Volume III, Issue 12 April 2, 2014 |
Dear ,
Happy National Poetry Month! This week's zine features writer and WordPlayer Natalie Sloane of New York City, who sent me a few of her "Seen on the Subway" poems and shared that an exercise from Spinning Words into Gold inspired them. Now,
that was an email that made my day!
(now the ears of my
ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
If we are awake and open, writing possibilities are all around us -- even in subway ads and graffiti, as Natalie proves below... This week, keep your eyes open and your ears awake! Challenge yourself to incorporate at least one thing you see each day into a piece of writing. And see the prompt below for the exercise that prompted
Natalie to create poems on the subway. Love and light, Maureen
P.S. There are some great literary events coming to Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte for free in April! Find out about them here. Upcoming WordPlay
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. It's not too late to jump in! Your first class is now available as an audio replay! WHERE: From the comfort of your own home, via phone, web, or replay.
TO REGISTER: Click here to register via credit card.
Or email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961 for instructions on paying by
check.
Questions? Call or email! We look forward to hearing from you. WordPlay Success Story
"I came into
Maureen's class with a couple of blossoming stories and poems I was proud of, and left with a world of knowledge and inspiration."
Meet Natalie Sloane
WHAT NATALIE SAYS ABOUT WordPlay I didn't really know what I was in for before Maureen's class at the John Campbell Folk School. I was looking forward to taking in the mountainside, enjoying some R&R, and meeting new people. I didn't know that I would be thrown into such a creative frenzy. I always liked writing, mostly poetry, but some short stories
here and there. I came into Maureen's class with a couple of blossoming stories and poems I was proud of, and left with a world of knowledge and inspiration. Although I have not set out to be a writer or changed my career course as a result of the class, I still carry Spinning Words Into Gold with me on any job assignment. Recently I
have shared the book and my experiences by starting a creative writing course with my clients. As a social worker (to be) I have had the opportunity to teach my clients; adults diagnosed with HIV/AIDS different outlets to express themselves through writing. I plan to continue to incorporate creative writing into my social work career in hopes of inspiring my clients, those who generally do not feel they have a voice, to feel free to express themselves. The note card exercise from Spinning Words Into Gold has recently inspired me to turn my long subway commute to and from work each day into a fun way to jump start my creativity. By collecting words that I see throughout my journey underground, including advertisements, graffiti, people's books beside me, or advisories, I get to rearrange my seemingly redundant routine into poetry.
Featured Writing
Selections from
"Seen on the Subway" by
Natalie Sloane
Seen on the subway pt. 2:
Choose your calling fast. Get connected. Easy green, 7day
focus, the fall, more years. What's next? The day YOU hear their stories. Then write your own. Seen in the subway pt.
6:
Lucas likes to talk about a boy who free based on the world. 2 doors circle round Lucas. Lucas uses circles to
keep things moving. Lucas and Romeo experience the end of legends, Kung fu, and magic. They need the art, like the students that wanted the cloud, but taste the real world; caution, they graduate. Growing up yes, a bad need, believe genuinely. Lucas uses
no room, no path. Lucas can lead you to #takeyourcityback
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
"seen." PROMPT: NOTE: This tool sometimes baffles people because it's so different from the way we usually write. What you'll end up with is a three-stanza poem (for new poets, stanzas are formed by skipping a line). Each stanza will contain the same ten words, but in different order because of your Shuffling. Here's how to
play: - Gather paper, a pencil or pen, and ten index cards.
- Choose ten words you love for their sound and meaning, the more interesting the better, and write each of them on a separate index card. (If you've already created a "Personal Diction Deck" use 10 of these word cards.)
- Shuffle your ten cards well!
- Create the first stanza of your "sound poem":
* Flip over the first card, and write that word on the first line of your paper. Example:
lullaby
* Flip over the second card. Here is your choice: you may either write this word on the same line, or begin a new line. Add any punctuation you like. You may also add endings to words ("s" or "es", "ed", "ing") but you may not add any words or change the order of them. Example:
· Lullaby wind or
Lullaby
Wind * Flip over your third card. Remember, your only
poetic choice is,
Do I put this word on the same line, or the next line? Example:
Lullaby
wind, cascade or Lullaby
Wind cascade
or
Lullaby
Wind
Cascade - Proceed as above
with cards four through ten. Remember, you must use each word in the order you flip it over. Your poetic expression comes with choosing, for each word, "Same line, or next line?" and with any punctuation you'd like to add. Congratulations! You have now written the first stanza of a poem.
- Shuffle your cards again, and repeat steps above. Be sure to skip a line before you write your words. You've now completed your second
stanza.
- Shuffle your cards again, and repeat steps above, again skipping a line.
- You've now completed your Sound Poem.
- Read it aloud. Savor the sounds.
This exercise is sheer fun, especially when you get into the spirit and really deliver your poems, with great interpretive inflections. And often, two or more words that end up next to each other provide a serendipitous juxtaposition -- a fresh, surprising metaphor, a joke, or sheer loveliness. Listen for these. What ideas do they suggest? If you want to take this process a step further, create a "regular poem" using as many of the words/word combinations as you care to.
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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