Volume II, Issue 30 September 4, 2013 |
Dear
,
Last week's Word-zine issue was dedicated to my longtime friend Nora, a true gem. And this week's issue is dedicated to another "gem" in my life -- my big brother Mike, AKA Dr. Michael G. Ryan, who gifted me with my fabulous trip out west. Thanks, Mike!
I'm so proud to "Dr. Ryan's sister" for so many reasons, including the fact that he (and his wife Dr. Linda Joyce) were on the team of Colorado scientists who won the Nobel Prize for their work on climate control. I love exercising my sisterly bragging rights! Mike is a writer, too, and he has researched and published all around the world.: If you're interested, you can learn about his work here: http: //lamar.colostate.edu/~mryan/publications.htm.
Mike has introduced me to a number of delightful activities over the years, including hiking (as we were doing when I took this photo of him in the Rockies), berry picking, and a new word game called Target he discovered in the Australian newspapers when he lived there for a while to work on a recent research project.
While I neglected to get a photo of us together while I was with him in Colorado, here are a few from years past that always make me smile:
In the first one, I'm the baby and he's on my left, sharing his stuffed dog Pongo with me as we pose with siblings Mary and Tim; in the photo on the right, we're decorating the Christmas tree together. Don't you love the cat eye glasses I wore back then? :) And the last photo was also taken in Colorado, way back in 1979 when a friend of mine and I took a cross country trip together and literally came across Mike sitting at a picnic table by the side of the road we were driving down (or perhaps up; these are the Rocky Mountains, after all). What a great synchronicity, to come across him as he was taking a break from his current forestry research project in this time before cell phones made such a meet-up plan-able!
T
hese photos, and so many others, are gems to me in their own right, and I bet you have photos you feel the same way about. And memories of times with someone you love, of course.
That's the thing about gems, don't you think? Their value is in the eyes of the beholder. When I came across a different perspective about the word-of-the-week years ago while I was teaching a class on rocks and minerals at Discovery Place (yes, I do have a bit of the scientist in me as well), I took issue with the idea that "no common or abundant thing can be highly prized."
Hadn't my scientist brother taught me better than that? He valued every blackberry we picked from the prickle-filled brambles when we were kids, after all, and then he and I made jewel-like jam from them. Thinking about this led to a list poem in which I compare various gemstones to common and abundant gems that I value far more.
You can read it below. And below that is your writing prompt inspired by the word "gem." On the way down you'll see a quick list of September WordPlay offerings. Full details are available at
http://wordplaynow.com/current.htm.
Enjoy the many gems that fill your life with love and light,
Upcoming WordPlay UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING
STARTS TOMORROW -- LAST CHANCE!
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing;
Revising & Polishing Your Writing)
You'll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 in class.
WHERE: Covenant Rec Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte
WHEN: Thursdays, 7 - 9 pm, September 5 - December, 2013 (No class on September 19, October 31, November 7, or November 28)
Want to come? Email me at info@wordplaynow.com to check availability and get full details.
GIFT OF MEMOIR
(The Art of Memoir; Telling Personal and/or Family Stories;
Preserving Family History)
WHEN:
Thursdays,10 a.m. to noon
September 12 & 26, October 10 & 24, November 14, December 5 & 19
WHERE: Covenant Rec Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte
Want to come? Just print out and mail in the attached form or use PayPal or credit card with this link:
Gift of Memoir Fall Series (7 sessions for $207 includes class audios and resources)
DELICIOUS MEMORIES
(Writing about Food in Any and All Genres) $159/6 sessions. You'll need a copy of
Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 in class.
WHERE: Queens University Sports Complex, Tyvola Road
WHEN: Tuesdays, September 24 and October 1, 6:30 - 9 pm
TO REGISTER:
http://lifelong.queens.edu/CourseStatus.awp?&course=13FPEDM
SPINNING WORDS INTO GOLD
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams and Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising and Polishing Your Writing) $159/6 sessions. You'll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 in class.
WHERE: Queens University Sports Complex, Tyvola Road
WHEN: Wednesdays, September 25 - October 30, 10:00 am-noon
TO REGISTER:
http://lifelong.queens.edu/CourseStatus.awp?&course=13FPESWG
THE HEALING POWER OF WORDS
(Writing As a Healing Process)
WHERE: CPCC at Myers Park High School, 2400 Colony Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209.
WHEN:
Wednesdays, September 25 - October 9, 7-9 pm
TO REGISTER: http://schedule.cpcc.edu/myschedule/show_sections/2707/
See http://wordplaynow.com/current.htm
for more details and more WordPlay opportunities.
|
Featured Writing Gems
by
Maureen Ryan Griffin
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 "gem." This week's prompt is very simple. Take fifteen minutes to make a list of "gems" that you value. You may want to come up with categories, like people, activities, belongings, opportunities, places, etc. Or you may want to mix all your "gems" together into one list. After you've finished, you may want to weave some of the items on your list into a poem, or incorporate them into a piece of prose, fiction or non. Many, many pieces of fine writing make use of a list of items valued by a main character. As poet Pattiann Rogers says, "When you make a list, it's always a celebration." Here's a poem of hers that lists "gems" to enjoy called "The Greatest Grandeur":
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177107 Would you enjoy playing with this kind of writing in a warm, encouraging community of writers, as well as getting feedback on your own work, with motivation, inspiration, and knowledge of craft thrown in? Then "Under Construction," which begins Thursday, September 5, is for you.
You can find out more about Under Construction and other classes 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! |
|
|
