Life Writing

Let's meet to write! Schedule : 18:30 - 18:45: Arrival & introduction tour. Share briefly with the group your project and the "goal of the day". 18:45 - 20:00 : Let's write! 20:00 : Closing tour. Did you achieve the "goal of the day" ? See you soon !

The practice of authentic presence is about freely expressing and revealing yourself while being with others. Through this practice, you learn to let go of habitual patterns and conditioned responses, allowing you to form deeper, more genuine connections rooted in who you truly are. ## About the event Authentic presence is a path of radical honesty. It creates a safe and supportive environment where you can look at yourself with fresh eyes. At the same time it often is fun, enjoyable, beautiful, and meaningful. Ultimately, this practice leads to a closer connection with yourself and more meaningful relationships with others. Join these beginner sessions to learn basic techniques from authentic relating and circling. Activities include meditations, dialogues, and exercises on sharing and owning your experience. No prerequisites—just come as you are! Contribution: €20 registration and more info: [click here](https://www.houseofthebeloved.eu/authentic-presence) [Join our WhatsApp group to ask questions or stay updated](https://chat.whatsapp.com/I45llASEfCuE4L7WZ6ctOt) We look forward to meeting you!

Happy Shauvot. Pentecost and Eid al Adha, The Spiritual Discussion Programme (in English) on BLESS RADIO 1 is on today from 7pm to 9pm CET time which is 6pm to 8pm UK time. The topic is "Day of Pentecost" To listen visit www.blessradio1.com Alternatively you can listen on zeno.fm/radio/blessradio1 We are also live streaming on YouTube. Goto www.YouTube.com Search for "Blessradio1 Grail Message Day of Pentecost" (i.e. TOPIC OF THE SHOW) After the show, you can also listen to the recording of the show on YOU TUBE (as above). Hope you can listen tonight and join in. You are welcome to join in the discussion. PLEASE call /text / WhatsApp us with your questions or comments on +44 7939 641 958. OR MESSAGE us on Bless Chat box on [www.blessradio1.com](http://www.blessradio1.com/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2fGBcwr_zqUzBvp1UNYPsReHJqU4HJqhn3rg3XZGIk-3b5QHFKoJQolAs_aem_ONWb__d3tcI4BshpKmv6ag) Regards, Saad Farooqi

**Welcome to our May UX Beers in Mechelen!** This time, we will host our event on Tuesday the 26th of May at [Buffl](https://buffl.be) in Mechelen. [Ariad](https://www.ariadgroup.com/) and [Creative Skills](https://www.creativeskills.be/) sponsor our events. Follow the event online? We stream live via [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqyTDAyQBw) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# UX TALKS **Talk 1: Research Reinvented** [Michiel Willekens](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michiel-willekens/), Productmanager @ BUFFL and [Seppe Stroo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seppe-stroo-843b82128/), Founding partner @ BUFFL In this presentation, BUFFL will demonstrate how rethinking research can drive real business results through a pragmatic case study. You’ll discover how to translate business objectives into the right customer questions and how to act on those insights immediately to accelerate growth and sales. By bringing the live voice of thousands of (potential) customers into the decision-making process, organizations can ask the right questions at the right time and turn insights into measurable business impact: from increased sales and customer loyalty/experience to stronger brand awareness and more effective activation strategies. **Talk 2: Synthetic Personas – real insights or digital illusions?** [Kate Foszcz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarzyna-foszcz/?locale=en), AI Product designer @ Ebay Can synthetic personas help us make better business decisions, or are we just interviewing very convincing imaginary friends? In this talk, Kate will explore where synthetic personas can actually bring value, from testing assumptions to speeding up research, and where they can quietly mislead us with biased, overconfident, or poorly grounded answers. Expect a practical look at how to design these systems responsibly, when to trust them, and when to go back to real humans. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# SCHEDULE 18:00 - Doors open. Drinks & snacks 19.00 - 19.15 - Introduction to UX Belgium Meetup, announcements 19.15 - 19:45 - Talk #1 19:45 -20:15 - BREAK 20:15 - 20:45 - Talk #2 20:45 - 21:30 - Socialize \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# SLACK CHANNEL We have our own UX Belgium slack channel. [Come join us and say hi!](https://join.slack.com/t/ux-belgium/shared_invite/zt-1bjpnuiog-T4Di4flXYPWgbT9KrZ53CA) \*\*\* \#\#\# YOUTUBE CHANNEL All our livestreams and talks are recorded and available on our [UX Belgium youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCno7V18T-EglYXprgrUZQ7A). \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# ABOUT UX BELGIUM UX Belgium is a growing community of User Experience (UX) professionals in and around Belgium. Look for these types of events: UX Beers Periodically, we gather at a different agency or venue to drink beers, network and listen to speakers on various themes in the world of UX and digital design. UX Antwerp: Each last Tuesday of the month UX Brussels: Each second Tuesday of the month, 4x per year UX Workshops Now and then we organize events to dive deeper into specific skills and techniques in UX. These are smaller, hands-on workshops designed to boost your UX toolbox. \*\*\* The UX Belgium Meetup Team

