The WordPlay Word-zine Volume VII, Issue 14 April 2, 2018 Word of the Week: beloved Dear ,
Happy April! Happy National Poetry Month! Happy 25th Anniversary of WordPlay!
It's hard to believe that it's been exactly 25 years to the month since a dream of mine came true—that's when I taught my very first creative writing class through Queens University's continuing education program, followed just a year or two later with classes through CPCC. It's even harder to believe
that, not only am I getting the great honor ofreceiving the Irene Blair Honeycutt Legacy Award at CPCC (next Monday, April 9th at 7 p.m. following a reception at 6 p.m.), but that it's also happening during this anniversary month.
And I have you to thank, along with so many other Word-zine readers, WordPlayers, fellow writers, and writing teachers who have encouraged and supported me, and inspired me
as well. What a wonderful ride it has been. It would mean so much to have you there at the reception and reading so I can tell you in person how much I appreciate you!
Plus, you'll get to meet Morgan! I'm thrilled that she's able to come, and she is so looking forward to meeting you and the other WordPlayers she's been serving so well for several years now.
You'll also get to meet Irene Blair Honeycutt, Kathie
Collins and Paul Reali, the founders of Charlotte Lit, who are kindly sponsoring the reception, as well as a number of other fine writers. I hope you can make it.
Details and directions are below.
First, let me
tell you the origin of the word of the week, "beloved"—it's from the last poem in Raymond Carver's last book, A New Path to the Waterfall, which I first encountered on a writing retreat with Irene Blair Honeycutt (I know you see the connection!). Here Irene and I are together back in 2003, doing
a book signing together at The Bag Lady.
Irene read us this poem on that mountain retreat, and it touched me deeply, as it has so many other poets, including the late Mary Wilmer and beloved local poet and teacher Diana Pinckney. I'm not sure
which event we were attending when this photo was taken in the early 1990s.
"Late Fragment" still touches me deeply each time I read it, and I'm hoping it will touch you as well when you read it below. I found a lovely essay about it by Aislinn Hunter called "HOW POEMS WORK: Late Fragment by Raymond Carver" in The Globe and Mail that I think you'll enjoy as well. You can read it here.
May this lovely month fill your heart with joy, beauty, and poetry.
Love and light,
Details and Directions for
The Irene Blair Honeycutt
Legacy Award
Reception and Reading
WHAT: Tate Hall, one floor above the Halton Theatre, 1206 Elizabeth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204
WHERE: Tate Hall, one floor above the Halton Theatre,1206 Elizabeth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204
WHEN: Wednesday, April 9th, 2018
6 p.m.: Reception with delicious baked goods from Sunflour Baking Company
7 p.m.: Award presentation and reading, along with shared
highlights from the past 25 years of writing and WordPlaying
COST: Free!
PARKING: From Charlottetown Avenue (formerly Independence Blvd.), proceed on 4th Street towards King’s and Uptown Charlotte. Turn right into the driveway to the second parking deck, labeled as Employee Parking and Theatre
Parking (on the corner of 4th Street and Kings Ave; entrance on 4th Street). View map here.
And I hope you come for as many Sensoria events as you can make it to! You'll be glad you did. As last year's Irene Blair Honeycutt Distinguished Lecturer George Saunders, best-selling author and winner of the National Book Award says, "The Sensoria
Festival is one of the very best of its kind in the world." Full schedule here. Upcoming WordPlay
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW
ABOUT POETRY
* But Were Afraid to
Ask
There are at least ten thousand ways to write a poem! In this lively presentation about the art and craft of poetry based on Maureen’s latest book of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can’t Be Wrong, participants will learn how content, sound and form work together, and get to try their hand at the process. They’ll
also have the opportunity to ask every question they’ve ever had about poetry.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 11th, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. until noon
SPINNING WORDS INTO GOLD 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.
WHERE: John Campbell Folk School. 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
WHEN: Sunday, May 6th through Saturday, May 12th, 2018
COST: $630 (plus room and
board)
TO REGISTER: To register, click this link to be taken to the John Campbell Folk School website to register.
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 "beloved."
PROMPT: When have you, or one of your characters, experienced being "beloved on the earth"? Capture one of these moments in poetry, in honor of National Poetry Month, or in prose if you prefer.
It's fun to play with prompts in community with fellow writers, and to be able to share the results when you're done. You can find out about WordPlay classes, workshops, and retreats here. 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. You can listen to it here. 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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