[WordPlay Word-zine] "This Is Just To Say"

Published: Mon, 07/02/18

 The WordPlay Word-zine

Volume VII, Issue 26

July 2, 2018

Word of the Week: say

Dear ,

This Is Just To Say

I am smitten with

this baby girl

who has just joined

the world

and whose presence

calls forth prayers

for peace, love, and plenty

for all children

Celebrate her, and all babies

who are each delicious

so sweet

and so new

Did you catch my literary imitation, ? If not, you'll find the poem that inspired my ode to my newest grandchild, Ellie (Eleanor Ross Kirkman), below as this week's featured writing. (A refrigerator full of fresh-from-the-Farmer's-Market fruit helped, too!)

Richard and I are so grateful to have been at the hospital on the day Ellie was born (last Monday, June 25), and to be able to hang around and help out our daughter and her husband and enjoy Ellie and her two big brothers, Rhys and Harry. And all the while, I've been lifting up prayers for children and families everywhere.

I was only ten years older than Rhys when I first encountered Williams's poem "This Is Just To Say," and I loved it the moment I read it. There's something about this seemingly unapologetic apology note that I recognize from the perspective of both its writer and its receiver. But I love the title as much as the poem itself. What would you like to "just say"? And to whom? Scroll on down to the prompt for your opportunity!

And take some time to enjoy your own family this week...

Love and light,

Maureen

Upcoming WordPlay

THE GIFT OF MEMOIR

WRITING PERSONAL AND FAMILY STORIES

(Preserving Family History; Writing for and about Your Family; The Art of Memoir)

NOW TAKING REGISTRATIONS FOR FALL 2018!

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., starting in September, 2018.
COST: $285

TO REGISTER: Please email us at info@wordplaynow.com to start the registration process by filling out a short "Clarity Tool" to share your writing dreams and goals and where you are in the process (anywhere you are is a perfect place to begin).

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

NOW TAKING REGISTRATIONS FOR FALL 2018!

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: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. – noon, starting in September 2018.

(Other class time/day of the week may be available.)
COST: $435

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EVERY PICTURE HOLDS A STORY

Writing Class at Chautauqua

Would you enjoy using favorite photographs and other visual images as springboards to write fiction, nonfiction, and/or poetry, and/or capture family stories? Then come learn some fun, easy methods to get started. We’ll also look at some ways successful writers have used images to inspire their words. If you like, bring your own pictures and photographs of things you’d enjoy writing about. A variety of images will be provided, too.

COURSE NO: 1710
WHEN: Monday, August 13th – Wednesday, August 15th, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Turner 105, Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722.
COST: $85

TO REGISTER: To register online, please click this link to be taken to the Chautauqua Institution website.

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WRITING OUR WAY TO HAPPINESS

Writing Class at Chautauqua

Come explore time-tested ways writing can increase your happiness level. This class will jumpstart your pen and provide inspiration and knowledge about the process of creative writing, whether your genre is nonfiction, fiction, or poetry. Ideal for beginners, and those interested in expanding their writing -for personal growth or for publication.

COURSE NO: 1712
WHEN: Monday, August 20th – Thursday, August 23rd, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Hultquist, 201B, Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722.
COST: $99

TO REGISTER: To register online, please click this link to be taken to the Chautauqua Institution website.

Featured Writing

This Is Just To Say

William Carlos Williams

I have
eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

~ from poetryfoundation.org

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 "say."

PROMPT: Imitation is not only the highest form of flattery, it's also a great way to grow as a writer. Write your own version of "This Is Just To Say" to any audience of your choice, from one individual, like William Carlos Williams does, to a group of people, like I did to you and all my other Word-zine readers. Stay as true to Williams's form as you can, while still saying what you really want and mean to say. You may want to "deliver" your poem to its "audience" when you're finished.

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.

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!

WordPlay
Maureen Ryan Griffin
Email: info@wordplaynow.com
Website: www.wordplaynow.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wordplaynow