Volume VI, Issue 12 March 20, 2017 Word of the Week: verberize Dear ,
Happy first
day of spring! Are you wondering just what verberizing is? (I couldn't resist playing with its affinity to the word fertilizing.) I owe this word to business and life coach Marie Forleo, who coined the term "Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur" to describe herself, and whom another "Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur," none other than Oprah Winfrey, called "a
thought leader for the next generation."
You'll learn about verberizing when you click on the link for today's featured, um, spoken word performance. Marie is zany to the max, and so is her video!
While Marie's video speaks to that to-do list so many of us create (and sometimes avoid), I am a big believer in verbs. Once, at a writers' conference, I heard someone say that all the power in writing comes from the verbs, so they are well worth a spot of Word-zine time. And what better time than spring, which gives us a plenitude of
fabulous verbs?
Speaking of verbs, I heard some great ones when my sister and I, accompanied by our dashing husbands, visited the Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida last week. (Inventors are people of action, after all.) Here are Mary and I, under what was once the largest
banyan tree in the continental U.S.
Our dad, who worked for General Electric, a company formed through the 1892 merger of Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company, was a big fan of Edison. I know he would have chuckled at this photo.
Onward to WordPlay offerings, Marie's verberize lesson,
and more! But first, I must share two free festivals with you:
The first, the Upcountry Literary Festival, is this coming Friday and Saturday in charming, small-town friendly Union, South Carolina. The Upcountry Literary Festival is a celebration of the
literature, music, and culture of the upcountry of South Carolina and surrounding areas held at USC Union, 309 E Academy St, Union, SC 29379. I'm excited to be giving a reading there on Friday afternoon! I'll be keeping company with literary legend Fred Chappell and renowned poet Kelly Cherry.
The second is a whole series of free literary events offered by CPCC's Sensoria!
Celebrate with founder Irene Blair Honeycutt on Monday, April 3, 7 p.m., as she reads from her new poetry book, Beneath the Bamboo Sky.
Hear #1 best-selling author of Lincoln in the Bardo, George Sanders, when he speaks twice Wednesday, April 5.
Check Sensoria's website for a list of all the exciting local and regional authors, CPCC's gift to the community! Spread the Words. . . .
Sensoria - Home (sensoria.cpcc.edu/)
Did you catch those three verbs that start off the three paragraphs above? Spring forth and verberize this week!
Love and light, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
Enjoy WordPlay's National Poetry Month Celebration Offerings, Singly, or in a
Package!
(Details on discounts when you take advantage
of two or three poetry offerings are below.)
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 The Art and Craft of Polishing a Poem 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 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. I'm going to let you learn about Marie from her website, which made Forbes.com's list of "Top 100 Websites for
Entrepreneurs," and experience her energy and love of wordplay straight from her whacky video, which you can view here: https://www.marieforleo.com/2014/02/verberize-get-more-done/
Enjoy!
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 "verberize."
PROMPT: Pick a time and place you'd like to write about, real or imaginary, say, Freedom Park, March 20, 2017. Before you begin to write, create a list of 25 "verbs of motion." (These are any action verbs that have movement in
them, say, bloom, stroll, shout. (Lest you argue with me on that last one, it's pretty hard to shout without moving your mouth.) Now, write a scene, poem, essay, or story set in your chosen time and place, weaving in as many of your "verbs of motion" as you care to, in any order.
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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