility
I prioritize making my offerings accessible. If you require assistance, please write me a message to explain your situation and we can work together to find a solution. Two people will be given a scholarship to this program.
Your Host
Hi! I’m Kate Belew.
I’m a poet, writer, and Word Witch with an Aquarius Sun, Scorpio Rising, Aries Moon, and a Human Design Projector. I am currently based in Brooklyn, NY on Lenape land.
After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College’s Master’s in Fine Arts Program, I wanted to seek out and support non-traditional writing spaces. I know that everyone can be a poet and a writer. My work aims to celebrate and support the inner storyteller and creative spirit of the community.
I have written with everyone from young children, people who have been impacted by the justice system, teenagers who had fled Syria due to persecution and were then based in Iraq, middle schoolers, college students, and in support of continuing education. I am an active member of The Poetry Society of New York, which includes my work as a Milk Press Editor, and a member in the cast of the New York City Poetry Brothel. I create commission poetry and typewriter work and have hosted creative writing workshops with Milk Press, The Baccalaureate School for Global Education, 826Michigan, Catland Books, Witch Camp by Maia Toll, The Alchemist’s Kitchen, Boketto, and Brave School (to name a few).
I am also a marketing consultant. I have helped countless brands and businesses craft their stories through developing copy, e-mail, social media, building websites, and storytelling. I am the co-host of Magick & Alchemy, a podcast about witchcraft and ritual with Kristin Lisenby for Tamed wild.
I study plants at Chestnut School of Herbs, Energy Healing with Liza Fenster, Astrology with Rebecca Gordon, and as an apprentice to Green Witch, Robin Rose Bennett.
I am committed to hosting writing workshops that are sustainable, full of joy, vulnerable, brave, strange, and regenerative. You can learn more about my work here.
Your Facilitators & Teachers
Xenia Marie Ross Viray
Xenia Marie Ross Viray (she/they) is a creative catalyst, multidisciplinary artist, imagination healer and community weaver with a focus on human design and writing. Born as a brick and mortar business, Myths of Creation (the name of Xenia's collective body of work) is a container for experiments, writings, and gatherings at the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Myths core intention is to reconnect communities, ideas and art forms that have been separated in order to enrich the pool of imaginal possibility. Xenia believes that through reclaiming our imaginations we have the power to invent new systems, new ways of relating and to restore the creative ecosystem to its natural state of vibrancy and diversity in which all of our unique natures are honored and supported. Xenia's book The Universe is an Art Project is part workbook/part manifesto for the sacred role and responsibility of the innate creative power we have all been given.
Daje James
Profound beauty is found in the very heart of tension. Daje James makes it her goal to seek it out and expose it. As an intuitive strategist specializing in brand and content, writer, artist, and entrepreneur, her work is to make space for artists to breathe through the tensions of their creative process. She feels guided by the universe and the spirits of her ancestors to stand in this work, challenge systems, and build around the fires of the collective creative process. She feels guided to write about it, ponder it, and call souls back to stand around these fires together and be heard. She is the founder of Founding Space: An Intuitive Community Design Studio and Brave School: An Institute of Dreaming for Wild-Hearted Artists & Creative Entrepreneurs. Find her work at www.thestorydoula.co. Photo by Bad Velvet Studio.
Amy Torok and Risa Dickens, The Missing Witches
Amy Torok and Risa Dickens are the Witches, authors, and podcasters behind the Missing Witches project. Living in woods north of Montreal, they go looking through archives of humanity for the historical and contemporary Witches whose voices are missing from our society's dominant discourse.
Amy and Risa met backstage at a ukulele showcase, and together they have made music, formed Covens, created a podcast, and written a book - Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic. Their second book is due out in spring 2023.
Kristin Lisenby
Kristin Lisenby is a Writer and Word Witch living in the Azores Islands. As a practicing ritualist, Kristin creates modern rituals, articles, and musings for the wild women and earth-spirited. She co-hosts Magick & Alchemy, a Tamed Wild podcast about mythology and witchcraft, and is also the co-creator and author of Little Witch Books, a series of fairytales for humans of all ages.
