Volume VII, Issue 37 September 17,
2018 Word of the Week: salvage Dear ,
My heart has been in my throat for much of the past week—not on my behalf, or my family's, because the forecast for Charlotte was not very frightening, but on the behalf of all the people who have been facing such devastation, losing
so much.
I do my best to find hope by following Mr. Rogers's advice to "always look for the helpers." And I take heart in the ability we human beings have to, after surviving, salvage what we can.
You have probably seen the photo of Robert
Simmons Jr. of New Bern and his kitten named Survivor, posted by The News & Observer of Raleigh with the story of their escape from the floodwaters of Hurricane Florence and picked up by news services across the country.
Posted on YouTube by The Charlotte Observer
But you may not know that there is a video taken by Travis Long that shows their rescue by boat. You can view the whole clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocvS1LjkVCc
I know you, like me, are
holding Robert Simmons Jr. and his Survivor, along with the oh-so-many other survivors of Florence's devastation, in your hearts as they salvage what they can and rebuild their homes and communities, with the support of compassionate people from around the country.
Today's featured writing by Lee Woodruff, "Losing My Life," is a very small salvage story in comparison to many, but I hope it will inspire you to celebrate the human spirit that allows us to, in times of loss, turn toward the light of a new day and salvage what we can.
And if we write those stories down, and share them? We are engaging in another form of salvage, one that can travel across time as well
as miles.
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
THE SEVEN ENERGIES OF WRITING Tools and Techniques to Enhance Creativity and Productivity
NOTE: These seven energies of writing are on the backside of that yellow card that describes the four "elements of human being" I mention above.
If you’ve ever had a hard time getting started writing, finishing what you’ve begun, or gotten stuck in the middle (“writer’s block), knowing how to engage in the most helpful “energy of writing” at each stage of your process—and on any given day—will be a game-changer. In this class, we’ll explore—and practice—the ins, outs, and benefits of all seven energies of writing. You’ll learn invaluable tools and strategies
you’ll use again and again to write with maximum ease and effectiveness. Yes, you can be more productive, creative, and fulfilled, no matter what kind of writing you do or how experienced you are.
WHERE: Charlotte Lit. 1817 Central Avenue, #302. Charlotte, NC
WHEN: October 2nd, 2018, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
COST: $55 – $65 depending on membership
TO REGISTER: To register, visit the Charlotte Lit website here for registration
details.
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THE ART AND CRAFT OF POLISHING A POEM
I have the honor of teaching the Master Poetry Class at The North Carolina Writers’ Network
2018 Fall Conference, November 2-4 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, NC. The class, titled “The Art and Craft of Polishing a Poem,” which will offer registrants the opportunity to learn and practice specific revision tactics, as well as get detailed feedback/critique on at least one of their poems.
For the first time, Fall Conference will offer a full slate of sessions designed specifically for writers of stage and screen. In addition, as part of the Network’s ongoing mission to serve writers at all levels of experience, the Charlotte Center for the Literary Arts will sponsor a “Business of Writing” track at Fall Conference for those who feel ready to take their manuscripts to market. And,
because of the Hilton’s convenient location, getting to (and parking!) at a Fall Conference in the Charlotte Metro area has never been easier.
If a poetry master class is not for you right now, please
check out the many, many other offerings available that provide so much ways to learn and grow as a writer no matter what your level of experiences, plus many networking opportunities!
For more
information, and to register, visit www.ncwriters.org. -------------------------------------------------------
COASTAL WRITING RETREAT Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn
I'm holding my breath until I hear from my beloved Sunset Inn
how they have fared, but I do know Sunset Beach Police
have reported that, while several trees fell on structures,
there was no major
flooding. I'll keep you posted and let
you know the status of our retreats planned for November.
Losing My
Life
by
Lee Woodruff
A popular speaker and the author of three best-selling books, journalist Lee Woodruff’s distinctive voice comes from the
heart. Whether she’s sharing wisdom about the healthcare
journey and recovery, or speaking candidly about life and
family, she draws on her experiences to connect with the
audience. Her trademark humor and down-to- earth manner
has made her a popular keynote speaker nationwide.
Learn more here.
Woodruff also runs a consulting business that helps clients
become more effective interview subjects and
dynamic
communicators during speeches and presentations. You can
learn more about her customized “Speaking Your Mind”
sessions here. Long ago, I determined that if my house ever caught fire, the one thing I would grab would be my photo albums. Everything else, I reasoned, was replaceable. But life’s memories? Impossible. Tragic.
Re-organizing the basement this summer, I opened a Tupperware container of mementos and immediately smelled danger. Not smoke or fire, thank goodness, but water. A hard rain had slid down the rock face in the basement and seeped
into a crack in the plastic. Humidity and mold had done the rest. Naturally, it was the one box that really mattered.
My heart sank as I pried off the lid containing our random collection of childhood
photos, letters, year books, cards, ancestral history (typed by my mother), my girlhood-sticker-plastered diary (PRIVATE!) and brittle, blue airmail letters, written from overseas in the cramped handwriting of spies. And then there were the poems and letters from Bob’s and my courtship, handwritten declarations of love, the ink now smeared like watercolors.
The smell was over-powering; a toxic, swampy mushroom stew meets a thousand musty attics. But that was my life in there. I needed to rescue it. Those were the memories for “some day,” the fragments of our lives that I’d planned to assemble like a puzzle for my children and grandkids.
Dragging the contents out on the porch, Bob and I unwrapped letters and unstuck articles with the care of museum archivists; marriage announcements and photos, birthday cards from my father with his enthusiastic punctuation “My Oldest
Girl!!!! “Lee-Lee It’s Your Birthdaaaay!!!!!
There were photos, still in their original envelopes with negatives, the putrid Kodak chemicals staining our finger pads as we peeled them apart. Outtakes
from our honeymoon? Gone. The secret roll of black and white shots, vamping for my new husband in a sheer nightgown? Gone (thankfully). Extra photos of our son, naked and newborn, fists balled, kicking his chicken legs on a blanket? Destroyed. We laid out the questionable and damaged like soldiers on battlefield cots, hoping the fresh air and sunlight could revive them.
The gift was what happened next. It was the salvage operation itself, the awful discovery coming at a time when we were snappish and bickering over trivial things. This job demanded our immediate attention. Cussing and grumbling, we screeched our day to a
halt.
We hadn’t anticipated what saving the past would do for us, how much we’d needed a kick in the pants, a reminder of our more youthful, pre-kid, silly selves. “Look at us!” I said, unearthing a shot of
our rehearsal dinner, a drunken groomsman wearing a pair of underwear on his head. Yeehaw! Look at what a wild, fun-party couple we were! There was an article I’d written about a desert camping trip with friends, star gazing at night with our kids. Hadn’t life been good to us in the balance, the loving and wondrous moments far outpacing the sad? The evidence was spread out around us to dry. . . .
Read the rest of this essay here: https://leewoodruff.com/losing-my-life/ 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 "salvage."
PROMPT: Write about something that you, someone you know, or, if you're a fiction writer, one of your characters has salvaged.
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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