Volume IIII, Issue 20
May 18, 2015
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Word of the Week: ekphrasis |
Dear ,
I promise you'll learn what ekphrasis is momentarily. (That is, if you don't already know.) It's a delightful intersection of two creative endeavors. But first, a tip of my hat to some V.I.P.'s—the wonderful men and women who
participated in January 2015 WordPlay classes, which have now reached their conclusion. I want to honor and thank each person who graced these semester-long opportunities to grow as writers and create a body of work in community. If you yourself have taken part in a WordPlay class at any time, please accept my gratitude.
Pictured above is one group of intrepid writers with works Under Construction. (I owe this photo to the woman in front in the blue striped shirt, Mary Struble Deery, who is so very good at marking occasions, and knows how to use a camera timer—bravo and merci!) Can you feel the basking in
accomplishments, as well as the joy and camaraderie? I just wish I had thought to take group photos of all of my classes! There is nothing like a visual image, is there?
While May is a time of endings, more classes are coming in September. You can check out what's already on the schedule here. And if you happen to be free on Thursday evenings, I do have one opening in the one Under Construction class I'm holding this summer. Email us if you'd like to have a conversation about whether this class is a good fit for you and your writing goals. I'd love to talk with you about it.
And now, on to ekphrasis! To quote the University of Chicago, "Few pieces of media jargon have as long a history or as considerable an evolution as ekphrasis," which in its simplest form means writing about art. (You can read more about ekphrasis here—I checked out many online resources and think this one is the best.)
I've been a fan of ekphrastic poetry (poems about paintings or other works of visual art) for many years now, and also tried my hand at it. And just last Thursday I heard my friend and fellow poet Gail Peck read from her new
ekphrastic collection, The Braided Light, in which she explores works by Monet and van Gogh. I was drawn in from the very first page, which contains the quotes: "I want to paint the way a bird sings." (Claude Monet) and "I dream my painting and I paint my dreams." (Vincent van Gogh.)
And after that, of course,
is an opportunity for you to try a bit of ekphrasis yourself! Go ahead and try it—I dare you to stretch your imagination, and your writing virtuosity.
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
UNDER CONSTRUCTION (Fulfilling Writing Dreams &
Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing) ONE SPOT
OPEN
Email us if you'd like to have a conversation about whether this class
is a good fit for you and your writing
goals.
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. Jumpstart your pen and receive the knowledge and inspiration you need to write, whatever your preferred genre. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process. WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, 28204
WHEN: Offered these Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm: May 28, June 11, 18 and 25, July 23 and 30, August 13 and 20. COST: $259 for 8 classes
TO REGISTER: To register, or for more information, please email info@wordplaynow.com for details. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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, June 20th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
TO REGISTER: To register securely online with your credit card, click here. To pay with a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------SPINNING WORDS INTO GOLD
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams and Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising and Polishing Your Writing) Does writing fulfill you? Do you wish you were writing more? Jumpstart your writing life and learn to keep your words flowing. Learn specific techniques and exercises to create nonfiction, poetry and/or fiction. Whether you would like to keep a journal for your own personal growth, spin stories for your loved ones, or further a career as a professional writer, experience the satisfaction of
developing a writing practice that works for you—come spin words into gold. $594 for one week-long session, plus lodging and meals.
WHERE: John Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
WHEN:
Sunday, August 23rd through Saturday, August 29th, 2015
TO REGISTER: Call the John Campbell Folks School at 1-800.FOLK.SCH (365-5724).
More WordPlay opportunities here.
Gail Peck is the author of eight collections of poetry. Poems and essays have appeared in The Southern Review, Nimrod, Greensboro Review, Brevity, Connotation Press, Comstock, Still Point Arts
Quarterly, and elsewhere. Her work has been highly anthologized, and also nominated for a Pushcart. “Child Waiting” was cited as Notable for Best American Essays, 2013. Her most recent chapbook is Within Two Rooms (Finishing Line Press), and The Braided Light, poems about the art and lives of Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, won the Lena Shull Contest sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society.
If you'd like to order a copy of The Braided Light, the cost is $18, which includes shipping and handling. For more information, contact Gail by emailing her at gailpeck@carolina.rr.com. for my husband
Come sit, share the bread with me, spread it with butter, there on the pewter dish. Pour the wine—we won’t need the carafe of water,
but maybe later the apricot brandy the sun is hitting now, spreading its shadow across the table. Bring cheese, and there are apples in the kitchen in a basket. Red wine is your favorite, earthy tannins that preserve. I want to tell you of the new sadness, how the heart can fold like a flower at sunset. You, who’ve lived with me so long, having studied my face, desired good things for me—lift the bottle and pour, then my lips will taste like yours. Don’t worry about the white cloth if anything
spills, it will wash. This knife isn’t sharp, just tear the baguette—bread made to last only a day. Now I can tell you, while all is quiet, the walls surrounding us, making us close in this small space.
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 "ekphrasis."
PROMPT:
Choose a painting or other work of visual art, and write a poem about it. Of course, if it suits
you, you can just dive right in and start writing, letting the painting inspire you. But if you'd like a little support in getting started, try this:
Choose an image, and before you write, study it for a moment. Let it speak to you. As you gaze at it, write down ten words (phrases are okay,
too)—one for each of the categories below—that this image brings to mind for you. These should be words that are beautiful to you for sound and meaning (in other words, meaningful to you personally in some way). Be
specific (sassafras, not tree). I've given you some examples.- A color word (green, lapis lazuli, amethyst, vivid)
- A “sound” word (Niagara Falls, whistle, lullaby)
- A “smell” word (Vanilla, White Shoulders, ocean, pungent)
- A “taste” word (raspberry, sweet)
- A “touch” word (prickly, kitten, sandstone)
- A “place” word (thicket, Schenectady, home, Africa)
- A “time” word (evening, soon, yesterday, April)
- A verb of motion (glide, canter, lope,
glisten)
- A way a person can be (good-natured, persnickety, audacious)
- An abstraction, an idea or human construct you can't experience through your physical senses (forgiveness, hope, longing)
Then, create a poem, in any style or form, that incorporates as many or as few of the things from your list as you like.
Why? Because the very fine literary magazine Rattle is having a free-to-enter contest for poems inspired by this painting—and there's a small cash prize. Plus, it is a very evocative image. Deadline is May 31. Details (and image) here, and there's a new contest each
month.
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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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