Volume VI, Issue 2 January 9, 2017 Dear ,
If you're mystified by this week's subject line, click here to experience my David Bowie allusion. ;)
Change, as "they" say, is such a constant in life—and is so rich with writing possibilities, it's a wonder to me that in the 239 Word-zines I've done so far, it's not occurred to me as a word-of-the-week until now.
After all, I'm reminded of change every time I see my sweet grandsons, as I did over the holidays, and as I will again this coming weekend for the Martin Luther King holiday.
I can't believe how much Rhys, and
his baby brother, Harry, change each time I see them, even when it's only a few weeks. I'm so glad my daughter takes lots of photographs. Who can resist a kid so happy to be making a snow angel?
But I owe this word-of-the-week, not to my ever-changing grandchildren, but
rather the delightful and multi-talented Mary Herbert Love, who with her husband Charles, has co-produced a documentary entitled The Dream Revisited: Civil Rights in Perspective, which will premier January 16 at the Gantt Center for African- American Arts + Culture as part of the Center’s Martin Luther King Day celebration. (You're invited! More details
below.)
Thinking about Martin Luther King brought to mind that quote often attributed to Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see." His words can still stir us to change: now that speaks to the power of the word, whether it's written or spoken, as in this week's featured film documentary.
Now, on to meeting Mary Herbert, if you don't yet know her! And this week's prompt. But first, if you haven't yet seen the two WordPlay opportunities that start SOON, note the "Upcoming WordPlay" below.
May life's changes—even the most challenging and difficult—find you evermore filled with love and
light,
Upcoming WordPlay
UNDER CONSTRUCTION:
TUESDAY EVENINGS
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals;
Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing)
This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects. You’ll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You’ll also get feedback on your work (any genre) and learn revision tools and methods. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process, whatever your
preferred genre. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process.
WHERE: South Charlotte area. Details will be provided upon registration.
WHEN: Tuesday
evenings 7:00 to 9 p.m., starting in January, 2017.
January 10, 17 and 24
February 7 and 28
March 7, 21 and 28
April 4, 11 and 25
May 2 TO REGISTER: If you’re interested in attending, please email us at info@wordplaynow.com for more information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GIFT OF MEMOIR
(Preserving Family History/Writing for and about Your Family/The Art of Memoir) Our life stories are a precious legacy. Putting them in writing is a gift to all who know and love us—they can be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come. It is also a gift to ourselves. As best-selling author Rachel Naomi Remen says in her book Kitchen Table Wisdom, facts bring us to knowledge, but stories bring us to wisdom. If you are interested in
writing family and/or personal life stories—those significant tales of adventure, transition, love, loss, and triumph, as well as lovely everyday moments from times past or the present, come learn specific tools and techniques to retrieve and record them.
WHEN: Thursday mornings, 10:00 to noon, starting in January, 2017.
January 12 and 26
February 2 and 16
March 9 and 23
April 6 and 27
REGISTER: If you’re interested in attending, please email us at info@wordplaynow.com to be put on the waiting list.
More WordPlay opportunities here. WordPlay Success Story
"Maureen, with her many tips, prompts and readings, has encouraged me to build on my love of words."
Meet Mary Herbert Love
Mary Herbert and Charles Love have worked together since 1994 as writers, photographers, filmmakers and editors. Mary is currently editor-in-chief of Charleston Style & Design, a print and online
magazine with a focus on design and lifestyle. Their media company, Imagyn, Inc. (imagyn.com) promotes destinations, businesses and individuals around the world. Their blog, The Alley Cat (thealleycatblog.com), chronicles their global travels and offers insights on art and
culture. What Mary Herbert says about
WordPlay “I’ll never forget the day—it must have been more than 12 years ago—that I dared to walk into one of Maureen’s writing classes at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Although I had been producing travel stories for newspapers and magazines for several years, I felt I could become a much better writer.
On that first day with Maureen, I sensed that her classes would be different from any I had taken before. In other classes I had been afraid to read my work out loud. But here I felt safe. I knew I would not be judged and that I would get excellent advice.
I’ve participated in nearly all of Maureen’s classes, from Poetry Rocks to
Under Construction to The Gift of Memoir. (Yes, I’m a serial WordPlayer!) I’ve met writers at all stages of their careers. I’ve learned to listen closely to the words and wisdom of others, to become more aware of the details of the world around me, and to ask for help when I need it.
Maureen, with her many tips, prompts and readings, has encouraged me to build on my love of
words. Her courses on self-editing and critiquing others have proved especially useful.
Through WordPlay, I developed the confidence to push my limits and the courage to share my innermost thoughts and feelings. I’ve also come away with greater compassion for the writers that I manage."
About "The Dream Revisited:
Civil Rights in Perspective"
produced
by
Mary Herbert and Charles Love
The Dream Revisited: Civil Rights in Perspective, co-produced by Mary Herbert Love and her husband, Charles, will premier January 16 at the Gantt Center for African- American Arts + Culture as part of the Center’s Martin Luther King Day celebration.
The 32-minute
film, which juxtaposes archival footage with contemporary interviews of local and national opinion leaders, invites us to consider how much—or how little—progress has been made toward civil rights for all, using King’s vision for America as a moral benchmark.
Here’s a link to the trailer: https://vimeo.com/175696222.
Mary Herbert invites fellow “WordPlayers” to attend the screening
and take part in other events the Gantt Center has planned for the day.
The Center (ganttcenter.org) is located in downtown Charlotte
at 551 South Tryon Street.
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 "change."
PROMPT: Spend a bit of time mulling about changes that you (or one of your characters) have lived through in all realms, including personal, local, national, and global. Make a list of the changes that have had the
largest impact—on you and on others, for better or for worse. Now, pick one of these changes and create an essay, poem, story, scene, or, perhaps even a documentary!
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! |
|
|
|