Hi all, we’ll be discussing Character by Ferdinand Bordewijk. New members are welcome to join as well. We’ll be meeting at Wereldcafé.coop, a quiet place run by volunteers with organic food & drinks. Participation fee is €1. See you there, and happy reading! Here's a list of what we've read so far: - *Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (1911)* - *Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1899)* - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847) *Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956) - Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) *Sátántangó by László Krasznahorkai (1985) - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) *The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1940) - The Odyssey by Homer (c. 800 BCE) *Maurice by E.M. Forster (1914) - Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (1999) *The Trial by Franz Kafka (1925) - Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre (1938) *Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola (1867) - All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1929) *Middlemarch by George Eliot (1872) - The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (2011) *Elective Affinities by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1809) - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955) *Gilgamesh (c. 2100 BCE) - Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925) *The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (1924) - Chess by Stefan Zweig (1942) *Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata (1935) - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939) *The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat (1937) - The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (1886) *Stoner by John Williams (1965) - The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (1989) *Oeroeg by Hella S. Haasse (1948) - Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (1961) *The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) - The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (1984) *Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

**Cinema Palace : Parallel Tales** 04/06 @ 18h30 **'Histoires parallèles' d'Asghar Farhadi, vertigineux enchevêtrement de réel et de fiction** [...] Après 'Le passé', Asghar Farhadi ('Le client', 'Une séparation') retourne à Paris pour cette fiction fascinante qui s’inspire du sixième volet du 'Décalogue' de Krzystof Kieslowski, empruntant la musique composée par Zbigniew Preisner pour le film originel. Soutenu par une distribution exceptionnelle, le cinéaste iranien déploie un scénario virtuose qui aurait pu se contenter de poser la question, somme toute classique, de la fiction qui pille et déforme la réalité. Mais dès lors que le personnage passionnant d’Adam rentre en contact avec la réelle Anna, Nita de son vrai nom, lui dérobe son journal intime et s’arrange pour qu’elle lise le manuscrit écrit par Sylvie autour d’elle, 'Histoires parallèles' emprunte une direction autrement plus troublante. [...] [Cinema Palace](https://cinema-palace.be/fr/film/histoires-paralleles) [Rafael Wolf pour la Radio Télévision Suisse](https://www.rts.ch/info/culture/cinema/2026/article/histoires-paralleles-d-asghar-farhadi-vertigineux-enchevetrement-de-reel-et-de-fiction-29243622.html) **For Dreamers, Coffee shots, Orezza, eau de Saint-Georges !**

Welcome! Join these beginner sessions if you are searching for deep connection, and want to learn some basic techniques (from authentic relating and circling) that can support you. Activities may include meditations (to connect to yourself, your body and the other), structured dialogues (in pairs or small groups), exercises about sharing and owning your experience, and much more. There are no prerequisites for these sessions. Just show up as you are. Please add yourself to our whatsapp group to ask questions or to stay informed: https://chat.whatsapp.com/ClH8EhaItZPKU5cSkjkcC7 We look forward to meeting you!

Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10:00 on Wednesday morning. Be it a book, essay, dissertation, article or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION: quick intros. 10:15 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:15 - (the end) check in.

**Join us for an hour of writing!** We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. **SCHEDULE:** 11:00 - Quick introductions 11:15 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour 12:15 - The End: chat, take off, or keep writing OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 12:15. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled. If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! **What Should I Bring?** Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block the cafe’s overhead music or the occasional conversation by other patrons. There are plugs in the cafe but we may not be seated right next to them, so please charge any device before coming ! **Other Important Details:** WIFI : the cafe has wifi, the password is written on the menu TRAVEL / PARKING: The cafe is in the center of the city. An uncovered bike rack is available. For more information on parking, please visit https://leuven.be/parkeren SEATING INFORMATION: Please RSVP so I know how many seats to book ! GUIDELINES: **You are required to order at least one thing to support the café.**

For our second meeting we are reading "Everything is Television" by Derek Thompson, a relevant media literacy essay. https://www.derekthompson.org/p/why-everything-became-television Hoping for a good weather so let's meet in the park again :) Grab your favorite cup of brew and join the circle, we'll be on the side, next to fountain in Parc du Cinquantenaire. The exact location will be shared that day in the comments. Come to chat about... Anything really! How to live a good life, your favorite Substacks, your new hobby, the art of living slowly, ideas you are processing, coffee places you recently found, music records you bought, essays you read or wrote, meals you made, clothes you thrifted, movies you watched, and the music you heard.

Navigating Loss and Transition: A Reflective Workshop By David Sunderland Brussels, 27 May 2026 Register here: https://www.imaginationclub.org/brussels/navigating_loss_and_transition.php We all experience loss – of roles, relationships, identities, expectations, or direction – yet we rarely pause to reflect on it. This interactive workshop creates a calm, reflective space to explore how loss shapes our lives and decisions, both personally and professionally. Drawing on a simple but powerful format (including candles, silence, and guided questions), participants are invited to share, listen, and reflect at their own pace. The session blends elements of “death cafés” with a broader exploration of transition, helping participants better understand endings – and what they make possible. Participants will: \* Explore different types of loss (personal, professional, existential). \* Reflect on how transitions shape identity, decisions, and growth \* Practice listening and speaking in a structured, non-judgmental space \* Gain language and perspective for navigating change and uncertainty \* Identify insights they can carry into work and everyday life. Conclusion You will leave with a deeper understanding of loss as a source of clarity, connection, and possibility. About David Sunderland David is British and French since 2019. He also has strong Brazilian sympathies after being married to a Brazilian woman for nearly 20 years. A similar period of time working in the United Nations, along with various other voluntary and civil society work, has reinforced his idealism while granting him more pragmatic perspectives around planning, communication and human relations. He founded, and continues to be Chair of, www.plenna.org that encourages better preparation for death and dying, whatever one's age or situation. His personal website, including links to his writing (with details on his forthcoming book, ’The Punctuation of Loss’), is www.intermundia.org. **Practical Information** **When** Wednesday, 27 May 2026 from 18h45-21h00 **Where?** Timesmore Boulevard St Michel 47, 1040 Brussels **How much?** €15 to cover expenses including materials, drinks, snacks, etc. - payable at the door. **Event web page** https://www.imaginationclub.org/brussels/navigating_loss_and_transition.php **Please Share** If you feel your friends, family and/or colleagues may be interested in this workshop, please share it with them. The Imagination Club relies on new participants to cover our operational costs and maintain a diverse, perceptive and intelligent audience (in other words, people like you) for our events. **Might you be interested to give an experimental workshop at the Imagination Club?** Whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned professional, you are welcome to try out your workshop ideas at the club. We have dates available for this season.

Hallo Freunde der deutschen Sprache, wir laden alle, die gern ihr Deutsch üben wollen, zum nächsten Treffen ein! Bei schönen Wetter sitzen wir vielleicht sogar im Garten des James Joyce. Falls Ihr angemeldet seid, aber nicht kommen könnt, wären wir dankbar für Eure Abmeldung (WhatsApp - Mike: +32 475 60 88 68). Wir freuen uns auf den Austausch mit Euch!

