Volume V, Issue 17 April 25, 2016 Dear ,
Our new little love, Harrison Richard Kirkman, is here! (He actually arrived last
Monday, so we have had a whole week to drink in the wonder.) To quote his mom, my daughter, Amanda:
Baby Harry has arrived at 5:27 AM on April 18th! 7 lbs 4 oz
just like big brother and born the day after Rhys's
birthday!
He is so sweet and we are all doing great!
Speaking of big brother Rhys and wonder, doesn't it look in this photo like he's wondering what mischief he can lead his new little brother into?
There is nothing like a newborn baby to reawaken our sense of wonder. I have been hearing these words from E. E. Cummings in my head as I gaze at sweet Harry's face: "now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of
my eyes are opened." And there is nothing like a three-year-old to demonstrate wide-eyed wonder at all the world holds and all the possibilities contained within each moment.
Clearly, I'm not the only one who thinks so, as
you'll see below when you read about this week's featured writer and Word-zine reader, Vernon Tate, who sent me a lovely book of his poetry, including one about his grandson Harris awakening his "somnolent sense of wonder." (I've been saving this poem for months to share along with the news of our new grandson's birth, without knowing our new grandson's name would be so similar—isn't that a nice
synchronicity?) I always love hearing from zine readers, and it's a delight to share Vernon and his grandson with you as I celebrate the birth of mine!
Love, light, and wonder, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
"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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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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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. WordPlay Featured Word-zine Reader
Vernon Tate and his grandson, Harris.
Vernon Tate (80) is a native of Kings Mountain, NC, and has lived in North Carolina most of his life. He graduated from High Point College (Now High Point University)
in 1959 with a degree in general science. He was a Stock Broker before retiring in 2002. He lives in South Charlotte with his wife, Faye, who is a retired Realtor. They have two children and four grandchildren. Vernon has served in various volunteer positions, mostly concerned with health care. He has been on three church missions to Cuba and speaks fairly fluent Spanish. What Vernon says about
Writing
My interest in writing was nurtured with a lifetime of reading and the influence of two teachers.
Miss Helen Logan taught me English grammar in the eighth grade. She made language come alive for me. I waited two years after high school to start college and was somewhat accidentally placed in a remedial English class. Within two weeks I became an UN-official professor's assistant in the subject and enjoyed it very much.
My fraternity brothers cautioned me
against registering for Miss Idols's class in English Lit. She forced her students to memorize poetry. Her class was the only one that would fit into my schedule so I signed up. I have remembered lines from Shakespeare, Byron, Keats, Robert Burns and others for some 58 years.
I have taken creative writing courses at Central Piedmont and the Jewish Community Center in recent years. On
one occasion I had not done my homework so I pulled out a dusty file of poems I had written over the years and read them to my class. Nancy Klein, a retired writer and editor, liked my work and offered to compile it into printable form at Staples—consequently Peeling the Apple was born.
The previous Thanksgiving, my oldest grandson, Harris, had told me his first memory was of
me teaching him to peel an apple in one continuous ribbon. Nancy suggested the title and created the title page.
Dan Busch, a longtime fan of Maureen's, gave me a copy of Ten Thousand Cicadas Can’t Be Wrong and I loved it, particularly the poem "Pear Tree." The gift came when the natural music of cicadas was in season. I will never feel the same about them. I summoned enough
courage to send a copy of Peeling the Apple to WordPlay. I was surprised and pleased to be invited as a featured writer. I hope you will enjoy reading the poem Maureen chose to share.
Peeling the Apple is now in its second printing (fifty copies). One poet friend paid me $5 for a copy just so I could call myself a professional poet. I have given away the other
copies. Featured Writing Curious Harris by Vernon Tate
You ran into the backyard laughing free spontaneous arms outstretched palms
up mouth open face to the sky. You went in wide-eyed wonder to taste and feel the falling rain No camera could catch the
picture No poet the feeling of discovery preceding transcending language. You awakened in me My somnolent sense of wonder If you lead again I will surely follow And perhaps understand what children and the earth have to teach and I to learn.
~ Harris's “Grandaddy” Vernon Tate, April 1995
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 "wonder."
PROMPT: Write about a time you or your character experienced "wide-eyed wonder." 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 three collections of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water. One of her long-held dreams came true in July of 2015 when Garrison Keillor read one of her poems on The Writer's Almanac. 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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