Episode Title:
The Body That Chose Life: An Ode to My Faithful Companion of 69 Years
Episode Description:
In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed memoir teacher Laura Davis shares a transformative writing prompt inspired by poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's "Letter to Myself at Twenty-One." Laura guides listeners through the process of writing an ode—a love song—to their bodies as they are today and then she demonstrates the power of this practice by sharing her own vulnerable response. This episode offers both a practical memoir writing technique and a profound meditation on embodiment, aging, and gratitude.
What Laura Covers in This Episode
How to use poetry as a springboard for memoir writing prompts
The transformative power of writing odes to your own body
Techniques for writing with radical self-acceptance and honesty
How to honor your body's journey through all its stages
Ways to hold gratitude and struggle simultaneously in your writing
The relationship between aging, wisdom, and creative expression
Using personal vulnerability to deepen your memoir practice
Episode Highlights
Laura shares Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's powerful poem "Letter to Myself at Twenty-One" about body acceptance and aging
Laura introduces the writing prompt: "Write an ode, a love song, to your body as it is today"
Laura reads her own deeply personal response, addressing her body directly after 69 years
Laura reflects on her premature birth at 2 pounds 12 ounces and her twin sister's death
Laura demonstrates how to write about current health challenges with grace and gratitude
Laura explores the body as "faithful companion" and source of all life experience
Laura shows how to weave sensory details and specific memories into body-centered writing
Laura models writing about aging and mortality with acceptance rather than resistance
About Host Laura Davis
Laura Davis is an acclaimed memoir writing teacher and author with over 35 years of experience guiding writers to tell their most powerful stories. Her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also the co-author of the groundbreaking book The Courage to Heal. She teaches weekly Zoom memoir classes, leads international writing retreats including "The Art of Memoir" at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, and hosts both "The Writer's Journey" podcast and the "Midweek Pause for Peace" poetry series. Laura's teaching emphasizes vulnerability, authenticity, and the transformative power of putting personal truth on the page.
Resources Laura Mentions
Poem: "Letter to Myself at Twenty-One" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. You can find the poem and subscribe to Rosemerry’s daily poetry feed here: https://ahundredfallingveils.com/2025/06/05/letter-to-myself-at-twenty-one/
Retreat: "Flourishing as We Age: A Women's Writing Workshop" - Weeklong oceanfront retreat in Santa Cruz, California, spring 2025 (https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/)
Laura's memoir: The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021)
Laura's book: The Courage to Heal (co-authored)
Episode Call-to-Action
Try this writing prompt yourself: Set aside 20-30 minutes and write an ode to your body as it is today. Address your body directly, thanking it for specific experiences it has enabled. Don't worry about making it perfect or profound—focus on honesty and specificity. Notice what emerges when you approach your body with curiosity and gratitude rather than judgment.
Connect with Laura Davis
Subscribe to Laura's Substack for weekly writing inspiration: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/
Explore Laura's writing classes, books, and international retreats: https://lauradavis.net/
Learn about the "Flourishing as We Age" spring retreat: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/
Listen to more episodes of The Writer's Journey podcast
Join Laura's weekly Zoom writing classes: https://lauradavis.net/writing-classes/
The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.
You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/
Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/
