Volume V, Issue 13 March 28, 2016 Dear ,
I loved getting to spend Easter with my brother Tim and his son Arden (along
with many other family members). In addition to being avid game players up for many rounds of my favorite these days, Quiddler, Tim and Arden are both very interested in birds. Together, walking in the neighborhood and also on Four Mile Creek Greenway, we saw, among other feathered beauties, Bluebirds, Robins and Sparrows galore, a Cooper's Hawk, and this gorgeous Great Blue Heron.
One of the first exercises I encountered when I began taking poetry classes back in 1989 was a deceptively simple one—to select a poem and read it every day for 30 days. I chose Mary Oliver's "Trilliums," and that daily reading enriched my life so much. Mary Oliver, along with numerous other poets, taught me that a poem can be written as a celebration of any moment, whether it holds a Great Blue Heron or your mother's orange rolls, made with one of your big brothers.
You may or may not know that April is National Poetry Month. If you'd like to grow as a writer by growing as a poet, check out my online "Poetry Rocks" course below. And keep your eyes open for the poetry present in each moment of your life.
Upcoming WordPlay
POETRY ROCKS!
(Learning the Ins and Outs of Poetry; Strengthening Your Writing Skills; Adding a New Layer of Literary Beauty to Your Life)
You’ll receive a daily “Poetry Creation Tool” in written and audio form (23 in all!) beginning on the day you register, AND, at the end of the program, an e-book that contains all your Poetry Rocks tools and
resources.
Would you like your writing — prose and/or poetry — to be more graceful, powerful, beautiful? Do you sometimes find poetry confusing or intimidating and wish you could “crack the code”? Or do you enjoy writing and reading poems, but want a more thorough understanding of what makes a poem good? Then this poetry extravaganza is for
you.
Expect a good time exploring what makes a poem a poem, gaining the knowledge you need to confidently create and revise poetry, and strengthening your writing skills in all genres.
It would be a joy and an honor to share what rocks about poetry with you!
HERE’S WHAT YOU GET: - 23 poetry creation tools, delivered one per day (Monday through Friday) to your inbox — in honor of National Poetry month. Use them as you get them, use them when you can, use them over and over to create poems. Each tool zeroes in on one aspect of poetry and provides an innovative
method to approach writing a poem. Many of them are great for creating prose, too. The tools include:
* a purpose, so you’re clear what you will learn
* background information when helpful
* “how-to” directions to create a poem
* an example that illustrates the poetry tool in action
* a short reflection to solidify the
concepts covered
* “Hone Your Craft” suggestions for further exploration
* a short reflection to solidify the concepts covered - A PDF document of each tool that you can print or save on your computer
- An audio recording of each tool, so you can learn by listening and/or reading
- Instruction on the role of audience, reading like a writer, and the process of
revision, including a handy Revision Checkpoint Chart — this information can be applied to strengthen your prose as well as poetry
- Additional poetry resources
- An e-book that contains the information and resources covered, as well as your 23 poetry creation
tools for ongoing use
WHERE: From the comfort of your own home WHEN: Any time you want! And once you receive all 23 tools, they’re yours to keep, which means that you can keep using them for years to come. COST: $45
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"WRITING OURSELVES
WHOLE"
Writing Workshop
Come and explore the benefits writing can provide—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In this workshop, you will learn and practice simple yet profound ways to use words to heal, to transform, and to grow, as well as to reflect on the way God is working in your life. These methods can also be used to
create stories, poems, and/or essays. Whatever form your writing takes, you will leave this retreat with a new set of skills for writing and growing. Our time together will be ideal for beginners as well as for seasoned writers as we explore the renewal and deepening of our relationship with God, self, others, and the world.
WHERE: Olmsted Manor Retreat Center. 17 E. Main Street, Ludlow, PA 16333.
WHEN: Saturday evening, May 14 until Monday afternoon, May 16, 2016
COST: $252 (includes tuition, room and board)
TO REGISTER: To register online, please visit the Olmsted Manor
Retreat Center website here.
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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. These techniques enliven non-fiction, poetry and fiction. Expect fun, inspiration and writing galore in your preferred genre, with opportunities to share your work.
$630 for one
week-long session (lodging and meals are additional – options can be found on the Folk School website) WHERE: John Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
WHEN: Sunday, August 7
– Saturday August 13, 2016.
TO REGISTER: To register, please click this John Campbell Folk School link to register directly from them.
More WordPlay opportunities here. Featured Writing
Trilliums
by
Mary Oliver
Every spring among the ambiguities of childhood
the hillsides
grew white with the wild trilliums. I believed in the world. Oh, I wanted
to be easy in the peopled
kingdoms, to take my place there, but there was none
that I could find shaped like me....
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 "poetry."
PROMPT:
Take a small observed moment and turn it into a poem. - To quote poet Miller Williams, “First, notice everything.” Yes, “noticing everything” is really
what to do first, and thoroughly, all day long. If you’re not paying attention you’re likely to think that nothing worth observing is happening, which couldn't be further from the truth.
If you’re truly noticing everything—and if you add a bit of imagination—any moment of observation can be turned into a poem. Now, to writing! - Transform your moment into a poem by writing it out as it happened, inserting line and stanza breaks in
interesting places. If you choose to take "Poetry Rocks," you’ll have an opportunity to learn more about deliberately crafting line and stanza breaks; for now, allow yourself to play with them.
- See if you can include words that provide a sense of place and a sense of time, and include details that engage the senses.
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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