January 4, 2019
Interview with Susan Tiberghien, author, teacher, founder, mentor
Geneva, Switzerland
Interviewer Allyn Enderlyn, Jungian Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist
Allyn: You’ve been teaching at the International Women’s Writers’ Guild (IWWG) since 1990, at the Geneva Writers Group since 1993 when you founded it, at numerous Jungian Societies in the States since 1997 and at different writers’ centers and conferences on both sides of the Atlantic ocean since 2000.
You have written several books. You are now doing online courses of the Jung Society of Washington and IWWG.
Tell us about your history, Susan.
Susan: I’ll go back to when I re-found my mother tongue...after falling in love with a Frenchman and raising six children in French.
I thought had lost my mother tongue. In 1984, (I remember the date because my father had died just recently), when I went to my first writing workshop in America for two weeks. The stories just poured out of me — in English.
I went back to my love of writing, joined the American International Women’s Club (AIWC) and started leading their writing workshop. We published a collection of stories titled, Offshoots, Women Writing in Geneva.
It was this collection that brought me an invitation to teach at the International Women’s Writing Guild in 1990.
Allyn: And when did you start writing books?
Susan: I started first writing short stories and publishing them in a number of journals and anthologies. I began working on a novel, but then dreamed my first nonfiction book, a memoir, titled Looking for Gold, A Year in Jungian Analysis, at the IWWG Summer Conference, which was published in 1995.
I went into Jungian Analysis to deepen the way I was living and to nourish my creativity. This first book opened doors to my speaking and leading workshops at a variety of Jungian Societies and Institutes. My first invitation came from the Jung Society of San Antonio in 1996, one year after my first book was published and the same year at the New York Jung Foundation.
It all started from when I was born — with a lot of energy. I’m 84 years old, and I love teaching and writing.
I have written seven books. My most recent is Writing Towards Wholeness, published last spring by Chiron Publications.
Ahead of me is a new edition of Circling to the Center, with a new subtitle, Invitation to Silent Prayer, and an afterword, A Lantern in the Dark, to share with the reader where the last twenty years have taken me. It will also be published by Chiron this fall.
Allyn: Can you tell us more about your upcoming online teaching?
Susan: This is something new, very new for me. I have done a course, Journaling to the Soul for the Jung Society of Washington. I am preparing another, Seeing Beauty with Words. And this fall, I will do a series of online courses for the IWWG titled Narratives in the Unconscious.
Allyn: And all this time you were teaching and directing the Geneva Writers Group. Tell us about the Geneva Writing Conferences, which I loved attending.
Susan: Yes, because of the experience at the different writers’ conferences, I was able to start in 1998 our bi-annual Geneva Conferences, following in the path of earlier conferences in Bern and Zurich. We welcome over 200 participants from around Europe and further.
The Geneva Writers Group has kept growing. We have now over 240 members. We offer monthly workshops, literary contests, readings but especially support and friendship. Last June, we celebrated our 25th anniversary. And I stepped down from directing the group. It was time. There is an excellent steering committee in place, and the GWG continues its path.
Allyn: You were magnificently surprised at the anniversary. Now that you have retired, what’s ahead of you for this year, 2019?
Susan: I mentioned that I am working on a new edition of "Circling to the Center." Chiron publications are wonderful to work with.
Then for workshops, I have a busy schedule. In March I will be leading two workshops at the Spiritual Writing Retreat at the Chateau de Bossy.
In April, I will do the online course for Washington and lead a workshop on the same topic, Seeing Beauty, for the Geneva Writers Group.
I then leave for my spring tour of workshops in the U.S., with workshops and lectures in Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. My subject this spring is From Darkness to Light, The Alchemy of Journaling.
The end of June, I will be in Paris for workshops at Shakespeare and Company, at the American Library and for a talk at the Paris Writers Workshops.
And July 12-19, 2019, in Allentown, Penn., I will be teaching the Alchemy of Writing each day at the IWWG Summer Conference.
This takes me to the online courses for IWWG in October, Narratives in the Unconscious
Allyn: Susan, what an amazing year you are having. Would you like add a few words to conclude?
Susan: I continue to write toward wholeness, bringing together my interests in spirituality, psychology and creativity. I find myself so very fortunate to be able to follow these three pursuits in my reading, my writing and my teaching and still more fortunate to pursue them side by side with my husband of 60 years. Together we welcome our many children, spouses and grandchildren. And now our first great grandchild, named after my father, Hollyster.
Allyn: Dear readers, we hope you will be joining Susan in person and/or online for this creative journey, and thank you so much, Susan. On a personal note, I am deeply honored to have seen you begin and grow on your incredible path since 1994.
Readers may contact Susan by email, learn more about her booksopens in new window and classesopens in new window or visit her websiteopens in new window.