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Cicada photo below by Bob Peterson from North
Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth! (Cicada (on hog-plum) Uploaded by Jacopo Werther) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Dear ,
Just in case you missed the notice in the Word-Zine and would like to take part in the Gift of Memoir class, I'm writing to let you know it starts tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. near downtown Charlotte, and there are still spots available. Details here.
And whether or not you can
jump in to these opportunities, here is a poem from my new book with a number of surefire reasons...
Why You Can Go Back to a Story You Abandoned Years Ago and Finally Finish It
Because a field that’s been fallow yields a better
crop
Because seeds have germination periods
Because some cicadas need seventeen years
Because we need darkness to see the light and so do our stories
Because we had some living to do first to become
who we needed to be to write our story
Because we grow into the stories that are ours to tell
Because the thing we need to include to make our story what it needs to be hadn’t happened yet
Because we needed to practice
Because our stories are patient, our
stories are kind, our stories
keep no record of wrongs nor count the number of times we have abandoned them
Because our stories seek only to serve us
and the people who need them
Because some births are harder and more painful than others,
because labor is called labor for a reason
Because we say yes to a
labor of love, to birthing
a story when we are ready and not before
Because we can come to see that a story is often too polite to say “ready or not,
here I come” but will come
if you call
that it is time for supper
Because a story
loves to be supped To your writing joy, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
GIFT OF MEMOIR - starts tomorrow, January 8th!
(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 Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Thursday mornings, 10 am – noon.
January 8th and 22nd, February 5th and 19th, March 5th and 26th, April 2nd and
23rd
COST: $259 for 8 sessions.
TO REGISTER: To register online, click here. Or email info@wordplaynow.com for details on registering by check in class. -----------------------------------------------------------------
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - Starts January 14th! (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. WEDNESDAY MORNINGS WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation
Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map. WHEN: Wednesday mornings from 10 am to noon.
January 14th, 21st and 28th, February 4th and 18th, March 4th, 11th and 25th, April 8th, 22nd and 29th, and May 13th.
COST: $395 for 12 classes
TO REGISTER: To register online, click here. Or email info@wordplaynow.com for details on registering by check via mail. THURSDAY EVENINGS WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map. WHEN: Offered Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm.
January 8th, 22nd and 29th, February 5th and 19th, March 5th, 12th and 26th, April 9th, 23rd and 30th, and May 14th. COST: $395 for 12 classes TO REGISTER: This class is near capacity. (Class size limited to serve participants.) If you're interested in a spot, email
info@wordplaynow.com for details and availability.
----------------------------------------------------------------- CHECK OUT THIS UPCOMING OPPORTUNITY, TAUGHT BY WORDPLAY CREATIVE CONSULTANT WENDY GILL*. THE ARTIST'S WAY: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity(Expanding Our Creativity; Creating Joy and Fulfillment in Our Lives) Are you ready to discover the joy of creativity? Using the proven tools and structure of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way,
this course will spur your imagination and guide your journey toward creative self-expression.
Our 2-hour sessions include weekly check-ins, hands-on activities, and creativity exercises. The encouragement and support of this small in-person community (what Julia Cameron calls a “creative cluster”) will help you fully experience the power of The Artist’s
Way.
COST: $195 for 13 two-hour sessions over 13 weeks WHERE: Downtown Matthews, NC WHEN: Thursday evenings, 7-9 PM, January 8 – April 2,
2015
*Wendy H. Gill was a special education teacher for 22 years. One
of her greatest joys as an educator was adapting stories, rhymes and songs to engage her students and instill a love of books. She left full-time teaching in 2000 to create a literacy enrichment program for young children. She is currently a writer, producer, and the owner of Professional Communications, a creative video
production agency. Her poems and essays have appeared in a variety of regional and national publications.
More WordPlay opportunities here. 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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