Volume III, Issue 10 March 19, 2014 |
Word of the Week: ordinary
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Dear , Last week, I shared my grandson, and this week I'm sharing my mother, who would have been 89 on March 4th. I'm grateful I got to have her until she was 77-- in this photo taken in 1957, I'm the baby in her lap, enjoying a story with my older sister and brothers. It wasn't until I knew I would be losing her that I realized that nothing was ordinary. That was one of her last, and
greatest, gifts to me, and I wrote a poem by that name so I would never forget this. That's one of the things I love best about being a writer, and being with writers: we can take anything that anyone has ever thought was ordinary-- homework, say, or wind, or even milk -- and, as this week's featured writer, Joan LaFleur says, "make it shine." (Check out Joan's words, and this week's writing prompt, below.) Joan mentions the CPCC Literary Festival, which is now a part of Sensoria. There are some great literary events coming to Charlotte for free in April! Find out about them here. Love and light and good writing to you, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
TWO SPOTS LEFT...
SPRING WRITING RETREAT
(Writing as Renewal; Creating New Writing) Renew and delight yourself. Enjoy various seasonal prompts that elicit beautiful material which can be shaped into essays, poems, stories, or articles. After lunch with a community of like-minded writers, you'll have private time to collage, work with a piece of writing from the morning, or play with a number of other writing prompts and methods. You'll take home new ideas, new drafts, and new
possibilities.
$97 includes lunch and supplies. WHEN: This Saturday, March 22, 2014,10 am - 5 pm
WHERE: South Charlotte area. Details will be provided upon registration.
TO REGISTER: Click here to register via credit card or PayPal.
Or email info@wordplaynow.com or call 704-494-9961 to make sure there's a spot and arrange details.
POETRY ROCKS: TAP INTO ALL POETRY CAN DO FOR YOU
(Learning the Ins and Outs of Poetry; Strengthening Your Writing Skills; Adding a New Layer of Literary Beauty to Your Life) 3 lively, interactive, online classes PLUS a "Poetry Creation Tool" in written and audio form each weekday in April (22 in all!) PLUS extra resources and a private group forum so you can share and learn from your fellow participants. AND, an e-book that contains all your Poetry Rocks tools and resources. Would you like your writing -- prose and/or poetry -- to be more graceful, powerful, beautiful? Do you sometimes find poetry confusing or intimidating and wish you could "crack the code"? Or do you enjoy writing and reading poems, but want a more thorough understanding of what makes
a poem good? Then this poetry extravaganza is for you. Expect a lively good time exploring what makes a poem a poem, gaining the knowledge you need to confidently create and revise poetry, and strengthening your writing skills in all genres. You'll also have the opportunity to ask any question you've ever had about poetry but were afraid to ask! $95 includes three 90-minute classes plus audio replays, 22 daily poetry creation tools in both written and audio form so you can put what you learn into practice, plus additional resources, as well as access to a private group forum so you can share and learn from your fellow participants. . At the
end of "Poetry Rocks", you'll receive an e-book that contains all the information and resources covered, as well as your daily poetry creation tools. BONUS: All interested participants will be entered in a drawing to get a 500-word (or shorter) poem critiqued. The six winning poems will be shared in class to illustrate the revision process. WHEN: All April long, in celebration of National Poetry Month! The three online classes, available or via phone, web, and/or replay, are 7 to 8:30 pm, Tuesdays, April 1, 15, and 29 (or at your convenience, as these will be recorded). A poetry creation tool will arrive
in your inbox each weekday in April, to be used at your convenience. The tools and corresponding audios will also be available on a special webpage made just for Poetry Rocks participants. WHERE: From the comfort of your own home, via phone, web, or replay.
TO REGISTER: Click here to register via PayPal or credit card.
Or print and mail in this WordPlay Registration Form Spring 2014, along with a
check made out to WordPlay. WordPlay Success Story
"[Maureen]
encouraged us all along the way."
Meet Joan Lafleur In addition to writing, Joan has taught French,
English, and English as a Second Language for a total of 30 years at Mars Hill College, Forsyth Country Day, Providence Day, West Charlotte, and South Meck High School. She retired from teaching in June 2013, and is looking forward to being a tutor at International House, helping immigrants learn English and prepare for the citizenship exam. WHAT JOAN SAYS ABOUT
WordPlay For many years I have played around with writing (poetry and nonfiction mostly), but I never thought of myself as "a writer" until I started taking WordPlay classes about six years ago. I enjoyed the first class I took with Maureen through the Continuing Education program at Queens University so much, I took an essay class and began to stretch myself even further and gain more skills to help me
teach essay writing to my ESL students at South Meck High School. I began to feel a strong kinship with Maureen and the other writers I met. The third series of classes was at St. John's Baptist Church, where we had a truly special group of writers that shared our heartfelt experiences, our love of writing, and our love for Maureen, who encouraged us all along the way. I was a part of this writing group for two years. During that time I wrote an essay about an inspiration I had while visiting the local Wal-Mart at Christmas that was included in an anthology called Imagining Heaven. The culmination of this opportunity to be a writer was a chance to read my essay at the literary festival at CPCC in 2011. Maureen made that thrilling experience possible for me. Now that I have retired
from teaching and have more time to devote to being a writer, which has become a "full-blown dream", I am beginning a process of writing some family stories based on old photographs. I also hope to put together a book of my poetry. I am sure that Maureen, as an editor and mentor, is the person to help me go forward with these writing dreams. Her love, dedication, and knowledge are an inspiration that I value very much. Featured Writing "What If..." by
Joan Lafluer The following was written as I was anticipating reading my essay at the CPCC Literary Festival in 2011. What if . . . You wanted to look like an artist
and opened your closet full of
clothes
that weren't artsy but practical, just
slacks and blouses and sandals and
athletic shoes. What if it was
an
important occasion and people who'd
never seen you before would form an
impression from how artistic you
looked,
and you woke up in the middle of the night
to the dread of just looking average or
frumpy or so out of date
that they would
not look past the shoes or the lack of
luminosity. What if you didn't give up
trying to find the right
clothes to light up
your spirit and make you feel confident
and make you connected to something as
deep as your art,
like your mother's crystal
necklace. What if you found something that
would do pretty well and went with the necklace
and sparkled and told you that luminous is
possible and just what you wanted and maybe
you'll feel good when you stand up to speak.
What if your mother could see you all shiny and
happy and listen and say she thought the necklace
looked perfect. What if you felt a dream had come
true and didn't mind that the shoes were not dressy
enough but knew that an artist knows how to make
the ordinary shine.
WordPlay Now! Writing Prompt
This is WordPlay -- so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after another? This week, it's
"ordinary." PROMPT: Go ahead -- take something, anything, that most people would think of as ordinary and prove that it's not by writing about it, in any way you like, in any genre. Make the ordinary shine! Want another example? Check out Maria Mazziotti Gillan's
beautiful "After School on Ordinary Days". I'd love to see what you come up with! Email it to me at info@wordplaynow.com -- you could be featured in a future Word-zine.
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MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN, an award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, is the author of Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of Writing, a grief workbook entitled I Will Never Forget You, and two collections of
poetry, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water. She believes, as author Julia Cameron says, "We are meant to midwife dreams for one another."
Maureen also believes that serious "word work" requires serious WordPlay, as play is how we humans best learn -- and perform. What she loves best is witnessing all the other dreams that come true for her clients along the way. Language, when used with intentionality and focus, is, after all, serious fuel for joy. Here's to yours! |
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