Volume IX, Issue 49
November 25, 2020
Word of the Week: Thanksgiving
Dear ,
May your Thanksgiving be filled with much to be thankful for, no matter where you spend it or whom you're with.
I've been feeling a bit melancholy about Thanksgiving this year, given that this photo represents what comprises a typical Griffin Thanksgiving. (The pseudo hard hats were Harry's idea. (He's second from the left in the turkey shirt.)
Our plans for a scaled-down gathering outside midday, at family tables spread six-feet apart is iffy, given the high chance of rain.
But I cheered up when I remembered that I've been saving the featured writing for this week's zine since last Thanksgiving, when I received an email Chautauqua president Michael E. Hill sent out to everyone on Chautauqua's email list, sharing poet Richard Blanco's poem “América” with words that are even timelier this year. I'd forgotten that, as I heard Blanco read, I'd told myself,
"Remember to share that in this year's Thanksgiving zine!" Hill's words were so much better than what I would have written that I counted it a blessing that I could save them for this year, and create reminders in three different places so I wouldn't forget this time. I so hope the words below feel to you like they do to me--a nourishing feast of hope and inspiration in this weary, worrisome time.
Blessings to you and yours,
Maureen
WordPlay
Opportunities
FREE!
HOW WRITING CAN HELP US COPE, AND EVEN THRIVE -
THROUGH THE PANDMEIC AND BEYOND
Grief, pain, and loss are a part of each of our lives, especially in this time of Covid-19. What healing benefits can writing provide – physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually? Are some writing strategies more helpful than others? In this introduction to Dr. James Pennebaker’s ground-breaking work, you’ll learn three concrete methods of using writing as a transformational tool. And, if
you’re interested, you may find the genesis of new poetry, creative nonfiction, and/or fiction. Warning: Laughter likely. Inspiration guaranteed.
WHERE: Via Zoom, in the comfort of your own space
WHEN: Wednesday, December 2nd, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
COST: Free
TO REGISTER: Register through the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County here.
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING
This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects. You’ll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You’ll also get feedback on your work (any genre) and learn revision tools and methods. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or
further a piece in process, whatever your preferred genre. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process.
WHEN: Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning, or Thursday evening classes, dependent on openings available, starting in January 2021. Specific dates for the 12 sessions to be announced.
WHERE: Via Zoom, unless otherwise noted.
COST: $435 for 12 classes.
TO REGISTER: Please email here to start the registration process by filling out a short “Clarity Tool” to share your writing goals and where you are in the process. (Anywhere you are is a perfect place to begin.) Then we'll have a conversation to answer any questions and to ensure that this class is a great fit for you.
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How Do I Say
Goodbye? and Praying You Goodbye
I created the process shared in these two books in June of 2002, shortly after my mother died, as a way to mindfully mourn this loss—and celebrate her life. I shared it with a beloved friend, the Reverend Rebecca Taylor, when she lost her father, and she encouraged me to make it available to others. Here it is, in two versions, both of which 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.
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
TO REGISTER: To pay with a check via mail, email here for instructions. To register for Poetry Rocks! 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.
The TAG, I'M IT! journal grounds you in two important habits: keeping your focus on appreciating and celebrating the good in your life and intentionally accomplishing what matters most to you. You’ll
also create a record of your most meaningful, happiest events and experiences.
Start your journal—or restart, if needed—whenever you like. (Though a new year is a perfect time!)
An introduction with tips and ideas will help you make this practice your own. Soon, you’ll notice that you’re living your days with more joy, presence, purpose, and intention.
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 Writing
A Letter from
Chautauqua President Michael E. Hill
Richard Blanco and Krista Tippett at Chautauqua Institution, August 7, 2019
November 27, 2019
Dear Chautauquans:
During his poignant and often humorous conversation with Krista
Tippett on our Amphitheater stage in August, the celebrated poet Richard Blanco, the son of exiles from Castro’s Cuba, recited a few stanzas of “América,” a selection from his 1998 collection City of a Hundred Fires. “Thanksgiving, for almost any immigrant group,” Blanco explained to the Chautauqua audience, providing the context for the poem, “is one of those things we don’t get, and we try really hard.”
In “América,” a 7-year-old Richard enumerates to his elders the romantic history of their new home that he’s learned in school — “the Indians and the Mayflower,/ how Lincoln set the slaves free,/ … the purple mountain’s majesty,/ ‘one if by land, two if by sea,’/ the cherry tree, the tea party,/ the amber waves of grain,” etc. — as he builds a case for why his family should celebrate Thanksgiving
as many of his classmates do. They relent: “This Thanksgiving we would have turkey,/ as well as pork.”
What follows is a madcap scene of an immigrant family’s attempt to make a traditional American Thanksgiving, complete with all the unfamiliar trimmings. In the end, the family, effortlessly, reverts to their own heritage and traditions, with three rounds of Cuban coffee, and the living room cleared for a spirited
merengue session …
… until they remembered—
it was 1970 and 46 degrees—
in América.
After repositioning the furniture,
an appropriate darkness filled the room.
Tío Berto was the last to leave.
The gathering disbands solemnly, with the collective recognition that they are not yet home in this still-new place.
I encourage you to read the full text of “América”
here — it’s a funny and deeply affecting work. The motif that Richard paints — of a boy and a family still forming an identity in an unfamiliar home — is a story of one of our most basic human desires: to belong to something bigger than ourselves. In its worst manifestations, this yearning can lead to
tribalism, exclusion and hate, but in its best, it fosters an atmosphere of welcoming, inclusion and love. I think that ambiance is what resonates with many of us so profoundly about our Thanksgiving traditions, the warmth of gathering and breaking bread with family and friends old and new. It is in these moments we are most at home, where we feel we most belong.
As we commence this year’s celebration of thanks, please know how grateful I am to you, my Chautauqua family, for all that you contribute to what makes this place, this movement, one in which we all belong.
I’m thankful also that we welcomed people like Richard Blanco into our family this year. Richard, as many of you already know, despite that weighty final scene of “América,” certainly did find his place in his new home, evidenced by his appointment as the fifth-ever presidential inaugural poet. And on that clear, cold January day, he recited a work called “One Today,” once again surfacing the themes of home and belonging. But hear the contrast with the conclusion of “América” in the last stanza of “One
Today”:
We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home,
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop
and every window, of one country—all of us—
facing the stars
hope—a new constellation
waiting for us to map it,
waiting for us to name it—together
I hope your coming days are teeming with feelings of togetherness, belonging and home. For those who find themselves outside of a warm circle this Thanksgiving, know you are in the thoughts and prayers of your Chautauqua family. May your Thanksgiving be alive with gratitude, and this new holiday season filled with reminders of the blessings in your life.
With warm regards,
Michael E. Hill
President
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 “thanksgiving.”
PROMPT:
Write about thanksgiving, using the holiday or the act of giving thanks, in any genre. You may want to try a poem, like Richard Blanco did, or a memory or scene in prose. Or maybe you'd like to write a letter of thanks to a particular someone in your life. Bonus points if a letter of thanks from you would be a surprise likely to bring tears to someone's eyes.
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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