Dear ,
On this, the last day before National Poetry Month, I found it surprisingly easy to
pick the last of my "favorite" poems to share with you.
As I told you Sunday, I started this small series of emails because of Vivé Griffith's question to her Facebook friends: "If you were going to offer a group of college freshmen a packet of poems that speak to how to build a meaningful life, what would you
absolutely without-question include?"
Yesterday, Vivé sent me her top twenty, under the title, "A Crowd-Sourced Mixed Tape of Poems Guaranteed to Improve Your Life." Each moved me, and most I knew, including Naomi Shihab Nye's "Kindness." If you've ever read Spinning Words into Gold, you've found Naomi (I think of her by first name, and I have met her, as well as written
her, and I am lucky to have a letter and a sticky note from her, after all) on nine different pages. Naomi's generosity of spirit, kindness, and optimism have uplifted me many times. You can read and/or listen to her recite "Kindness" here: www.brainpickings.org/2016/11/10/naomi-shihab-nye-kindness/.
The older I get, the more I appreciate kindness, which is just as
important to extend to ourselves as to others. (That reminds me of another writer I mention in Spinning Words into Gold, Jack Kerouac,
because how could I not share this advice with aspiring and practicing writers: "Rest and be kind, you don't have to prove anything"?
And while we're talking about kindness...
If you live in the Charlotte area, you can hear George Saunders (of whom, when he was chosen for Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013, was said that he "has been the best short-story writer in English — not “one of,” not
“arguably,” but the Best") speak about kindness this coming Wednesday, April 5th at 10:30 a.m. at CPCC. Details here: sensoria.cpcc.edu/event/593/. Email me if you want to sit in a reserved WordPlay seat! We have a few empty chairs....
And while it's not your LAST CHANCE to take advantage of the snazzy,
22-day, self-paced online poetry course I lovingly and painstakingly put together over a period of years, complete with audios and so much more, wouldn't it be fun to start on the first day of National Poetry Month? Details and registration here: www.wordplaynow.com/poetry-rocks-poetry-tools/. It's only $7 more than Fooling Around with Poetry. (There are still open spots, by the way. And you do save money if you take both.)
"Rest and be kind, you don't have to prove anything." And Happy, Happy National Poetry
Month!
Love and light,
Maureen
FOOLING AROUND WITH POETRY
TOMORROW, 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 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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