Volume VII, Issue 31 August
6, 2018 Dear ,
True confession: when my kids were teenagers, their nickname for me was "Caffeine-addicted Maureen." I can do without coffee, for a day or even over a week, but I am a huge fan. So it was a real treat, while we were
on the Kona side of the Big Island, to visit the Kona Coffee Living History Museum and pick a few beans right off a coffee plant.
The docents at this site were terrific. I learned so much, not just about the growing of coffee, but the lives of Japanese
immigrants who rejuvenated the coffee industry in Hawai'i.
It was fun to pop open a coffee cherry and taste the sweet
liquid encasing the beans. I'd had no idea! And finding out how much time and labor goes into the process gave me a new appreciation for my favorite beverage.
And it got me thinking
that "coffee" deserved to be a word of the week. That had me go looking for writing, not just mentioning coffee, but about coffee. Speaking of, I now know—don't you love the "search" feature our computers offer?—that five of my poems mention coffee, including the first one that was ever published, "Before I Go," which contains this stanza:
Give me one more sunrise by that willow on the Pamlico with steam from my coffee rising in homage to that nip in the air. Please. I also found an article online by "That's Coffee: The gourmet coffee store" called "Exploring the Poetry of Coffee," You can read it, and also a number of poems that feature coffee, here.
My favorite, which I chose for this week's featured writing, is Stephen Dobyns's "[Over a Cup of Coffee]" because of its evocative title—think of how many things have transpired over a cup of coffee—and its interesting way of incorporating the
theme of travel and its ruminative look at how we change over time. All that, and coffee, too! You'll find the poem below, as well as a writing prompt.
I daresay most of what I've written has been helped along by a mug of java that started off steaming. (I'm prone to forget to drink it once I get absorbed with words, so I can't be that caffeine-addicted, right?)
Wouldn't this be a good week to make yourself a cup of coffee (or whatever beverage
you favor) and stir up a new essay, chapter, story, or poem? Or go back to some writing you've abandoned and breathe some new life into it?
Love and light,
Maureen
Upcoming WordPlay
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.
* 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: Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. – noon, starting in September 2018. (Other class time/day of the week may be available.)
COST: $435 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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EVERY PICTURE HOLDS A STORY - WEEK 8 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 - WEEK 9 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
[Over a Cup of Coffee]
by
Stephen Dobyns
Over a cup of coffee or sitting on a park bench or
walking the dog, he would recall some incident
from his youth—nothing significant—climbing a tree
in his backyard, waiting in left field for a batter's
swing, sitting in
a parked car with a girl whose face
he no longer remembered, his hand on her breast
and his body electric; memories to look at with
curiosity, the harmless behavior of a stranger, with
nothing to regret or elicit particular joy. And
although he had no sense of being on a journey,
such memories made him realize how far he had
traveled, which, in turn, made him ask how he
would look back on the person he was now,
this
person who seemed so substantial. These images, it
was like looking at a book of old photographs,
recognizing a forehead, the narrow chin, and
perhaps recalling the story of an older second
cousin, how he had left long ago to try his luck in
Argentina or Australia. And he saw that he was
becoming like such a person, that the day might
arrive when he would look back on his present self
as on a distant relative
who had drifted off into
uncharted lands.
~ Stephen Dobyns
Source: Poetry magazine, December 2001
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 "coffee." PROMPT: Write, in any genre, about something that happens (or happened) over a cup of coffee.
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! |
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