Intimate, quirky creative permission to talk about our grief.

 We find transformational healing when we have space to come together and speak directly about our grief — art offers us safe passage for that journey.

The Grief Circle:

 

The Grief Circle is an intimate, quirky, creative space to talk about our grief directly.

  • Each Grief Circle centers around 3 prompts to spark conversation and thought. Share your voice through poetry, music, art, story, memory, and more, or simply come with a listening ear.

  • Think open mic, but with the theme of grief, prompts, more intimate, and more interactive.

  • No obligation to share, but the invitation is always there.

  • Join from anywhere in the world via Zoom.

  • 90 mins each time.

The Grief Circle believes anyone can be a friend, a leader, a poet, an artist, a writer — an extraordinary individual.

Anyone can listen to a story or a poem about someone’s grief. Anyone can write a healing story about a loved one who has passed away, and in the process also allow someone else to say, “Me too.” Through metaphor, art offers us a layer of privacy, while also reaching across culture, background, borders, and experience.

There is no one size fits all for this journey, and each person who comes to the Grief Circle has the leadership to offer as much as they receive, because of who they are and what they have experienced. We never know when being ourselves will bring a sense of home to someone else. And where we differ, we learn, are inspired, comforted, or uplifted.

The Grief Circle believes there are people in this world who have faced great amounts of grief, and with no formal education, have responded with wisdom and grace. And there are people in positions of power or authority who while trained and with degrees behind their name, do not necessarily create safe spaces for the grieving.

And while the opposite is true too of all these things (I’m connected to social workers and therapists I know and love), the Grief Circle creates an exceptional space from all of us extraordinary individuals coming together to say, "It matters.” — It matters you lost someone this important. It matters you loved that much. You and your experience… matter.

Each Grief Circle follows the same structure:

  1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES, INTROS & OPENING POEM: I share the Guiding Principles each time at the start of the Grief Circle to keep the space safe. Everyone introduces themselves — You can share who has passed away, but you don’t have to. I open the space by inviting everyone to take a couple deep breaths as I read an opening poem. You can close your eyes while you listen, or keep them open. It’s up to you.

  2. PROMPTS: We go into the 3 prompts, which change each time. I share my responses to the prompts and invite anyone who would like to share to do the same. We share through poetry, music, art, story, memory, thoughts, or an art form of your choice. You can bring something you’ve prepared, or share spontaneously, it doesn’t have to be buttoned up. The spaces are intimate, so you are invited to share openly, or respond to others in affirming ways if they share something that sparks a memory or thought for you. We laugh, we listen, we share, and sometimes, we cry.

  3. A REMINDER TO TAKE CARE: I close the space by reminding everyone to take care, whether it’s drinking water, taking a walk or a bath, journaling, or talking to a trusted friend. If attending the event sparked any desires to look into other kinds of healing like therapy, acupuncture, yoga, etc., I encourage everyone to explore those avenues for themselves.

 

Guiding Principles:

I share the guiding principles at the start of each Grief Circle to bring us all on the same page and to keep the space safe.

 
 

  • Each person’s journey through grief is different. Because I, or a co-host, or another person experiences grief in one way, doesn’t mean you need to feel the same, and vice versa.

  • Only share what you are ready to share and want to share, and that which will be life giving to you. A reminder that I am an artist, and not a therapist or mental health professional.

    Feel free to turn off your camera or audio, step away, or leave at any time to take care of yourself.

  • I invite everyone to be respectful of each other’s stories. Please keep the stories within the circle unless they have been shared publicly elsewhere. Take your learning with you. Do what a good and kind friend would do.

    Although this is encouraged, please understand that as people are attending from various environments, there are no guarantees that what is shared at the event will remain private at the event.

  • We are all experts of our own journey and experience, and art offers safe passage for that journey. You do not have to consider yourself an “artist” or “poet” to write a transformational poem about your grief.

    We learn from bearing witness to one another’s journeys. I and the co-hosts are not above anyone else in the circle.

  • When we have a space to talk directly about grief with others who have experienced it too, we build a language around grief that allows us to process and heal. We learn from one another, we feel less alone, and we have words to express how we feel.

    When we bear witness to others’ grief experiences, we can be a better friend to those experiencing grief in our own lives.

  • This looks different for everyone. It might be the last line of a poem. It might be showing up and not saying anything. It might be sharing your own story in the circle. It may be deciding not to come. It may be acknowledging a feeling. Whatever it is, we are always moving towards healing in our own ways, significant to us. No one else can judge that for you.

 

What It’s Not:

The Grief Circle is many things, but there are also a number of things it is not.

  • Even if this was helpful or indicative of the way grief moves, to the best of our ability, it’s not something we’ll do. Grief comes in waves and unravels over time, in ways we do not yet know at the age and stage in life we are at.

  • I, along with the Grief Circle's co-hosts, are not mental health professionals. We are artists, poets, creators, community leaders, teachers, professionals, and more.

    The Grief Circle advocates for therapy, and also exists outside of therapy to provide an accessible space to access conversations around grief through the safe and creative passage of art, poetry, music, story, memory, culture, and more.