Kristin has a BA in Modern Language and Literature from Cal Poly and has also studied at the University of Valladolid. She is passionate about storytelling, nearly-forgotten folklore, and all things Magical Realism. When she’s not writing, you can find Kristin digging in her lunar garden, caring for her beloved goats, and working alongside her partner to reenvision their century-old farmhouse.
Follow her story online @eastandalchemy or sign up for newsletter at KristinLisenby.com.
Maia Toll
Maia Toll is the award-winning author of the best-selling Wild Wisdom Series which has inspired readers worldwide to explore their human nature through the magical lens of the natural world. The seeds for this series were planted when Maia apprenticed with a traditional healer in Ireland where she spent extensive time studying the growing cycles of plants, the alchemy of medicine making, and the psycho-spiritual aspects of healing.
Maia’s latest endeavor, The Night School, explores the edges of the universe and the depths of the self, all through the lens of philosophy, divination, and astrology. She also owns an herb shop called Herbiary, with locations in Asheville, Philadelphia, and online. She lives in Asheville, NC with her partner and two ridiculously spoiled dogs.
Tyler Knott Gregson
Tyler Knott Gregson is a poet, photographer, artist, and author of the nationally bestselling Chasers of the Light, All the Words Are Yours, Wildly into the Dark, Miracle in the Mundane, the children's book North Pole Ninjas and the recently released Illumination. When he's not writing, he operates Chasers of the Light Photography, and photographs weddings and travel assignments all over the globe with his wife, Sarah Linden Gregson.
chasersofthelight.com
@TylerKnott on all the social medias.
Robin Rose Bennett
Robin Rose Bennett is a story-teller, writer, and herbalist. She has been offering classes in WiseWoman Healing Ways: Herbal Medicine and EarthSpirit Teachings since 1986 - at herb conferences, festivals, clinics, medical and nursing schools, and most joyously, outside with the plants. Robin Rose shares herbal medicine with gratitude for the loving generosity of the plants and the magic, mystery, and beauty of the web of life. She is on the faculty of the New York Open Center and the Arbor-Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism, and is the author of two meditation MP3’s and the books: Healing Magic- A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living and The Gift of Healing Herbs - Plant Medicines and Home Remedies for a Vibrantly Healthy Life. Learn more on Instagram @robinrosebennett or on
www.RobinRoseBennett.com.
Grace Belew
Grace is a careworker, breathwork facilitator, Mindful Practice teacher, and mental health advocate. Grace's practices are defined by much of her education and career in mental health as a Social Worker. Early on in her career she consistently found success using mind-body/ mindfulness techniques with individual clients and groups. However, she quickly learned these techniques (like many) needed to be adjusted for those she was serving. At the time she was serving clients living in shelter housing for women experiencing intimate partner violence. She began to make changes and create practices based on her client's identities, experiences, and specific needs. She found this created a better space for healing work and this began to change the course of her career. Grace received her BA in Human Development from Michigan State University and continued her education receiving her MSW with a focus in Clinical Mental Health from the University of Maryland. She then received her Social Work License and worked as a Social worker for a public school system and county government in the D.C area. Here she provided mental health services and led Mindfulness classes for numerous groups including Educators, Public School Employees, Public Health Employees, Mental Health professionals, and First Responders. She continues to serve this population by consulting on mental health programming and teaching weekly meditation and breathwork classes. Grace recently completed a 200- hour trauma-informed breathwork facilitator training from the Breath liberation society. Through this work, she created 'Practice with Grace' A Carework space rooted in mindful practice, guided breath, and meditation. Her goal as a careworker is to create a space that is gentle, understanding, and expansive. All services offered are adjusted based on client experience and need, and are offered at a sliding scale fee. Grace also works in tandem with therapists or mental health providers to offer you a supportive experience. As a careworker, teacher, and facilitator her goals are to create a healing space, to offer unconditional support, and to guide anyone who seeks to care for and prioritize themselves.
Past Facilitators
Raisa Tolchinsky, Jackie Braje, Jennifer Elsner, Kristin Lisenby, Daje James, Grae Belew, Tyler Knott Gregson, Uli Beutter Cohen, Xenia Viray, and Shaina Phenix.