Hello, readers ! In May we are reading Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. We will meet at Maison de Quartier Malibran, Rue de la Digue 10, 1050 Ixelles. **Please keep your RSVP up to date** and happy reading!

**Cutting Clutter, Planting Intentions** Spring is nature’s ultimate reset button. As the earth sheds the frost to make room for new growth, it invites us to do the same. But before you can plant something new, you usually have to clear out the weeds. What mental clutter is taking up space in your head right now, and what do you actually want to cultivate in your life? Join us in the cozy, backyard of a lovely local bookshop for a warm, friendly, and hands-on afternoon. Through a series of collaborative writing and drawing activities, we will explore ways to dust off the winter cobwebs and map out our intentions. Then, we'll get practical. We’ll be decorating plant pots with personal intentions, before filling them with soil and planting real plants. You'll leave the bookshop with a tangible, living reminder of what you’re choosing to grow this season. Whether you want to dive a bit deeper or just have some fun—all are welcome. Get ready to experiment, play, meet others, and have fun! All materials will be provided. ***Ticket €5-10 cash at the door*** Covers cost of materials and some snacks. **::::Agenda::::** \- 18:00 Arrival & Welcome \- 18:30 Start of session
 \- 20:00 Closing followed with networking **::: Location:::** Unity Bookshop, Chau. de Wavre 83, 1050 Ixelles - Brussels Creativity Lab - This group is for anyone interested in exploring, questioning and discovering their creativity. If you're willing to experiment, take risks, play, meet others and have fun, this meetup is for you. We started this group because like any skill, creativity needs practice too.

Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 11 at Streetlight Guild. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. **SCHEDULE:** 6:45ish - Quick introductions 7:00 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour 8:00 - The End **OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING** happens before and after the writing hour. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. **BEING LATE IS OKAY:** just show up and get settled! If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing & I look forward to seeing you at Streetlight Guild! **WHAT SHOULD I BRING?** Whatever you need to be able to write! You're welcome to bring earplugs/headphones if noise will bother you! **OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:** * **RSVP:** Please RSVP by 6:00pm the evening of the meeting. This helps me know how many to expect, and if we'll need additional space! * **COVID:** While masks are not required, please be mindful of the other writers around you and their comfort levels. * **WIFI/OUTLETS:** Outlets are limited, so please ensure your devices are charged when you come! But Streetlight Guild does have free WiFi! Yay! * **PARKING:** There is free public parking at Streetlight Guild.

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

Let’s meet and share discussion of the James Baldwin short story collection, Going to Meet The Man.

Greetings writers! Come down and join your fellow wordsmiths for one hour of uninterrupted writing time in the upper level of the Market District Supermarket in Upper Arlington. The main entrance of the shopping center opens onto stairs/elevator leading up to the 2nd floor cafe section where we will have a table displaying a sign with the Shut Up & Write logo. Writing is largely a solitary craft. Practicing with others in a community setting may be the thing you need to fire your own routine. We’ll meet on Wednesday evenings, starting the clock at 6:30, following a brief period of introductions. This is solid writing time and all inclusive. Any project is acceptable, be it fiction, non -fiction, work or homework assignment. All is welcome and will remain private to you. The market boasts a Starbucks, a full service bar and various affordable food options. Parking is plentiful, free Wifi is provided as well as outlets for charging your devices, though they are somewhat limited, so plan accordingly. Show up as early as you like, or stay late. This group tends to socialize some, both before and after the alloted time, but this is not mandatory to you. Feel free to come and go as you please and late arrivals are welcome. The cafe may be noisy on occasion so headphones/ earbuds are reccommended as you see fit. Please try to RSVP if possible so that we may grab enough seats for all—the venue can be busy at times. Feel free to message me privately wth any questions and/ or concerns you may have. Happy writing!

Join us this Thursday 6:30 pm at the Westerville Veterans Memorial for two loops around the Westerville Sports Complex fields. This 1 mile loop is a flat fully paved trail that straddles Alum Creek. Join us for a beautiful evening hike together!