Hi! I’m Elizabeth Ü 余浩明. I use she/they pronouns. Writing Sangha is my attempt to nurture the writing community I’ve always longed for.
My ancestors came from China (via British Hong Kong) on one side, and England, Scotland, Ireland (and more, including probably France and Germany?) via Collingwood, Ontario (Canada). Born in San Francisco, I grew roots and fins in Marin County. I lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for seven years, returning to the San Francisco Bay Area in October of 2023.
I’m fascinated by the possibility of transformation and liberation, at both the personal and collective levels. I’ve been practicing yoga since 1998, and attended my first silent meditation retreat in 2007. I’ve been teaching yoga and meditation since 2017, and I am currently training for Ordination in a Buddhist tradition that is — like many self-described “Western” versions of “Eastern” spiritual lineages — complicated.
And yet writing has always been my primary spiritual practice.
I’m inspired by writing craft AND writing process. Writing on my own AND writing in community and collaboration with others. Writing polished pieces to share AND writing to figure out how I feel about things. Writing as a way to critically examine my privilege AND writing to find my voice as a marginalized being. Reading AND sharing other people’s writing. Writing to transform myself AND writing to transform the world.
What inspires your writing?
What does “Sangha” mean?
“Sangha” means “community” in both Sanskrit and Pali. It also can refer to a flock or a herd. I use it here to refer to a community of devoted practitioners, as it is often used in Buddhist contexts, though you need not be Buddhist to play here 🙂
Get in touch
I would love to hear from you! If it takes me a while to get back to you, know that it’s not personal; it’s more likely that I’m absorbed in a project or conversation in real life…
P.S.
I know I know, I’m using stock images from the WordPress template. One of these days maybe I’ll get around to finding new ones?
Writing Sangha 