Volume VI, Issue 11 March 13, 2017 Word of the Week: transform Dear ,
Greetings from (now) rainy Carrabelle, on Florida's "Forgotten Coast." My sweetie and I are on Spring break, visiting our good friend Jen. Here we are at Fathom's, listening to a great live band that we will soon be dancing to. (Richard and I aren't much at dancing, but we love it, so we don't let that
stop us.)
Jen, on the other hand, is
a great dancer. The three of us had a great time boogieing, along with some of Jen's friends, while we waited for Jen's boyfriend, Serge, to arrive. Richard and I were anxious to meet him. Jen had lost the love of her life a few years ago to an ugly, fast-spreading cancer. She'd had a rough go of it for a while, and we were hoping this new guy was good to her and for her.
We were taking a break from the dance floor when Serge arrived, and Jen was out there with friends, so we got to see the smile that she and Serge shared, and the way they wordlessly
transformed, with perfect fluidity, into a graceful couple dancing. Yes, Serge was clearly good for our friend.
These kinds of transformations are poetry in
motion. And nothing captures this kind of moment like poetry. I haven't yet turned this experience into poetry, but when it happened, I thought of a beautiful moment WordPlayer Pam Pellegrino captured in a prize-winning poem.
Scroll on down to enjoy it, and on the way, take note that there are three WordPlay poetry offerings coming up in April, which is National Poetry month. Hope you can join me for at least one of them! (And you'll save dollars if you participate in more than one.)
May your week contain many transformed moments worthy of poetry!
Love and light, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
Enjoy WordPlay's National Poetry Month Celebration
Offerings,
Singly, or in a Package!
FOOLING AROUND
WITH POETRY
(Learning What Makes a Poem a Poem;
Practicing Poem-Making via Playful Prompts)
Ever wished your writing had more finesse? Or wondered what goes into the making of a fine poem? This workshop that celebrates both National Poetry Month and April
Fool’s Day explores “poetic ingredients” in the areas of content, sound, and form that will increase your writing expertise. As we “fool around” with these ingredients through lively discussion and playful prompts, you’ll learn how to identify and use them to strengthen your poetry and/or prose, as well as foolproof ways to ease into the writing process. All levels welcome. WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Saturday, April 1st, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
COST: $38 (Or save money by bundling
multiple “WordPlay National Poetry Month Celebration” Offerings—see below for details.)
THE ART AND CRAFT OF POLISHING A
POEM
(Learning and Practicing Revision Tools and Strategies;
Feedback on at Least One of Your Own Poems)
What is revision, after all, but bringing sparkling fresh vision to a piece of writing and its possibilities?
I once heard gifted poet Linda Pastan, whose work I’ve loved for years, speak at length on revision, which she called “the main act of writing.” She writes her first draft by putting herself in a trance-like state, she said. “And then come 100 revisions. It would be wonderful if there were right and wrong choices.” No one can tell us exactly what to do with our work—writing is an art as well as a craft.
But while there may not be right and wrong choices, it does help to get clear what kinds of options we have and how and why some serve our work better than others. I absolutely love re-visioning and am excited to share my process with you! You’ll get feedback on at least one of your poems, along with tips and strategies to use ongoingly, and a handy reference chart.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Saturday, April 29th, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. COST: $38 (Or save money by bundling multiple “WordPlay National Poetry Month Celebration” Offerings—see below for details.)
TO REGISTER: To register for THIS CLASS ONLY, click this link to
pay through PayPal. For more information, or to pay via check, please email us at info@wordplaynow.com.
POETRY ROCKS! (Learning
the Ins and Outs of Poetry; Strengthening Your Writing Skills; Adding a New Layer of Literary Beauty to Your Life)
Would you like your writing — prose and/or poetry — to be more graceful, powerful, beautiful? Do you sometimes find poetry confusing or intimidating and wish you could “crack the code”? Or do you enjoy writing and reading poems, but want a more thorough understanding
of what makes a poem good? Then this poetry extravaganza is for you.
Expect a good time exploring what makes a poem a poem, gaining the knowledge you need to confidently create and revise poetry, and strengthening your writing skills in all genres.
It would be a joy and an honor to share what rocks
about poetry with you! HERE’S WHAT YOU GET:
- 23 poetry creation tools, delivered one per day (Monday through Friday) to your inbox — in honor of National Poetry month. Use them as you get them, use them when you can, use them over and over to create poems.
Each tool zeroes in on one aspect of poetry and provides an innovative method to approach writing a poem. Many of them are great for creating prose, too. The tools include:
* a purpose, so you’re clear what you will learn
* background information when helpful
* “how-to” directions to create a
poem
* an example that illustrates the poetry tool in action
* a short reflection to solidify the concepts covered
* “Hone Your Craft” suggestions for further exploration
* a short reflection to solidify the concepts covered - A PDF document of each tool that you can print or save on your
computer
- An audio recording of each tool, so you can learn by listening and/or reading
- Instruction on the role of audience, reading like a writer, and the process of revision, including a handy Revision Checkpoint Chart — this information can be applied to
strengthen your prose as well as poetry
- Additional poetry resources
- An e-book that contains the information and resources covered, as well as your 23 poetry creation tools for ongoing use
WHERE: From the comfort of your own home, via the web WHEN: Any time you want! And once you receive all 23 tools, they’re yours to keep, which means that you can keep using them for years to come. COST: $45 (Or save money by
bundling multiple “WordPlay National Poetry Month Celebration” offerings—see below for details.)
Or bundle your favorite “WordPlay National Poetry Month Celebration” offerings for more savings!
To register for Fooling Around with Poetry
AND Poetry Rocks, click here. (Your price will be $72, a savings of 13%!)
