Volume VII, Issue 5 January 29, 2018 Dear ,
Do you happen to remember the movie Funny Girl with Barbara Streisand? I still love it, especially the music. And I still find myself belting out "Don't Rain on My Parade" every so often, when I'm in that kind of mood. (Am I the only one? Maybe. Let me know, if by any chance, you are in the "Don't Rain on My Parade" club!)
And how did this end up being this week's theme? Well, it all started as I sat with WordPlayer Vidya Murlidhar several weeks ago, smiling at her very sweet and endearing new picture book, The Adventures of Grandpa
and Ray (Tiny Tales From The Heart, Volume 1). You know by now how much I enjoy telling people about books I love.
"I'd love to feature this in the Word-zine," I told her. "What do you think?"
Vidya was happy to share, and we went through the entire book with the hard task of choosing just two pages. She told me I could pick, and the spread below with Grandpa and Ray enjoying the rain spoke to me the most. It reminded me of this photo of my once-little girl, Amanda, who loved stepping in puddles just like Ray does.
How fun that the Charlotte weather cooperated with my already-made plans!
And, last night, as I was stepping
through some mud puddles of my own, what should pop into my head but "Don't Rain on My Parade." It hit me that, in this song, rain is a negative event, dampening spirits and ruining fun.
Not that I always love rain. But it is often something to celebrate, and even march happily in.... and when you use rain as a writing opportunity, well, in my opinion, that IS a parade!
Happy puddle-splashing, either outdoors or in your imagination... Love and light,
Maureen
Upcoming WordPlay
GIFT OF MEMOIR (Preserving Family History; Writing for and about Your
Family; The Art of Memoir)
BEGINS THIS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST! ONE
SPOT LEFT!
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.
* For the benefit of
participants, an audio recording of the class will be made each week so that participants are able to listen to classes they miss and/or review material covered at any convenient time and place. These recordings are available throughout the class session, along with all handouts, in a shared Dropbox folder.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map. WHEN: Thursday mornings, 10:00 a.m. – noon. February 1 and 22 March 8 and 22 April 5 and 19 May 3 and 17
COST: $275 ---------------------------------------------------------------
THE FINE ART OF COOKING UP A POEM: A Poetry (and Prose) Craft Workshop
Ever wished your writing had more finesse? Or wondered what goes into the making of a fine poem? 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 reading work by writers you love can inspire and instruct you. All levels welcome.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 6th, from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m.
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Lanier Library is holding their 10th Annual Sidney Lanier Poetry Competition. They are accepting
submissions through March 15, 2018 with prizes awarded April 28, 2018 at the library in Tryon, NC.
Adult and Student categories are available with prizes from $500 (Adult) and $100 (Student).
WordPlay Success Story
"[Maureen] truly does spin words into gold.
It has been so much fun working with [her]."
Meet WordPlayer Vidya Murlidhar
(and Illustrator Sharon Dev) Vidya Murlidhar (left) and her childhood friend and illustrator, Sharon Dev (right).
Vidya Murlidhar is an author and blogger who grew up in Mumbai, India and now resides in Charlotte, NC. Her writing carries the flavor of her homeland and had been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Mothers Always Write, Perfection Pending, and Life
Positive.
Sharon Dev is a Designer and Visual Merchandiser by profession with a love for comic books, dogs,
and the mountains. She spends her free time obsessively baking for friends and pencil sketching.
What Vidya says about WordPlay
I first met Maureen at a workshop at South County Regional library three years ago. I had just started my blog and seriously doubted my abilities as a writer. All I knew was that I loved to write. But could someone who
wrote about everyday life be considered a serious writer?
Then I heard Maureen read a poem from her book that she had published when her daughter turned 21. It was beautiful poem about her little daughter twirling around in her summer frock and I felt an instant connection. So did everyone in the room. That day I
learned that a powerful writer is one who draws out emotions in her/his audience.
I would probably never create a rich fictional world like JK Rowling or leave my readers in hanging by the edge of the rope in a thriller like James Patterson, but I could certainly write from my heart. I did have a long way to
go in terms in terms of my poetic ability, but I knew Maureen would be the right person to guide me.
Fast forward three years and I am now working on a children's book series called 'Tiny Tales from The Heart' in collaboration with my childhood friend, who is the illustrator. Each book in the series is a poem about
simple things in life that matter like togetherness and being true to oneself. I took the rough draft of the poems to Maureen and it was amazing how easily she taught me to play around with the words to make the poem rhyme and flow. She truly does spin words into gold.
It has been so much fun working with you,
Maureen. You are a lovely and gracious person. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us and teaching us to do the same. 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 "rain." PROMPT: Write about rain, in any way/form you like!
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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