Volume IX, Issue 38
September 16,2020
Word of the Week: neighbor
Dear ,
I'm so happy to share a new writer friend with you today! Her name is Jennifer Grant, and we met at the Writing for Your Life conference that I was a part of this past summer. I attended her presentations "So . . . You Wanna Write a Picture Book" and "I’m Nobody? Who Are You? Battling Impostor Syndrome So You
Can Move Forward and Do Your Good Work" and thoroughly enjoyed them, as well as the conversations afterward. (If you're interested in attending a Writing for Your Life conference, there's another one coming up on November for writers of all genres. There's also a Writing for Your Life Children's Literature Conference NEXT WEEK, at which Jennifer is speaking about unblocking your creativity!
Jennifer's kind, warm, knowledgeable presence, both on recorded video and on Zoom, made me want to learn more about her, and I was delighted to have the chance to do that on a free Zoom interview via Writing for Your Life. (If you're interested in free resources for spiritual writers, including a weekly newsletter that lists events like this one, click here.) It was so much fun to tell Jennifer "in person" how much my grandchildren enjoy her Maybe I Can Love My Neighbor Too, an excerpt of which is today's featured writing.
Can you tell how intently Ellie and Harry are drinking this sweet story in? (They love shouting out the refrain, "Maybe I can love my neighbor too, by the way. And I actually noticed a difference in their kindness toward one another afterward. It truly is a "feel good" book in the best sense of the word.) Here's the back cover, so you can learn a bit about it.
You can learn more about Jennifer, whom you'll meet below, at her author's page on Amazon. And watch my Facebook page for news of the release of Jennifer's new picture book, A Little Blue Bottle, written for children who are grieving.
The release date is scheduled for September 21st, but you can pre-order now. (You've probably noticed that I have a special interest in writing about grief and healing.)
WordPlay
Opportunities
Shaping Our Lives by Shaping Our Words:
Through the Pandemic and Beyond
What benefits can writing provide—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? We know now that the words we use and the stories we tell shape our daily experiences. Learn to shape words that bring out the best in you—and others. In this class incorporating Dr. James Pennebaker’s ground-breaking work, you’ll practice holistic, whole brain writing approaches that broaden your perspectives and deepen your
compassion. And, if you’re interested, you’ll create new poetry, creative nonfiction, and/or fiction.
WHERE: Online via Zoom
WHEN: Coming this fall
COST: TBA
INFORMATION: I loved teaching this class through Chautauqua Institution! And a number of people have emailed to ask if I'd consider offering it again via Zoom in a once-a-week format. It's in the works! If you are interested please email me at info@wordplaynow.com.
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How Do I Say
Goodbye? and Praying You Goodbye
These two books are for anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one—whether the loss is
impending, recent, or in the past.
The contemplative exercises within are a guide through the “many waters” of grief (from Madeleine L'Engle's A Two-Part Invention), including "treasuring" and "keeping" as well as regret and sadness.
What is grief, after all, but a sign of the depth of our love? On the far shore is always gratefulness, for, as the French proverb says, “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” Those who enjoy writing will likely also find poems, essays, and/or stories emerging as they make their way through these
pages.
Both versions offer quotes, reflections, prompts, and space to write about your loved one, as well as beautiful photographs by Wendy H. Gill that enhance each part of the process. Either version makes a thoughtful condolence gift for a friend or family member.
How Do I Say Goodbye? is for those of any faith, with quotes from many different sources to accompany the process. It can be purchased on Amazon here.
Praying You Goodbye is specifically for Christians, with accompanying quotes from Scripture chosen by Reverend Rebecca Taylor. It can be purchased on Amazon here.
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POETRY ROCKS!
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. Learn more here.
WHERE: From the comfort of your own home.
WHEN: Any time you want! And once you receive all 23 tools (delivered 23 weekdays in a row in both written and audio form) they’re yours to keep, to use them for years to come.
COST: $45
TO REGISTER: To pay with a check, email info@wordplaynow.com.
To register online, click here.
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TAG, I'M IT!
Both the year-long TAG, I'M IT! AND three-month TAG, I'M IT! journals offer—in no more than five to fifteen minutes—a simple
way to recap and celebrate the very best of each day of your life.
The practice of writing out your “T’s” (things you’re thankful for),
“A’s” (actions you can acknowledge yourself for), and “G’s” (gifts
you’re grateful for) is a transformative one, especially combined
with the final step, I’M IT!, in which you intentionally choose three
do-able, most-important-to-you actions you’ll take the next day.
Thank you to Maureen Ryan Griffin for creating TAG I’M IT.
TAG, I’M IT is my new best friend. It’s a guided writing journal that
helps me sort through the mental travels of my day. And it helps
me zero in on the special moments by reflecting, acknowledging,
and saying thank you for the invisible gifts collected in my daily
journey. “TAG” gives me joy. And it gives me a sense of peace.
It helps me discover the small and large wonders around me.“
TAG” sits on my nightstand – it’s my last conversation of the day.
And I feel satisfied when I turn off the light. When I write in my
TAG, I’M IT journal, I’m giving myself a gift. What a treasure!
~ T. D. Taegel
More WordPlay opportunities coming soon.
Stay posted!
Featured Writer
Jennifer Grant
Jennifer Grant is the author of five books for adults and three picture books for children (with more to be released in 2021 and following). A lover of reading and of the natural world, she is currently working on a book of meditations on nature for evening called Dimming the Day. She and her husband of 32 years, bicycle-obsessed David, live in the Chicago area
with whichever of their four young adult children have come to roost and their good-hearted, though sometimes irrepressible, rescue dog Scarlett. Find her online at jennifergrant.com and on Twitter @jennifercgrant. She also has a “Faith and Food” page on
Compassionate Christianity And if you're interested, here's a short interview about Maybe I Can Love My Neighbor Too.
. . . A building is going up
across the street.
Week after week,
it grows taller and taller,
climbing up high in the sky.
"Mama, will all the new people
be our neighbors too?"
I ask one day.
"Every single person
is our neighbor," she says,
"whether they live next door,
or across the street,
or far, far away."
If you'd like to learn more about Maybe I Can Love My Neighbor Too
and/or download a bingo board and an activity pack of resources created
by the publisher, Beaming Books, for teachers, parents, and librarians to use
in conjunction with the book, click here. You can order it from Amazon here.
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 “neighbor.”
PROMPT: Write about an encounter in which someone, real or imaginary, is demonstrating love for a neighbor, whether that neighbor lives near or far.
How could I resist a tip of the hat to Fred Rogers when using the word "neighbor"?
This photo from 1969 is, to me, a terrific example of Mr. Rogers "loving his neighbor. Read about it here:
https://www.biography.com/news/mister-rogers-officer-clemmons-pool
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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