Dancing on One Foot by Shanti Elke Bannwart is a memoir about a woman’s lifelong journey to understand and absorb what she experienced in war, and what she came to understand about her country’s participation in a great crime.
There is great magic in AROHO’s Retreats at Ghost Ranch: the setting enhances the power of the encounters with fellow writers. We were there during the nights of the falling stars and I remember how we gathered in the dark, on the hill, in nightgowns with bare feet, whispering and laughing and delighting in the awe and beauty of a New Mexico night sky. Only in women’s groups are those moments of pure joy and camaraderie a natural and spontaneous occurrence, where the environment becomes a holding container for the spirit of the event. During the retreat I worked on the final gestation of my book script and received exceptional feedback and encouragement from the leader and the participants of my work-group: devoted, passionate, and no-nonsense women writers. The AROHO women are a special breed of artists, a mixture of softness and fierce strength, nurtured by a spirit of support and deep trust that drives the work towards the edge of daring and passion.
–Shanti Elke Bannwart
