The WordPlay Word-zine
Volume VIII, Issue 13
April 5 for April 8, 2019
Dear ,
In case you noticed, it's not Monday yet. But it is such a pleasure and a privilege to feature one of my first poetry teachers, Judy Goldman, in conjunction with her receiving the Irene Blair Honeycutt Lifetime
Achievement Award this Monday evening, April 8th, and I wanted to give those of you who want to come a few days' notice.
Judy has been such an enormous help to me, and she is a delight as a writer, a teacher, a speaker. (And, of course, since I know so many of my zine readers, perhaps including you, can't come, so you can "meet" Judy and read a sample of her work below.) Here is your official invitation, in case you can
make it:
Join us to celebrate Judy Goldman, our 2019 winner of the Irene Blair Honeycutt Lifetime Achievement Award in Literary Arts.
Reception in Tate Lobby (directions here) at 6 followed at 7 by the Award Presentation and a reading by and conversation with Goldman.
Presented in Partnership with Charlotte Center for Literary Arts.
For more information about the event, please visit the Sensoria website here: https://sensoria.cpcc.edu/event/726/
I am even more excited than I would be otherwise because I get to INTRODUCE Judy on Monday! It's been a joy to remember the time I spent learning the ins and outs of poetry as I sat, with 11 other poets, and Judy, of course, around her dining room table. It was always the highlight of my
week.
When I first met Judy, she had written one beautiful volume of poetry called Holding Back Winter. (My inscribed copy is here beside me as I type this.) She has gone on to write another book of poetry, two novels, and two memoirs. Her latest book, Together: A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical
Mishap, is on my nightstand, and an excerpt from it is this week's featured writing. "Part love story, part medical mystery," is how Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and A Piece of the World describes it.
I don't want to give too much away, so I don't spoil the book for you, but I will share this photo of Judy and her husband Henry.
The timing of sharing Judy's newest book with you is perfect, as my husband Richard and I are celebrating our 35-year anniversary tomorrow, April 7. Judy has always been an inspiration to me, and her grace,
courage, and, yes, helpfulness, when confronted with her husband's medical mishap is no exception.
I know you'll enjoy meeting her, whether it's in person Monday or through this zine.
Love and light,
Maureen
P.S. Speaking of helping when feeling helpless, if you live in the Charlotte area, you have a remarkable opportunity to hear one of our country's most courageous, helpful, and gifted
poets, Carolyn Forché, the 2019 Irene Blair Honeycutt Distinguished Lecturer, at CPCC's Sensoria Arts Festival at these two times:
Central Campus - Tate Hall
Details here. Hope to see you there!
Upcoming WordPlay
WRITE LIKE A GENIUS
AT THE JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL
(Expanding Our Creativity; Learning New Tools for Our Writing and Our Lives; Creating New Writing)
Discover your own genius as you learn to apply seven fascinating approaches of Leonardo da Vinci to your writing. These techniques enliven non-fiction, poetry and fiction. Expect fun, inspiration and writing galore in your preferred genre, with opportunities to share
your work.
WHERE: John Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
WHEN: Sunday, May 26th – Saturday, June 1st, 2019
COST is $630 for one week-long session
(lodging and meals are additional – options can be found on the Folk School website)
TO REGISTER: To register, please click this link to register through the John Campbell Folk School website.
Class size limited to 8.
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CLASSES AT CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION
WRITING OUR WAY TO HAPPINESS
(Week 2)
Come explore research-tested ways writing can increase your happiness level. You’ll learn how to use writing as a tool to increase your sense of well-being, as well as jumpstart your pen and provide inspiration and knowledge about the process of creative writing, whether you want to write memoir, fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. For writers of all levels, including beginners, who are
interested in expanding their writing practice—for personal fulfillment or for publication.
WHERE: Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722. Alumni Hall Poetry Room
WHEN: Monday, July 1st – Friday, July 5th, 2019. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
COST: TBA
TO REGISTER: Registration for this class will open in April. Please check back then.
TELLING YOUR LIFE STORIES WITH GRACE
(Week 7)
Our life stories are a precious legacy, imbued with grace we can often see only in hindsight. Capturing these stories “gracefully” in words is a gift, not only to ourselves, but to those who love us – they’ll be treasured for generations to come. Come learn engaging tools and techniques to retrieve and record your adventures, loves, losses, successes, mistakes, and more with ease and, yes,
grace, no matter where you are in the process.
WHERE: Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722. Hultquist 201B
WHEN: Monday, August 5th – Thursday, August 8th, 2019. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
COST: TBA
TO REGISTER: Registration for this class will open in April. Please check back then.
DELICIOUS MEMORIES
(Week 9)
Food not only nurtures and sustains us, it’s also a rich source for writing. We’ll explore our culinary connections as we write of when, where, what, with whom, how — and even why — we ate. We’ll also learn from the work of accomplished writers. You can use the tools you’ll learn to create a family cookbook, individual essays, stories, or poems, scenes in fiction or memoir, a food blog—or
just for your own pleasure.
