Volume V, Issue 23 June 6, 2016 Dear ,
Are you as big a
music-lover as I am? I have always found a well-chosen song to be perfect company for—and the perfect accompaniment to—life’s sweetest and most bittersweet moments, including ones that involve going. And summer does so often hold going, whether because of a graduation, a wedding, a vacation, or a move.
Today, on the night before my daughter and two grandsons go back to Reston,
VA, for good at the end the final stage of their move to the D.C. area, the song that floated up from my past to keep me company is one from Art Garfunkel’s 1973 album Angel Clare. "Woyaya" is a cover song from two years prior by the Afro-pop band Osibisa, and its poignant declaration of faith and trust in the face of life's journeys into the unknown is as much a comfort to me now as it was when I was 17.
My husband and I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend so much time with Amanda, Rhys, and, recently, Harry—and with our son-in-law Ross, when he could be here—as they transitioned through having a new baby, selling a house, buying a house, settling in, and Amanda's finishing up her time as a high school English teacher after her maternity leave. Our house will be very quiet come tomorrow afternoon!
Luckily, we will soon be "going" ourselves as we head out West to visit friends and family in Wyoming and Colorado, so I won't have the time to dwell on the absence of our oh-so-loved departing family members. The next time we get together, we'll all have new stories to tell each
other.
I hope you enjoy this week's opportunity to listen to words as well as read them, in the featured writing below, "Woyaya". And that your goings are not only filled with love and light, but also give you much good writing material.
Traveling
mercies, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay EVERY PICTURE HOLDS A STORY
FREE! Would you enjoy using visual images as writing inspiration? Come learn fun, easy methods to capture treasured family stories and create memorable fiction, memoir, and poetry. A variety of images will be provided; bring your own photos if you like.
WHERE: Independence Regional Library. 6000 Conference Drive. Charlotte, NC 28212
WHEN: Wednesday, June 8th, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
COST: Free!
TO REGISTER: To register online, please visit the
Independence Regional Library website here.
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WRITING CLASSES AT CHAUTAUQUA, NEW YORK
Our life stories are a precious legacy. Writing them is a gift, not only to ourselves, but to
those who love us - they'll be treasured for generations to come. Come learn engaging tools and techniques to retrieve and record your adventures, loves, losses, successes, and more with ease and enjoyment, no matter where you are in the process.
Course No: | 1700 |
| When: | Monday, June 27 – Thursday, June 30, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. |
| Location: | Hall of Ed.(Sheldon), rm 201, Chautauqua Institution |
| Cost: | $80, plus $22 for optional textbook (payable to instructor) |
Reap the benefits writing can provide—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—in this class in which you'll learn and practice whole brain methods for using writing as a transformative process as well as a creative one. These tools can be used to create essays, poems, memoir, fiction and/or nonfiction. For beginners and seasoned
writers.
Course No: | 1705 |
| When: | Tuesday, July 5th – Friday, July 8th, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. |
| Location: | Turner, 104, Chautauqua Institution |
| Cost: | $80.00 plus $22 for optional textbook (payable to instructor) |
Ever wondered what makes a poem a poem? Or wished your writing had more finesse? This class that explores
"poetic ingredients" in the areas of content, sound, and form will increase your expertise—in poetry and prose. Learn how to identify and use these ingredients, as well as how poems you love can inspire and instruct you. All levels welcome.
Course No: | 1706 |
| When: | Monday, July 11th – Thursday, July 14th, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
| Where: | Hultquist, 201A, Chautauqua Institution |
| Cost: | $80.00 plus $22 for optional textbook (payable to instructor) |
Buying Passes Your class registration will admit you to our grounds for the duration of your class. You do not need an additional gate pass unless you plan to come early or stay late. There is a charge for parking.
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SUMMER WRITING RETREAT
(Writing as Renewal / Creating New Writing / Tools for a Writing Life)
Renew and delight yourself. The Summer Writing Retreat is an opportunity to create new pieces of writing and/or new possibilities for our lives. Enjoy various seasonal prompts; they elicit beautiful material that can be shaped into essays, poems,
stories, or articles. After a communal lunch, you’ll have private time which can be used to collage, work with a piece of writing from the morning, or play with a number of other writing prompts and methods. You’ll take home new ideas, new drafts, and new possibilities. $97 includes lunch and supplies.
WHERE: South Charlotte area. Details will be provided upon registration.
WHEN: Saturday, August 6th, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. TO REGISTER: To pay with a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions. To pay online, please click this link to check out using PayPal.
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(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
Woyaya
by
Sol Amarino of
Osibisa
We are going, heaven knows where we are going,
We'll know we're there.
We will get there, heaven knows how we will get there,
We know we will….
You can hear the rest of the words, along with the beautiful melody,
sung by Art Garfunkel here:
And you can hear the original song sung by Osibisa here:
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 "going."
PROMPT:
Write about a time of "going" somewhere, either temporarily or permanently. What emotions were present? What thoughts bubbled up? What sensory details were encountered along the way? In what ways did the journey and/or
the destination affect your/your character's life?
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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