Volume III, Issue 28 August 11, 2014
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Dear ,
I just got back from Atlanta, where I had the pleasure of attending my niece Kirsten's bridal shower. (Here's the lovely Kristen
with her lovely mom, my sister-in-law, Cindy.)There was so
much joy and anticipation in the house as Kirsten's friends and family celebrated an upcoming marriage that has all the odds stacked for it.
You know what I mean -- the groom's family loves Kirsten, Kirsten's family loves the groom, the bride and groom are kind, committed, beautiful, bright, well-educated, and successful, with lots of support behind and ahead of
them. This is a recipe for the word-of-the-week, right? Flying, all the way to that golden anniversary, and beyond.
We all expect so, and pray so. In fact, I would bet money on this marriage. But even on this happy occasion, conversation about marriages that didn't last crept in around the corners. The statistics are just not very encouraging. Failing, right?
Well, not according to poet Jack Gilbert's poem "Failing and Flying." I loved finding this poem that begins "Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew" and goes on to note that "anything worth doing is worth doing badly" in my Writer's
Almanac this morning. And I also love that it features Icarus, a hero of mine who appears in one of my own essays and is still inspiring fine writing. After all, how can we learn and grow if we don't ever fail? Uninterrupted success is often a recipe for a small, safe life instead of a large, adventurous one.
So today's writing prompt is in honor of Icarus, and a tribute to the flying and failing that each of us, and everyone we know, does in in our own lifetime. Happy take-offs to you, and happy landings. Enjoy! And may you come to appreciate your failures as well as your flights.... If you don't already that is.
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming
WordPlay
EVERY PICTURE HOLDS A STORY
(Writing Inspired by Visual
Images) Are you ready to preserve the stories your pictures could tell, for yourself and or future generations? Would you enjoy using photographs, paintings, and other visual art as writing inspiration? Come learn
foolproof methods for capturing treasured family stories and creating memorable fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry from images. Explore the use of visual images as a means to create powerful fiction, non-fiction, and/or poetry. Preserve the stories your photographs could tell. We'll look at ways successful writers have used images to inspire their works, including Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of
Bees. Participants are encouraged to bring images of their own they would like to work with, especially photographs. A wide variety of images will be provided as well. You'll take home drafts of essays, memoir, poems, and/or fiction and facility with the playful and profound magic of images as prompts. Expect beautiful results from this playful, yet profound process. All levels welcome. This workshop is offered FREE! WHERE: Mountain Island Branch Library
4420 Hoyt Galvin Way, Charlotte, NC 28214
WHEN: Saturday, August 16th, 2014 from 2 to 3:30 pm
TO REGISTER: Call the Mountain Island Branch Library, 704-416-5600. Or register online here.
-------------------------------------------------------------- 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. WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map. WHEN: Thursday morning, August 14. 10 am - noon.
COST: $35 for this stand-alone
workshop.
TO REGISTER: Email info@wordplaynow.com or phone
704-494-9961
for details on registering via mail or in-person.
Or register online here.
AND/OR
WHEN: Thursday mornings, September 4 & 18; October 2 & 16; November 6 & 20; December 4 & 18. 10 am - noon.
COST: $259 for 8 sessions.
TO REGISTER: Email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961 for details on registering via mail or
in-person. Or register online here.
-------------------------------------------------------------- UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing)
This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects. You'll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You'll also get feedback on your work (any genre) and learn revision tools. Jumpstart your pen and receive the knowledge and inspiration you need to write, whatever your preferred genre. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process. Through examples of accomplished writers, you'll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process.FALL CLASSES: MORNING
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, 28204
WHEN: Offered Wednesday mornings on the following dates: September 3, 10 &17, October 1, 8, 15 & 29, November 5 & 19, December 3, 10 & 17, 10 am to noon.
COST: $395 for 12
classes
TO REGISTER: Email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961
for details on registering via mail or in-person.
Or to register online click here. FALL CLASSES: EVENING
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, 28204
WHEN: Offered Thursday evenings on the following dates: September 4, 11, & 18; October 2, 9, 16, & 30; November 6 & 20; December 4, 11, & 18. Hours: 7 to 9 pm
COST: $395 for 12 classes
TO REGISTER: Email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961
for details on registering via mail or in-person.
Or to register online click here
-------------------------------------------------------------- WRITE LIKE A GENIUS (Expanding Our Creativity; Learning New Tools for Our Writing and Our Lives; Creating New Writing) Discover your own genius as you learn to apply seven fascinating approaches of Leonardo da Vinci to your writing at a week-long writing class in the North Carolina Mountains. These techniques enliven non-fiction, poetry and fiction. Expect fun, inspiration and writing galore in your preferred genre, with opportunities to share your work. The John Campbell Folk School is a wonderful place to spend a week --think summer camp for grown-ups, with delicious, healthy food and creative people of every ilk from all over the country. $594 for one week-long session, plus lodging and
meals. WHERE: John Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902.
WHEN: Sunday, September 21 - Saturday September 27, 2014.
TO REGISTER: Click here.
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
"flying." Today, we're going to "Leapfrog," which is one of my favorite ways to interact with writing I love. For today, we'll use the poem I mentioned above, so if you haven't yet read Jack Gilbert's poem "Failing and Flying," do that now.)
It's easy to leapfrog:
Read an excellent piece of writing, and then do a five-minute Sprint (stream-of-consciousness writing in which you set a timer and keep your pen moving continuously without stopping), leaping off any word, phrase, or idea in it. (One simple way to do this is to write about a time you, or one of your characters, failed and/or
flew.)
Or, if you prefer, share your thoughts and emotions after reading the piece. You can speak directly to the author (or to Icarus), praising, damning, asking questions, agreeing, debating, even arguing. You can love the piece of writing, or hate it. You can even feel lukewarm about it. Just interact with the writing
in any way that you like.
Then, if you like what you've begun, craft it into a piece of writing of any
genre -- fiction, memoir, poetry, nonfiction, essay, etc. (If you create a publishable piece using this method and use more than a few words from the source, be sure to acknowledge the author whose work you leapt off. This can be as easy as putting "After Jack Gilbert's 'Failing and Flying'" under the title.)
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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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