    Anyone who comes is invited to only share what is life-giving for them and that which they are ready for, and nothing more. They are invited to step away when they need to take a breath, or turn off their camera if they'd prefer.

  • There is no one-size-fits-all for how to respond to grief, and the Grief Circle does not want to create guidelines or rules that constrict us from feeling free to respond in the ways we do. We are not mental health professionals. Instead, we respond through empathy, and our own experiences, with the kindness of seeing another human through their most tender experiences — not from a broad strokes top-down approach, but from the inside-out, starting from within our own hearts.

  • We never go into the Grief Circle trying to fix anything. And somehow, through the sacred space of connection, we come out feeling a little bit better and less alone.

  • The power is on you to decide how much of your world you want to share with us, which parts you want to bring us to, and how long you want us to stay there.

    There is never any obligation to share, only the invitation when you are ready. The prompts do not ask direct questions, but rather, offer areas to explore — to be interpreted creatively, in whatever way resonates with you.

  • We don’t come from a stance of preaching or lecturing. Each person who decides to share is invited to share from their own personal experiences, not from the top down, but from the inside out.

 

A journey unraveling:

 

The Grief Circle developed organically in early 2021, and has made space for the grief of individuals, while also bearing witness to collective grief.

  • The Grief Circles started in February 2021.

  • Since then, with special edition co-hosts and community poets, we’ve hosted 25 events and counting, including bi-lingual and cultural editions, as well as a special edition in memory of loved ones who have passed to COVID-19.

  • 65+ people have come through the Grief Circles. Old and new faces. Across culture and generation.

From the grapevine:

  • “The grief circle has helped me in so many ways. I have gained new friends who understand grief & also empathize with my experiences. I am able to not only be myself but feel comfortable in expressing my emotions. I have been able to see grief in different aspects due to hearing so many different stories.

    I have attended various [special] editions, but my first one was the Filipino edition. With that one I was able to see the connection and how my Hispanic/Latino culture relates so much to their customs & grief process.

    This grief circle is life changing, literally. I would have never imagined gaining friends from so many different places. I would have never imagined myself sharing my grief, I can’t even imagine me being comfortable enough to even acknowledge it. I’m glad I was introduced to this circle, with all of my heart.

    As a co-host I felt so honored to assist a group of individuals through a moment in their healing journey.”

    — Elisha, Founder of Wix Luxure and Co-Host of Grief Circle Latinx Edition 1 & 2 and In Memory of Loved Ones Lost to COVID Edition iness. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • “I was nervous about attending the grief circles at first. Wasn't planning on speaking much - but then I did anyway! I just couldn't help not engaging with the interesting and emotionally intelligent individuals who were in attendance - folks who, with their diverse backgrounds and array of challenges we face as humans, gave me another reminder of the importance of empathy, and recharged my hope for humanity in these seemingly dystopian times.

    Miranda herself is a kind and gentle soul who adds an artistic emphasis to her discussions. If you are a wordsmith or artist or writer of any kind, and you are looking to share your work or gain inspiration, I promise you will not regret attending.

    I very much appreciated being able to attend the Latinx editions to polish off my Spanish, no-judgement style, and reminisce about my times and second family down in South America. :)”

    — Jon

  • “When I found the grief circles, i was getting off of work and trotting down 5th ave in the ID. I saw the flyer with a bar code and rip off’s—with “Grief Circle” really big. I was afraid I had missed it, given the date advertised had passed. But I learned there would be more to attend and it truly made my heart expand. Grief Circles have been a beautifully soft space to land. The space, although virtual, is welcoming and warm. The writing prompts are introspective and necessary. And I’ve enjoyed the times that I have participated. Mostly grateful to be seen and heard. To have my experience(s) with grief validated without the need to try and “fix” what I’m feeling. I am forever thankful for Miranda and her courage to facilitate such a space.”

    — Shavon, Poet

  • “The Grief Circle was such a humbling experience. I attended the Filipino edition and was able to meet people from the Philippines and different parts of the U.S.A. who shared their stories, poems, songs, etc. Being able to share experiences of loss and grief with others helped me heal parts of me that needed love and light. Thank you Miranda for hosting these grief circles as they continue to help heal people!”

    — Anonymous

All Reviews

Writing:

  • Grief Circle as a Form of Activism through Love

    When our structures and systems make space for grief (from the family unit to companies to governments), we make space for so much more.

    Read

  • Why I started the Grief Circle

    A personal account of why I started the Grief Circle. I get this question a lot, so I thought I’d give it some thought. Here’s what came up.

    Read

  • A Symphony Across Seas

    A poem about the Grief Circle:

    the grief circle / is a village across seas / it is a place for the motherless to be mothers / for the mothers to be mothered…

    Read

Resources:

 

Because the Grief Circle prompts can get into tender spaces depending on where you are in your journey, I offer the reminder that I'm an artist, and not a mental health professional. When sharing, remember to honor where you are, and only share what will be life giving for you and that which you are ready for.

If you are looking for a therapist, I’ve listed any resources I’ve found below:

  • Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is a platform to find affordable therapy services. As with any healing professional, please use your own judgement to gauge whether the resource or practioner is right for you.