Volume III, Issue 25 July 21, 2014 |
Dear ,
I wonder once in a while how many times
I've asked -- and been asked -- that question: "Where are you from?"
It's always felt a bit complicated for me to answer, as, in the first 29 years of my life, I logged 19 different addresses in at
least seven different cities. Am I from Cincinnati, the city where I was born? From Erie, where I spent the most years of my childhood? From Charlotte, where I've lived the past 36 years?
How about you? Where are you from?
I love this idea that we are "from" the sights and sounds and smells, the tastes and textures, the voices and vagaries of our lives. And if that's true of us, it's also true of the characters we write about, both read and fictional.
Examining a photo from one of the addresses that was once mine, 136 Austin Avenue in Syracuse, New York, I see that... I am from Formica tabletops and any moment I can steal with my father, from board games I hate losing and a little brother who, in my mind in these days, always wins the "cute game." I am from the redwood house in Cincinnati my father planned and built himself, the house we had to leave, from kitschy kitchen curtains that comfort and a mother who loves to cook. I am from the ceramic crucifix from Italy that my father bought for my mother, the crucifix that
hung in every home we lived in, the crucifix that now hangs in my little brother's home. And I am from how much I now love seeing it there each time I visit...
As you can probably guess, you can scroll on down for your opportunity to play with
this prompt. I hope you love exploring where you, or your characters, are "from."
And if you live in the Charlotte area and want to WordPlay about
this in person, check out the Gift of Memoir class this Thursday morning. Details below. You are from loving to write and taking on fulfilling your best
dreams,
Maureen Upcoming
WordPlay
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 email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961 for details if you'd like to pay in class this Thursday with cash or a check. 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
"from." Where/what do you come from? Read George Ella Lyon's poem "Where I'm
From." (And if you like, check out some great samples and additional ideas.) Now, pick a person (yourself, or any character, real or fictional) and write for ten minutes, beginning with "I'm (or s/he's) from...." Toss in sensory images of all descriptions, details from significant experiences, and anything else you like. Keep your hand moving until your time is up. (Click here for an online timer you can set
that will applaud for you when you're finished,) Now read your piece out loud, and then type it up, for posterity's sake. Feel free to work with your original piece, adding and revising as needed to create a completed scene, story, essay, or poem. \
Sound too complicated? Feel a bit intimidated? It's fun to begin your prompts in community with fellow writers, and to be able to share the
results when you're done. You can find out about WordPlay classes, workshops, and retreats here.
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! |
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