Volume IX, Issue 49
December 2, 2020
Word of the Week: smitten
Dear ,
Woohoo! It is a first for me as a teacher to have two students in the same class publish a book in the same month! We are really celebrating in our Wednesday morning Under Construction group!
This week, I'm excited to announce Jon Heaslet's endearing testament to small town life, Hawks Nest Chronicles: Good News from Osceola, Iowa:
Come on in to the Hawks Nest Diner “on the Square.” Let Martha Zimmerman serve you some coffee and homemade pie. Join in the lively conversation with Pastor Bob, Herb and his wife Emma, and other good-hearted people who call this small Midwestern town home. You’ll shake your head. You’ll laugh. And, once you get to know them, they’re bound to become
your friends. Described by one reader as chocolates on a bedtime pillow, these short stories with good news at the center are a perfect way to end the day—or to savor with a muffin on a quiet afternoon. Unwrap each one to find a scripture lesson, a life lesson, or maybe an episode of the ridiculous. They’ll make you smile, lead you to reflect, and maybe cause a tear or two.
Having experienced this book come into being one chapter at a time, I can testify that I am "smitten" with the inhabitants of Osceola. (Jon's narrator is even kind enough to tell us that "It’s named, for reasons unknown, after a Seminole Indian from Florida. To residents, it’s Oh see OH la. If you visit, I don’t want you to be pegged as an
out-of-towner by calling it OS see oh la.")
These stories will make you smile, and even laugh out loud at points. And there are some very touching moments in Hawks Nest Chronicles as well. They give me that same heartwarming feeling I got reading Jan Karon's "Mitford" books, if you remember those. Good people doing their best to live good lives, with love and laughter
interwoven with oh-so-delightfully human foibles and failures. Scroll on down to meet Jon—and a few of the good folks from Osceola. You just may be smitten, too.
Love and light,
Maureen
WordPlay
Opportunities
UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing 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 Writer
Meet Jon Heaslet
Jonathan (Jon) Heaslet's vocation as an author is his third. His first, following a B.A. from the University of Iowa and an M.A. from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, was as a health economist working with large hospital corporations in the Southeast United States. After twenty years of travel and spreadsheets, he attended Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis where he obtained an MDiv and
became an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. He served for another twenty years as Pastor of three congregations.
After retirement, Jon returned to Charlotte where he found a teacher and mentor in Maureen Ryan Griffin and her UNDER CONSTRUCTION class. His first book Hawks Nest Chronicles: Good News from Osceola, Iowa is an amalgam of characters from his years of pastoral ministry — names changed to protect the guilty! — who gather at Martha Zimmerman’s Hawks Nest Diner “on the Square” to solve the world’s
problems over coffee and pie. His book, in softcover or Kindle edition, is available on Amazon.com. Follow Jon on Facebook, Hawks Nest Chronicles, or his website: www.faithfullpress.com.
He and his wife Linda (a Hawkeye by birth) and Standard Poodle Lord Chancellor Chesterfield (Chester) live in Charlotte where he is working on a second book, East of Apple Glen. Jon and Linda are the proud parents of five children, eleven grandchildren, and one great grandchild. In 2019 Jon achieved the goal of visiting all 50 states in the United States (Alaska).
What Jon Says about WordPlay
I arrived in Maureen’s UNDER CONSTRUCTION class about four years ago. After 20-years in corporate life — I knew how to write memos, reports, and proposals — and another 20-years in parish ministry — I knew how to write sermons, devotionals, and newsletters — I wondered whether Maureen could help me become a writer.
A writer doesn’t just recite, re-tell, or recount. A writer transports her or his readers to another time and place, situates the reader in the midst of this new dimension, and then allows — No, forces — the reader to struggle in the messiness of the lives of the characters.
From the early lumps of writing I shared with the class, Maureen and the other members of these classes were able to gently extrude my submissions into shapes that resembled writing. Spinning words into gold? Well, not yet, but spinning them into three dimensional constructs… hence, under construction.
I have been particularly appreciative of Maureen’s micro and macro qualities as a teacher of writing. She is able to locate missing Oxford comma and to undangle participles, while at the same time comprehend the larger structure of a piece as she guides its order and the ebb and flow of action into a stronger composition.
CHAPTER 3
GOD’S HANDMAID
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. Luke 1:38 KJV
To look at Emma Weiss today, with her hair done up braided in a neat German bun, her practical denim jumper and white apron, it can be hard to see past that orderly exterior to the passion within or the ardor of her youth. To be perfectly honest, when Emma was a teenager, she was what folks used to call a hellion.
Emma Schmidt grew up in Indianola, about forty miles north of Osceola. Ma and Pa Schmidt produced a brood of five boys and Emma in two-one-three gender order. Now one would think being the only girl, she would be consigned to helping her mother with the housework — things like feeding, cleaning up after, and generally seeing to the needs of her father and brothers so they could do the farm work. Wrong! Emma was
the first child up, pulling on bibs and boots, following her Pa out to the barn in the wee hours to help with chores.
The Schmidts had a basketball hoop nailed to the barn, and with six children, it was natural to play three-on-three until Pa broke up the game and told them to get back to work. By the time Emma was in high school, she was six feet tall and could drive to the basket around or through any defense her brothers could devise.
Emma was an offensive starter for the Indianola Impalas. Fred Zuercher owned the local Chevrolet dealership and paid to have the gym renovated, scoreboard replaced, and, “Oh by the way, can we rename the school’s mascot The Impalas?” Back then, girls basketball was played three-on-three on each half of the court. Girls playing defense couldn’t cross the mid-court line, and likewise girls on offense couldn’t
cross over to play defense. School officials felt that playing full-court would be too hard on the delicate bodies of its fair young ladies.
Once teammates got the ball got to Emma, or Smitty as she was known, she could drive past any defense, scoring almost at will. It was not unusual for her to score fifty points in a game. Herb saw Emma play for the first time when he was a senior at Osceola High. Emma was a junior. Indianola traveled down to Osceola to play the Otters. Herb was at the game to cheer on his girlfriend Wanda, but one look at the
tall, lithe Smitty and Herb was, well, smitten. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
When the Impalas returned the favor of hosting a second conference game, Herb made the trek up to Indianola. Wanda thought it was nice of Herb to go to an away game during such bad winter weather, but truth be told, Herb went to see Smitty. . . .
~ Jon Heaslet
from Hawks Nest Chronicles: Good News from Osceola, Iowa,
which you can order here as a paperback or e-book.
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 “smitten.”
PROMPT:
Speaking of "smitten," here's a photo of me and my husband of 36 years. I was not immediately smitten, so, no, he didn't "have me at hello." But when he showed up on my birthday for our date to go hiking at Stone Mountain, a homemade-by-him cake in one hand and a dozen roses in the other, dressed in a suit and tie ("Don't worry," he said, "I have clothes in the car to change into. But in my family, we
dress up for special occasions")—well, smitten fits.
Write about a time when you, or someone you know, or one of your characters was smitten.
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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