LAURA'S NEW BOOK:
The Burning Light of Two Stars
A Mother-Daughter Story
On Sale Now!
This riveting memoir by The Courage to Heal author Laura Davis examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking.
Welcome! I'm Laura Davis.
I write books that change people's lives and help people tell stories that matter.
I am the author of seven non-fiction books, including The Courage to Heal, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be and I Thought We'd Never Speak Again. My groundbreaking books have been translated into 11 languages and sold more than 1.8 million copies. In addition to writing books that inspire and change people's lives, the work of my heart is to teach. For more than twenty years, I've helped my students find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft as writers. I love creating supportive, intimate writing communities online, in person, and internationally.
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Featured Retreat: Writing, Relaxation, and Adventure in Tuscany Next Spring
Due to a cancellation this sold-out trip now has one last space available
Tuesday, June 14 - Thursday, June 23, 2022
Journey to sun-soaked Tuscany for a ten-day retreat at a majestic 15th century estate seated on the rolling hills of the Italian countryside. Located just 45 minutes away from Florence, the Villa I Bonsi is a vineyard and olive farm ideal for relaxing and exploring the cultural wonders of a region celebrated for its history and food. Writing and yoga will be at the heart of the retreat and will help us bond as a group. This intimate and magical vacation includes an olive oil making tour, truffle hunting, a wine tasting tour, cooking lessons, and a day trip to San Gimignano with its medieval tower houses, encircling walls, and the unforgettable view from its hilltop setting. Spouses and non-writing friends are welcome to join in on the fun.
Look Mom, I Got Published in The New York Times!
This past summer, on a whim, I distilled my soon-to-be-published 89,000-word memoir down to 100 words and submitted it to the Tiny Love Stories column in The New York Times. They said yes to publishing it. My mother, Temme Davis, antagonist and co-star in my forthcoming memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, did the New York Times crossword every day for more than 50 years until dementia took away her capacity to fill in those little boxes—always in ink. I’m sure she’s looking down from heaven right now, smiling at my 100 words and this wonderful picture of us.
If you don’t subscribe to The New York Times, and a paywall prevents you from accessing the link, you can read my Tiny Love Story, The Daughter She Needed, here.
Classes and Retreats
Experience the incredible power of finding your voice and honing your craft in a supportive circle of your peers. Weekly online classes include include writing practice classes and feedback circles. Click the "classes" button below for more information.
I also run writing retreats online, around the US, and internationally, from daylong and weekend workshops to weeklong retreats on writing through grief and uncertainty, to international travel adventures that combine writing with ecotourism in beautiful places around the world. To learn more, click on the link below.
The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story
"Caregiving an elderly parent, especially against the backdrop of a difficult shared past, can be a bruising spiritual ordeal. We who must travel this territory don’t need any more sentimental narratives about it. What we do need is the healing medicine of truth-telling, and Laura Davis brilliantly and generously gives it to us. I literally could not put this book down."
—Katy Butler, bestselling author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door and The Art of Dying Well
My riveting new memoir examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking.
The Making of a Memoir Blog
Did You Ever Wonder What Goes into Making a Great Memoir?
Let me take you behind the scenes and show you what it takes to create a compelling book and get it into the hands of readers.
As a special bonus, you'll get a sneak peek at some deleted scenes from The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story, like the time I dropped acid with my father…
Writer's Journey Roadmap - Writing Prompts
The Writer's Journey Roadmap: Receive the gift of weekly inspiration. Powerful, provocative, motivating writing prompts in your inbox every Tuesday.
Upcoming Events with Laura Davis
How to Write About What You Can't Remember: A Six-Day Writing Retreat
IN-PERSON RETREAT: Rowe Center, Rowe, Massachusetts
Sunday, May 15 - Friday, May 20, 2022
Many of us believe that recording the stories of our lives—or writing memoir—requires that we accurately remember our past and then transcribe our memories. This belief stops us before we begin because we are appalled at how much we don’t remember. This six-day workshop at the beautiful Rowe Center in northern Massachusetts will teach you how to transform scraps of memory and old family stories into a rich written legacy. You’ll leave the retreat with strategies for writing about events that happened years ago with fresh immediacy. You’ll learn to capture the memories you do have, enhance recollections that are vague or unclear, and write effectively and powerfully about the parts of your history it is impossible to know for sure. Over the course of our days together, we will form a powerful creative community, a fertile environment to birth the stories—remembered and forgotten—that you long to tell.
This is a rare opportunity for people on the east coast to study with Laura in person without flying across the country.
Write, Travel, Transform: Writing, Yoga and Cultural Exploration in Tuscany
Due to a cancellation this sold-out trip now has one last space available
IN-PERSON INTERNATIONAL RETREAT: Tuscany, Italy
Tuesday, June 14 - Thursday, June 23, 2022
Journey to sun-soaked Tuscany for a ten-day retreat at a majestic 15th century estate seated on the rolling hills of the Italian countryside. Located just 45 minutes away from Florence, the Villa I Bonsi is a vineyard and olive farm ideal for relaxing and exploring the cultural wonders of a region celebrated for its history and food. Writing and yoga will be at the heart of the retreat and will help us bond as a group. This intimate and magical vacation includes an olive oil making tour, truffle hunting, a wine tasting tour, cooking lessons, and a day trip to San Gimignano with its medieval tower houses, encircling walls, and the unforgettable view from its hilltop setting. Spouses and non-writing friends are welcome to join in on the fun.