Volume V, Issue 41 October 10, 2016 Dear ,
We have all seen the moon, right? Many times. So many times, that it's easy to take it for granted. And that would be a crying shame.
The first time I had this thought was back when my kids, now 30 and 27, were preschool age. I was out for a short walk alone while my husband tended things at home, and saw a girl who looked to be about three taking a walk with a woman who looked to be her grandmother. The little girl had stopped, mesmerized, to point at a ghostly full moon floating in the daytime sky. The woman's response was to grab the child's hand to pull her forward while saying,
and I quote, "We've all seen the moon."
I recalled this little tableau twice this week—first, when I read David Shumate's poem "An Inventory of Moons" (this week's featured writing) in The Writer's Almanac, and again when
I read an article in Parade magazine called "Feeling Awe May Be the Secret to Health and Happiness." For what could be more antithetical to awe than this thoughtless squelching of it?
Now, I know I have often been guilty of impatience and grumpiness, and will be many times again. However, the observation of that interchange between child and grown-up so long ago has given me the great gift of approaching each moon-sighting since with a sense of appreciation. And reading David Shumate's touching inventory of moons of note in his life has inspired me
to pay even more attention, not just to the moon, but to every thing of beauty and mystery that comes my way. And to look for ways to write about them.
I hope "An Inventory of Moons" does the same for you! Speaking of the moon, you'll have a chance to see the Hunter's Moon, which only comes around once a year, on October 16 at 12:25 a.m. (in Charlotte, anyway, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac). Check it out,
and allow yourself to feel the awe. Love and
light, Maureen P.S. Great news if you've been wanting to write at the
beach! We've had a cancellation for the Coastal Writing Retreat November 11th through 13th. There is currently one spot left. Details below and here. Call the Sunset Inn now to reserve if you'd like to come. Sneak Peek!
My beloved teacher, mentor, and friend Irene Honeycutt,
a lover of moons, has a new book coming soon
called Beneath the Bamboo Sky.
I'll be featuring her in the Word-zine in a few weeks.
Meanwhile,
you can check it out, and/or pre-order it at a discount here:
Upcoming WordPlay
COASTAL WRITING RETREAT (Writing—and more—as Renewal and
Inspiration)
1 spot left!
Renew yourself and reconnect with your own creativity, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer! The techniques and prompts we’ll
use will spur your imagination, and can be used to create nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry—the choice is yours. $418 for the weekend. The Coastal Writing Retreat includes writing sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included). Additionally, for those who might like to stay another day to work on their writing, or to just enjoy the beach, the Inn is offering to Coastal Writing Retreat participants only, the
opportunity to stay Sunday night, November 13th, at half price.
WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, November 11 – Sunday, November 13, 2016* TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at
888-575-1001 (if you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Because the Inn is holding rooms for you, our participants, they are blocked off as unavailable online. Register soon by phone — this is a popular event and there is only
1 space available.
*Also, please let the Inn know when you call if you are interested in the bonus opportunity to stay Sunday night, November 13th, at half price.
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WINTER WRITING RETREAT
(Writing as Renewal/Creating New Writing/
Tools for a Writing
Life)
Renew and delight yourself. The Winter Writing Retreat is an opportunity to create new pieces of writing and/or 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, December 17th, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. TO REGISTER: To pay with a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions. Click here to pay online, using PayPal.
More WordPlay opportunities here.
Featured Writing
An Inventory of Moons
by
David Shumate
If you live to be very old, you may see twelve hundred full moons.
Some come in
winter and you trudge out into the deep snow to
stand beneath their glow. Others come to you in the city and you
take an elevator up to the roof of the highest building and set out
a couple of folding chairs to watch it glide across the sky….
To continue reading, please click here: This poem, and many others, are from David's book, Kimonos in the Closet. Check it out, and read more about David, 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 "moon."
PROMPT: Create your own "inventory of moons." Make a list of every moon viewing you can remember. Where were you? Who were you with? What were you thinking and feeling? (Or do this for one of your characters.) Next,
either create a piece of writing out of your list, or pick one particular moon memory and write about it. 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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