Like many other writers, I’ve been scribbling down my thoughts and imaginings most of my life. My real start didn’t really happen until I was 27 years old, however. By that point, I’d been a mother for seven years and an English high school teacher for almost two. Although I’d always believed I was a … Continue reading Finding Joy in Writing
On July 26, 2025, an art exhibit about the waste crisis in Canada’s Arctic opened at the local art gallery in my new home town of Peterborough, Ontario. The Wire Megazine described Art + Waste in Panniqtuuq as an exhibition positioned “at the intersection of art, politics, and resistance,” and hailed it as “a raw and … Continue reading The Art Exhibit Everyone Should Someday See
I am facilitating my first in-person writing workshop since the pandemic on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at the Peterborough Public Library. The workshop, titled Imagining a Better Future, runs from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. Although this will be the first time I lead this particular workshop, the idea of tapping into the power of … Continue reading ‘Imagining A Better Future’ Writing Workshop
In January 2026, I promised myself I would post here once a month. I didn’t want to do what I’d done in 2025, which was drop a series of nine love bombs over the course of 90 days, and then ghost the site for the next nine months. (You can read more about that in … Continue reading Pivoting is the Opposite of Failing
Many people anticipate quitting their worst habit with a sense of dread. They worry they won’t survive without it. They imagine years (or days) into the future and wonder how they’ll fill the spaces created by its absence. And the more they think about quitting, the more their resistance grows. They worry they’ll never be … Continue reading Taking Breaks Can Help You Change Your Habits
In last month’s post titled The Power of Our Personal Stories to Shape Our Habits, I discussed how our internal narratives can either help, or hinder, our ability to change. I provided two examples of men who sought my help as a hypnotist to quit their 50 year-long smoking habits. I suggested that their success … Continue reading My Smoking Story
Anyone who knows me well is aware of my love of storytelling in all its forms. Over my 25 years as a high school English teacher, I shared hundreds if not thousands of examples of (at the time) culturally significant stories with my students. Throughout my life, I’ve read, watched, and heard many thousands more. … Continue reading The Power of Our Personal Stories to Shape Our Habits
This morning, I pulled a card from a Chakra Insight Oracle deck by Caryn Sangster. The question I asked before drawing it was, “What should I focus on as I move forward through this period of my life?” The card read, Honesty. In the past three months, I’ve been pulling more cards than I would … Continue reading The Art of Personal Myth-Making
When I checked in on my website recently, I was jarred by the contrast between the direction my writing took over the past year and where it left off on March 1, 2025, the date of my last two posts. I created this website in late December 2024, after three months of revising a hope … Continue reading Hey World, Look What I Made!
As the sun rose on the third day, the young woman felt her power return. A new strength surged through every cell of her body and she again heard the gentle hum of The Mothers’ chant. There were nine of them gathered in the room and their voices rose and fell in a gentle murmuration. … Continue reading The Elora Sky Sanctuary
Monique Chénier - Author 