Dear ,
Today's "favorite poem" is... Drum roll, please! (In case you missed my announcement
on Sunday, I'm sharing a few of my all-time favorite poems with you this week, one day at a time, in honor of the upcoming National Poetry Month.) ... End of drum roll: Marie Howe's "What the Living Do."
I cannot even tell you how much I love this poem, and what a comfort it is to me on days that everything goes wrong. "What the Living Do," an eloquent love poem to a beloved brother who has passed away, begins with a clogged kitchen sink, a grocery bag that breaks in the street, and spilled coffee; is suffused with yearning; and ends with "a cherishing so deep
/ for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat that I’m speechless: // I am living. I remember you." You can read it here: www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/what-living-do.
Poetry, I believe, is one of the things that helps us see that even the most ordinary time is extraordinary.
If you live in the Charlotte area, I'd love to have you join me in Dilworth this Saturday at 10 a.m. for a hands-on, fun-filled, knowledge-rich workshop called Fooling Around with Poetry. More info
below.)
And please feel free to email me YOUR short list of favorite poems.
Wishing you beautiful "ordinary time" filled with
cherishing yourself just as you are,
Maureen
FOOLING AROUND WITH POETRY
THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 1st!
(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.)
* Or, you can save money by also taking advantage of one or both of the other "National Poetry Month" Offerings:
Bundle “WordPlay National Poetry Month Celebration” offerings and save.
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%.)
More WordPlay opportunities 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. 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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