To register for Fooling Around with Poetry AND The Art and Craft of Polishing a
Poem, click here. (Your price will be $66, a savings of 13%!)
To register for Fooling Around with Poetry AND The Art and Craft of Polishing a Poem
AND Poetry Rocks, click here. (Your price will be $89, a savings of 26%!)
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WRITE YOURSELF! (FOR TEENS)
WORKSHOP
FREE! Explore how creative writing can enrich your life with writer and teacher Maureen Ryan Griffin. You’ll learn fun, easy tools to help your words
flow. Whatever your interest, you’ll enjoy this informative workshop.
WHERE: South County Regional Library. 5801 Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
WHEN: Saturday, April 1st, from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
COST: Free!
TO REGISTER: To register
online, please visit the South County Regional Library website here.
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WRITING OUR WAY TO
HAPPINESS (Learning New Practices and Strategies for Our Writing and Our Lives; Creating New Writing; Expanding Our Well-being)
Come explore time-tested ways writing can increase your happiness level! This class
will not only teach you how to use writing as a tool to increase your sense of well-being, but also 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.
$630 for one week-long session (lodging and meals are additional – options can
be found on the Folk School website)
WHERE: John Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
WHEN: Sunday, May 28th – Saturday, June 3rd, 2017.
TO REGISTER: Visit the John Campbell Folk School webpage for more information, and to register.
More WordPlay opportunities here. WordPlay Success Story
"In the midst of grief, somehow I found Maureen..."
Meet Pam Pellegrino
Pam is a recent graduate of the two-year Spiritual Direction program at The Haden Institute in Hendersonville, NC. This life-changing experience culminated in a final project entitled “Awakening to the Writer
Inside: An Unexpected Individuation Journey.” In it she explored her love of words since childhood, and included a selection of writings, both poetry and memoir, that illustrated her personal growth in the craft of writing. Pam’s interest in her own Jungian “individuation journey” began several years ago when she signed up for a class in dreamwork, which convinced her that the unconscious was a fascinating way to discover the soul she was born to be. She made the decision to become a
mountain girl, and now lives in the lovely Blue Ridge Mountain town of West Jefferson, NC, where she writes for pleasure, and has found a calling as a spiritual friend. Her friends at Haden nicknamed her “Soul Writer,” and she works to live up to that honor.
What Pam says about WordPlay "When my husband of less than a year
passed away five years ago, I needed to express my grief in a safe place. In the midst of grief, somehow I found Maureen, one of the most nurturing people on the planet. She was able to pull out of me so much more than I thought I could possibly share when I attended one of her joyful seasonal retreats. Her students were compassionate souls as well, and after that retreat I signed up for her memoir classes for two years. They were a complete joy, and now that I’ve moved away from Charlotte, I
think I miss Maureen most of all. My goal this year is to attend all four seasonal retreats and make it to one of her Sunset Beach weekend writing retreats in November.
The poem “Elevator Angel” won first place in the Charlotte Writers’ Club poetry contest a year ago. It combines memoir and poetry, and is a true narrative of a moment in time with my beloved second husband Jimmy, a
charmer and lover of beauty, music, and Italian cuisine.
Maureen, true to her nurturing nature, was present at the meeting when I read my poem aloud. Having her in the room meant the world to me."
She hesitated before stepping into the elevator, but we encouraged her with our smiles and hands. We would make room for one more in our moving box, filled center to sides with lovers, high rollers, Tennessee tourists, and addicts of all
kinds; pushers and pullers of slot machines, drugs, alcohol; sultans of sex and drawers of poker cards and cigarettes.
She glanced at her watch, already late, as she joined our strange company. We held our collective breath to make room, but also we could do nothing else but behold this vision in white, an angel, whose very presence transformed the smell of our common humanity with her perfume, quieted our cheerless chatter with her luminous look, lifted our fear of touching unknown others, as we stood, silently,
gazing not at our shoes or the numbers as we descended fifteen floors, but at the miraculous whiteness of her long blonde hair, flawlessly powdered face, sparkly short sheath, accentuating willowy legs
hosed in shimmer, pearl earrings dangling against her delicate neck, and the satin high heels that matched her all-white being, creating what we believed was a spirit sent by God to take our breath
away.
She bit her lip, then whispered—but all could hear—“G-ddamit!” She’d missed her floor, and would be even later, our angel, this anxious white rabbit, for a very important date, whatever it
was. Clooney’s companion? Magician’s assistant? The main attraction of Cirque de Soleil? Perhaps the good luck charm of the world's wealthiest man, or a bride who changed her mind. Our imaginations took flight, silently, as we went down ten more floors to the lobby.
It was the man beside me, the darling, adorable, dearest man, mine for such a short time, who broke the spell that had held us all, the knight, coming to her rescue, as he had come to mine. “Lucky us,” he said. “We get to look at you longer”—and we all inwardly agreed. The elevator itself seemed to smile as the doors opened and all but she exited. We watched our angel lift her chin with renewed confidence, take a deep uplifting breath, and press the button to her floor.
She glanced at us with gratitude for our appreciation, and with the few remaining seconds, smiled at my charming angel. The doors closed, she ascended. We went our own ways. And all was well. Pam with her angel, taken 7 years ago, 2 months before
they went to Reno to meet Pam's dad. They
were happy. 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 "transform."
PROMPT: Choose a moment from your own life in which you witnessed any kind of transformation, small or large. If the word "poem" makes you nervous (I know this happens to lots of people!), consider what you're doing just a bit
of wordplay: put this experience into words, using the poetic device of lines and stanzas rather than paragraphs. Don't worry about the "right" way to do it, just arrange the words in a way that pleases you. Use words with sounds that appeal to you. Rearrange as you like, paying attention to the rhythms created.
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. 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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