Come on into the Temple of Friendship!
On friendship, finding the words, and upcoming free writing workshops
The Temple of Friendship is a real place. It's a building in Paris that was set up for creative community. Its name is both profound and quite camp in its grandiosity. In the best sort of way. Unsurprising then, it was set up by an openly queer writer, Natalie Clifford Barney. The temple is fascinating. It has secret tunnels leading to the Louvre! It was known to be surrounded by the smell of lilacs! It was where Natalie met many of her lovers and maintained lifelong friendships!1
In an interview Natalie talked why she set up the Temple of Friendship:
“My idea was that the French, the American, and the English should meet and translate each others’ works, and so I opened it in that view. Then it became a well-known thing, people came, and flocked here. They were sitting in chairs and they were initiated into each others'…”
Here the audio is unclear, but I think I hear her say ‘hearts’. "They were initiated into each others' hearts."
But she may have also said ‘art’ or ‘work’. I cannot make it out. (Here I go again with writing an entire piece based off a misheard word, a pattern I try to embrace.)
I love this sentiment of hers. Gathering as a way of being initiated into others’ hearts. Sitting together as a way of being initiated into the task of being part of one another’s life, art, work, and hearts. We made a circle and it helped.
Friendship is often a site of translation. Even if you speak the same language, you may bring to each other the question “What do you think this means?” It could be about something as everyday as helping each other make sense of a confusing text, or as complex as wondering aloud about your purpose in this world. Often the two aren’t all that different anyway.
Translation is a way of sitting together, saying both our perspectives matter. At its best, I think, friendship is a place where we can say, “Something is happening to me”. And then together we find the words for it. I think a lot about the necessity to support one another to make sense of our experiences and to give language to that which has been suppressed or shamed. And to find ways through, together.
Barney said about friendship: “I think friendship is the most lasting, and the freest of passing emotions […] I’ve never given up my friends. They’ve given me up, but I’ve never given them up.”
This reminds me of this poster I saw last night. It’s a quote from the Co-founder and Executive Co-director of Healing Justice London, Farzana Khan.
“How can we stay together as more pressure is put on us?”
In this spirit, I’m facilitating two upcoming writing workshops. A couple of spaces to gather together, and find the words.
I’m running two free writing workshops:
They are both part of LIT a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
In Oxford @ The Old Fire Station: Monday 1st of July 7-9pm BST
I’m co-facilitating a poetry workshop at The Old Fire Station. Inspired by their OPEN Salon-style exhibition, we will be using ‘salons’ and their ethos as a jumping-off point. Using the gallery as our creative inspiration, we will look at the history of ‘salons’, play some writing games, create poetry, and share our work.
All levels of writing experience are welcome.
Online: Monday 15th of July 7.30-9.30pm BST
I’m running a repeat of “This pain is not just our own”: A writing workshop on gendered health & imagining collective responses. This will be a part of the regular online LIT sessions.
About the workshop:
We can often feel alone in our pain, but in this writing workshop we will be with it together. The title quote is taken from Rachael Boast’s poetry anthology which speaks to living with chronic illness at a time of global crisis. In this workshop, we will be unearthing the scale of our personal and collective suffering. We will start with discussions of illness but expand outwards, thinking about how our bodies are entangled with the world around us. From this, we will explore how together we can build caring, creative and communal responses.
We will do this through creative writing exercises, both poetry and creative non-fiction. You don’t need to have written about this before or have any particular skill level or experience to take part.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
With care and friendship,
Rachel x
This article gives a great history of The Temple of Friendship and Natalie Clifford Barney’s Life.
For anyone listening to the audio, my apologies that my laptop mic isn't very good. It's come to my attention that it is a bit unclear in places. I am looking into improving this so that it's a clearer recording next time. Thanks!