I have had the good fortune of being an alumna of several great institutions. These start with my Benjamin E Mays High School Academy of Science and Mathematics, to my beloved Howard U, and my cherished graduate experiences at Spalding. But another one that I am particularly proud is being a Hurston/Wright Writers Week 2006 alum, held at American University.

The Hurston/Wright Foundation was initially housed in the office of Marita Golden when she was a faculty member of George Mason’s MFA Graduate Creative Writing Program. In the Introduction to Gumbo: An Anthology of African American Writing, Marita states that she wanted to create a ritual, “a ceremony in which young Black writers were acknowledged and embraced by their peers, their elders, their fellow writers…I wanted to say to young Black writers that there was a group of people who believed in them…” The Zora Neal Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation became “a prestigious breeding ground for up-and-coming black writers,” as the inside flap of Gumbo touts.

Ever since reading Migrations of the Heart, I had always felt drawn to esteemed author, Marita Golden (www.MaritaGolden.com ). Moreover, at this time in my life, somewhere (but not too deep) in my psyche and soul, I felt that I was going through my own migration of the heart. Needless to say, I was beyond overjoyed to be accepted into her Writing in the Spirit Workshop. I was also proud to follow in the footsteps of my mentor and MFA professor, Crystal Wilkinson (www.CrystalWilkinson.com ), who was one of the first set chosen for Writer’s Week.

Never had I been one to be weak in the self-esteem department, but I was accepted into this elite group at a time when I could really use the further validation of my voice. Sure she spoke of the ‘very promising fiction piece’ that I’d submitted for Writer’s workshop, but I was smack in the middle of my MFA program and my writing packets were daunting, and very much against my natural workflow of creativity.

I was working full time for a neuroscience/biotech start up in Seattle, and my marriage was surely tumbling down. Things were hitting me on an emotional level flooding several avenues of my life. I was giving large chunks of myself to my legal career, my writing and graduate writing program, my children, and my failing marriage. I had surely found myself standing in one of the roughest spots of my adult life.

I’ll never forget walking into class that summer morning and the first thing she said to all of us was that she was giving us permission. I’m sure she was peering into a room full of quizzical faces as she told us matter-of-factly that she was giving us permission -- to be magnificent. Admittedly, this sounded strange to me upon first hearing it. Permission to be magnificent? Permission? Why did we need permission? And at that, to be magnificent?

Well, truth is, we did; or shall I say, I did.

As a seasoned writer, she led us through exercises that morning session that had little to do with writing (on the surface) but lots to do with trusting ourselves, our creative selves, our dynamic selves. The writing I produced that morning still provides inspiration to me to this day…As with any good teacher, the success comes when the student is able to realize the potential that the teacher already knows is there. Thanks Marita!