FAQ
Do I need to attend all workshops live?
No! This program is intended to support any schedule. Workshops can be listened to via recording. And you can tune into these workshops from any place as long as you have internet.
Do I have access to all materials forever?
The Slack and recordings from the workshop will end with the program, however, the prompts, exercises, and PDFs from workshops are yours to keep forever.
Will I have access to you as an editor?
Over the course of the program, you will have the opportunity to send me two pieces that you’re working on for written feedback!
What Happens During the Co-writing Session?
During the co-writing sessions, I’ll host a 60-minute writing session. I’ll be available for questions in the chat, play music, invite our facilitators, and come ready with some prompts to just free write together, or work through our projects in community.
What Experience Do I need to have before The bardo?
No experience needed! Just a desire to write and create.
Testimonials
“The Bardo helped me realize that I don't need to be going through a lot to write beautiful things (dare I say: poetry!) Thank you Kate for putting it together. I had always thought I needed to experience drama to write and it's great to know that's not a requirement! I have a much better relationship to writing now!” - S.
”The Bardo is like a weird witchy biggest and best hug that urges you to write.” - T.
“If your soul is calling you to write, but you need a loving community for support and structure and a place to begin, come to The Bardo. Here you will find your writing wings.” -C.
“For a space all about weaving together words and telling stories, I'm absent of words to capture or do justice the magic of the Bardo. I felt dormant parts of myself come alive and will be forever grateful to this experience.” - T.
“If you find yourself mid-stride, between here and there on the great pendulum of transformation and self-actualization, step into the Bardo and be held. This is place for dreamers, a place for magic, a place where words dance and hearts are lifted. Even if you've never written a scrap of poetry or a paragraph of prose -- if you have the even the tiniest urge in your soul to CREATE - you belong here. These are your people. Come and be. Become.” -N.
“The Bardo is a community of writers and magic makers brought together by the Word Witch herself, Kate Belew. If you want to connect with other brilliant creators or be inspired along that path this is the place for you. This course is full of inspirational content, incredible speakers and a wonderful community. You will leave with a whole new set of tools to get your writing off to a great start or a whole new level.” -S.
"Kate is such an encouraging teacher and guide. The instructors were all uniquely inspirational and the class gives a wide arrange of perspectives from individuals that have found their creative paths. I did some incredible writing and tapped into areas that had been pretty dormant. Great space for writers no matter what the career level." - K.
"I'm not generally a workshop person, but every one of our teachers had a revelation for me and I loved our little community of word witches. I came to The Bardo to get my literary needle knocked out of its groove, and I definitely achieved that. Looking forward to reworking many of my experiments into a future book!" - S.
”I had the great fortune of meeting Kate Belew last October during a writing session. Since then, I have attended most of her online classes and follow her weekly poetry prompts with my own writing. Kate is a warm, compassionate, loving, authentic person and all of her traits come through in her classes. She knows how to make attendees feel safe and comfortable with her beautiful, easy-to-follow class presentations. She is well-versed in her knowledge and expertise in poetry, the language of the soul, myths, the wild and liminal places, archetypes, symbols, dreams, shadow work, witchery, the cosmic dance. Kate’s classes enabled me to write in a deeper, more meaningful way that connects me to my creativity and spirituality. She is an exceptional teacher for anyone who dreamed of writing but didn’t, seasoned writers, and those who want to get back to their wordcraft. I was blessed the day I found Kate! Thank you, Kate.” - V.
“What struck me immediately, was how Kate lead the group through the workshop with a rare effortless command of time. Her casual manner never fell into a lack of professionalism, leadership or maturity. Rather, it set the stage for feeling comfortable individually and as part of the group. From there, deep work and honest sharing was accessed. And just like that, the class came to a close. I either spent a minute with Kate or a lifetime. She held me and that space with fluency. It’s rare to witness confidence born from trust in one's self. It’s also a marvel.” - J.
“Kate is so knowledgeable and bright but that isn’t what makes her teachings so profound; it’s her vulnerability and authenticity. It’s contagious and everyone can feel it. So thankful I’ve been afforded the opportunity to learn and study with her. Your writing soul will thank you.” - T