Volume III, Issue 23 July 9, 2014 |
Word of the Week: amnesty
|
Dear ,
My apologies for not providing you with
a zine for the past few weeks. I have been hanging out at the intersection of Bliss and Ramble (in both body and spirit!) in Chautauqua, New York. Chautauqua is a place overflowing with inspiration in the form of lectures, classes, concerts, sacred services of all descriptions, dance, theater, and gorgeous gardens, and so, so many fun and interesting people to talk and listen to, including, the weeks I was there, Tom Brokaw, Margaret Atwood, and Elizabeth Strout, among many others. Not to mention the lake, and a porch full of rockers to enjoy it
from! Between the bliss of teaching writing classes, visiting with family and friends of mine who live in this area, and enjoying as many of these pleasures and opportunities as I could, I did not make time for the zine, Facebook, or even much email. Now that I'm back home and settling back in to my writing and WordPlay practices, I hope
you'll extend me the amnesty I'm granting myself for letting these things slide for a little while, and that you'll offer amnesty to yourself as well if you choose to do the same. Because summer is the perfect time to allow ourselves to engage in both bliss and rambling in the most beautiful spots we can find, to give ourselves a break from hours of electronic screens and to-do lists. I'll be sure to share some of the highlights of my rambles with you via the WordPlay Facebook page over the next few weeks, as well as in my upcoming classes and workshops, and I look forward to hearing about yours! Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming
WordPlay
SUMMER WRITING RETREAT (Writing - and More - as Renewal; Creating New Writing)
Renew and delight yourself. The Summer Writing Retreat is an opportunity to create new pieces of writing and/or new possibilities for our lives. Enjoy various seasonal prompts; they have not failed to elicit beautiful material that can be shaped into essays, poems, stories, or articles. After a communal lunch, you'll have private time which can be used 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. WHERE: South Charlotte area.
Details will be provided upon registration.
WHEN: Saturday, July 19, 2014, 10 am - 5 pm. TO REGISTER ONLINE, CLICK HERE. Or click here for a printable, mail-in form.
THE GIFT OF MEMOIR: WRITING PERSONAL AND FAMILY STORIES
(Preserving Family History; Writing for and about Your Family; The Art of Memoir) Our life stories are a precious legacy. Putting them in writing is a gift to all who know and love us-they can be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come. It is also a gift to ourselves. As best-selling author Rachel Naomi Remen says in her book Kitchen Table Wisdom, facts bring us to knowledge, but stories bring us to wisdom. If you are interested in writing family and/or personal life stories-those significant tales of adventure, transition, love, loss, and triumph, as well as lovely everyday moments from times past or the present, come learn specific tools and techniques to retrieve and record them. To suit your busy schedule, the summer sessions of The Gift of Memoir are offered individually at $35 each. WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map. WHEN: Thursday morning, 10 am to noon, July 24 and/or August 14.
TO REGISTER: Click here to register online. Or click here for a printable, mail-in form. More WordPlay
opportunities at
http://www.wordplaynow.com/classes-and-workshops/
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
"amnesty." What would you like to give yourself -- or anyone else -- "an official pardon" for? What writing projects and/or other obligations have been abandoned? Write yourself, and/or anyone else, a notice that amnesty has been granted. How does it feel to bestow this pardon? And how does it feel to receive it? What ideas for writing does amnesty provide?
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. |
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! |
|
|
