As an active participant in the diary I love sending the diary to new participants to gather new stories. Becoming a patron, you can expect to be part of the Traveling Diary Tour where you get a visit from the diary to contribute your own unique story within our community. You will also get free access to exclusive monthly events for this community only including a personal invite to celebrate with us when books return, behind-the-scenes information about what's coming next with the Traveling Diary tour where I get to share thoughts about direction, events, and anything that's going on with managing the process and building the project. In addition to all of that goodness, you will receive free postcards, and mug and be a part of shaping this experience when you vote via community polls to help voice your ideas about specific decisions we'd like to make for the community.

7 Agreements of The Traveling Diary

• Shared Responsibility: We agree to take responsibility for the impact of our words, actions, and energy. Together, we will create a community defined by authentic inclusion. We agree that everyone matters, those within this circle, and those without. Everyone. We will not tolerate words that perpetuate hate. We strive to transcend racism, sexism, nationalism, abilism, agism, fat phobia, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of bias. If we stumble, we will acknowledge our mistakes and apologize. When we stumble, we will stumble toward each other.

• Patience: The magic is in the wait. We practice patience and rely on trust to move our stories along our human blockchain. Members agree to mail the diaries to the next participant within three days after receiving them. (Unless a different agreement has explicitly been made.) We communicate delays when they happen. We exercise the right to either leave or wait knowing there are too many factors beyond our control to pretend we have it all together here. And when we wait, we continue to participate in this community which we have knitted together around storytelling.

• Brave Space: We each share responsibility for creating and protecting a brave space in which we can share our stories. We’re welcome to show up as imperfect beings who are learning. We will make mistakes. But we won’t tolerate willful disregard of our agreements and community values.

• No Contests: We take respite from the joy-stealing realm of comparison. We purposefully leave hierarchies behind in order to create a container of sharing and compassion. We don’t stratify our true stories and selves as we are all valid and need no further validation. Our stories and voices matter as we give each other the gift of attention.

• Authentic Connection: We prioritize face-to-face, hand-written, and voice communications over other methods. We prefer to connect with each other on a human level via virtual or in-person meetings where we get to have real conversations at interesting events and meet real human beings to have fun. We show up for each other to say hi even if we choose to remain silent. And we choose to listen or read with our hearts, embracing differences that make our community unique as a whole. 

• Investment: We believe anything worth having is worth investing in. There are many ways to build community but real connection requires real work. We value putting in the work necessary for real relationships to exist in this space. 

• Kindness: We agree to practice radical kindness with each other and with ourselves. We will practice including ourselves in the circle of kindness we will be helping to create.

You are in love with stories and the mission of the Traveling Diary and believe in spending your money on things you believe in. You desire to give more as we grow. The Traveling Diary is all about creating a space for sharing stories from women all over the world and you want to be part of a group of members that focuses on supporting the expansion of the diary in connecting more women. By joining the community at this tier you will be at the forefront of knowing what’s next and part of a group that we go to for feedback. You will also receive a visit from the diary. All of this goodness is yours in addition to free access to monthly events, behind-the-scenes information, free postcards with quotes from diaries, mug, and voting privileges in community polls.

7 Agreements of The Traveling Diary

• Shared Responsibility: We agree to take responsibility for the impact of our words, actions, and energy. Together, we will create a community defined by authentic inclusion. We agree that everyone matters, those within this circle, and those without. Everyone. We will not tolerate words that perpetuate hate. We strive to transcend racism, sexism, nationalism, abilism, agism, fat phobia, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of bias. If we stumble, we will acknowledge our mistakes and apologize. When we stumble, we will stumble toward each other.

• Patience: The magic is in the wait. We practice patience and rely on trust to move our stories along our human blockchain. Members agree to mail the diaries to the next participant within three days after receiving them. (Unless a different agreement has explicitly been made.) We communicate delays when they happen. We exercise the right to either leave or wait knowing there are too many factors beyond our control to pretend we have it all together here. And when we wait, we continue to participate in this community which we have knitted together around storytelling.

• Brave Space: We each share responsibility for creating and protecting a brave space in which we can share our stories. We’re welcome to show up as imperfect beings who are learning. We will make mistakes. But we won’t tolerate willful disregard of our agreements and community values.

• No Contests: We take respite from the joy-stealing realm of comparison. We purposefully leave hierarchies behind in order to create a container of sharing and compassion. We don’t stratify our true stories and selves as we are all valid and need no further validation. Our stories and voices matter as we give each other the gift of attention.

• Authentic Connection: We prioritize face-to-face, hand-written, and voice communications over other methods. We prefer to connect with each other on a human level via virtual or in-person meetings where we get to have real conversations at interesting events and meet real human beings to have fun. We show up for each other to say hi even if we choose to remain silent. And we choose to listen or read with our hearts, embracing differences that make our community unique as a whole. 

• Investment: We believe anything worth having is worth investing in. There are many ways to build community but real connection requires real work. We value putting in the work necessary for real relationships to exist in this space. 

• Kindness: We agree to practice radical kindness with each other and with ourselves. We will practice including ourselves in the circle of kindness we will be helping to create.