WHERE: Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722. Hultquist 201A
WHEN: Monday, August 19th – Thursday, August 22nd, 2019. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
COST: TBA
TO REGISTER: Registration for this class will open in April. Please check back then.
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THE SEVEN ENERGIES OF WRITING
How does writing get from one’s head onto the page, and then out into the world? Learn about "the seven energies of writing," each presented with some great strategies and practices that will help you to be more creative and productive, no matter what kind of writing you do.
WHERE: South County Regional Library, 5801 Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
WHEN: Monday, July 15th, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
COST: Free!
TO REGISTER: Registration for this class will open June 15th. Please check back then.
More WordPlay opportunities here.
Judy Goldman’s new book, Together: A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap, was published by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday in February. She’s the
author of a previous memoir, Losing My Sister; two novels, Early Leaving and The Slow Way Back: and two books of poetry, Wanting To Know the End and Holding Back Winter. Losing My Sister was a finalist for both SIBA’s Memoir of the Year and ForeWord Review’s Memoir of the Year. The Slow Way Back was a finalist for SIBA’s Novel of the Year, winner of the Sir Walter Raleigh Fiction Award and the Mary Ruffin Poole Award for
First Fiction. Wanting To Know the End won the Gerald Cable Poetry Prize, as well as the top three prizes awarded to a book of poetry by a North Carolinian. Her work has appeared in The Southern Review, Kenyon Review, Gettysburg Review, Ohio Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Crazyhorse, USA Today, Literary Hub, Washington Post, and Real Simple magazine. She received the Hobson Award for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters, Fortner Writer
and Community Award for “outstanding generosity to other writers and the larger community,” and Beverly D. Clark Author Award from Queens University.
Learn more about Together, A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap here: http://judygoldman.com/
What Judy says about Maureen
My earliest memory of Maureen is when she was taking poetry workshops with me, many years ago, in my dining room! Maureen stood out. Not just because she’s so pretty. But because of her natural talent as a poet. And because of her strong inclination to be generous and open-hearted with everyone else in the workshop. I can still recall lines from her poems—the lush and vivid images, the
specificity in her language. And I can visualize her then, praising her fellow participants, totally engaged in their work, tactfully suggesting revision where revision was needed, always attentive and supportive, that bright smile of hers. And now, years later, Maureen is still a stellar poet, and she’s still encouraging others to tell their stories. Her Word-zine is a perfect example of her big heart and marvelous ideas. She's a true treasure in our writing community. I don’t know anyone who
does NOT love Maureen! I include myself in that!
He says that when the doctor was giving the injection, he felt severe pain. He must have groaned, because the doctor asked him, Are you
okay? He told the doctor, No, I’m not okay. I’m in excruciating pain. The doctor said, We’re almost done. Then he finished the injection.
Maybe it’s not as bad as I’m terrified that it is. Maybe he’s really all right. Maybe I can help him be all right. Maybe what’s been taken away can be brought back. I just have to figure this out. But I need to hurry. Before it –
whatever it is – locks into place.
I loosen the sheet around his feet.
“Can you feel this?” I scratch his bare toes.
“No,” he says. “Not at all.” He sounds as though he’s grown tired somewhere deep in his body
“Can you wiggle your toes?”
“I’m trying. Are they moving?”
They aren’t. I wiggle them myself, to get them started. But then, nothing.
“Can you flex this foot? Or this one?”
“I can’t make either one move.”
“How about your leg?” I tap his knee through the sheet. “Can you lift your leg? Can you lift it just a little? This one? Or this one?”
“I’m trying, I’m trying as hard as I can.”
I stroke the tops of his feet, then the soles, with my fingers. For a second, I think how another time, another place, I might run my hand down his calf to his foot. Maybe in the morning, on my way to the bathroom, rounding the bed, I might reach under the sheet and touch the bottom of his foot. That careless, offhanded thing
married people do.
“What about this?” I ask, massaging his ankles. “Can you feel me doing this?”
“I can’t.”
He feels nothing.
I feel everything.
~ From Together, A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap, available for purchase here and here.
You are invited to celebrate Judy Goldman, 2019 winner of the Irene Blair Honeycutt Lifetime Achievement Award in Literary Arts.
Reception in Tate Lobby (directions here) at 6 followed at 7 by the Award Presentation and a reading by and conversation with Goldman.
Presented in Partnership with Charlotte Center for Literary Arts.
For more information about the event, please visit the Sensoria website here: https://sensoria.cpcc.edu/event/726/
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 "help."
PROMPT: Write about a time you, someone you know, or one of your characters, felt helpless, and then found a way, large or small, to help.
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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