Volume X, Issue 14
April 7, 2021
Dear ,
I am thinking about "for better or for worse" today, and also giving a shout-out of gratitude to my sweet husband, Richard, on our 37th anniversary. We have seen plenty of better and worse together over the years, and plenty of in between's.
And I'm thinking of all we've shared, thanks to today's featured writing, a poem inspired by Monet's 1859 painting "Still Life with Bottles" that poet extraordinaire Gail Peck dedicates to her husband, Jimmy. It's a beautiful poem about the depth of sharing that's possible in a relationship
that has endured for decades.
I had planned to feature Gail Peck this week, because she's receiving THE IRENE BLAIR HONEYCUTT LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD THIS MONDAY, APRIL
12th AT 6 P.M. Actually, Gail was supposed to receive this award last April, but . . . you know what happened. Finally, a year later, Gail will be honored at a virtual event. This award is named for, of course, Irene Blair Honeycutt, whose long career at CPCC involved much service to the Charlotte literary community, through both her inspiring teaching and her sharing so
many renowned and gifted writers with us.
I'm so excited, not just to see Gail receive such a well-deserved honor, but also because the evening will feature an interview of Gail by poet Diana Pinckney, herself a recipient of the Irene Blair Honeycutt Lifetime Achievement Award some years back. It will be a rich event, with a
wonderful discussion about the art and craft of writing poetry, as well as an opportunity to hear Gail read her own work. I so hope you're free to attend this virtual event this coming Monday, April 12th at 6 P.M. (Click the link for the details.) I count myself lucky to have known both Diana and Gail for almost as long as I've been married to
Richard!
Now, back to the featured writing of the week, which involves the lovely timing of being a love poem based on a Monet painting, right in sync with the day of our anniversary. Richard and I are both fans of Monet, and one of our better times was the celebration of our 25th wedding
anniversary by visiting, among other places, Monet's garden at Giverny.
I love honoring Gail and Jimmy's long marriage as I honor ours! They are one of those couples whose
presence always makes me smile.
As always, scroll on down to learn more about our featured writer, read her work, and take advantage of this week's prompt about the sharing of one's bests and/or worsts with another. I've
written about longtime marriages, but friendships can hold deep intimacy as well, as can any number of other relationships.
Love and light,
Maureen
Some Noteworthy Sensoria
Events
Sensoria, CPCC's gem of an arts festival, is back this spring, after being cancelled last year due to the you-know-what. All the 2021 events will be virtual, so you can attend in your pajamas if you like! I've included some of the events I'm most excited about below. Here's a link to all the offerings: www.cpcc.edu/community-and-arts/sensoria.
"SENSE AND SENSIBILITY" THEATRE PRODUCTION
7:30 P.M., FRIDAYS, APRIL 9 AND 16;
SATURDAYS, APRIL 10 AND 17; THURSDAY APRIL 15 - 2:30 P.M. SUNDAYS, APRIL 11 AND 18, 2021
IRENE BLAIR HONEYCUTT
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT:
GAIL PECK
MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 - 6 P.M.
IRENE BLAIR HONEYCUTT DISTINGUISHED LECTURER EUGENE SCOTT
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 - 11 A.M.
SLAM WITH STUDENT WRITERS ASSEMBLED GUILD (SWAG) CREATIVE WRITING STUDENTS: A POETRY READ
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 - 3 P.M.
BEATLES CHARLOTTE FABFEST SNEAK PEEK
AND TOSCO MUSIC
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 - 12:30 P.M.
COMMUNITY READ DISCUSSION: "JUST MERCY"
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021 - 12:30 P.M.
April is National Poetry Month!
Celebrate with
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. 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
- 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.
More WordPlay opportunities coming soon.
Stay posted!
Featured Writer
Gail Peck
Gail Peck is an award-winning author who's published nine books of poetry: An Instant Out of Time, The Braided Light, Within Two Rooms, Counting the Lost, From Terezin, Thirst, Foreshadow, Drop Zone, and New River. She has published numerous poems in various journals. Her poems and essays have appeared in The
Southern Review, The Greensboro Review, The Louisville Review, Cimarron Review, Comstock Review, Brevity, Connotation Press: An Online Artifact, Nimrod, and numerous other journals. Poems have also appeared in the anthologies The Southern Poetry Review Anthology, Word and Witness: 100 Years of Poetry in North Carolina (Carolina Academic Press); Uncommon Place: An Anthology of Louisiana Poets (LSU Press); After Shocks:
The Poetry of Recovery for Life-Shattering Events (Sante Lucia Books).
Learn more about Gail here: https://www.gailpeck.org/
Experience Gail and her poetry virtually this coming Monday, April 12th at 6 P.M.
for my husband
after Monet, 1859
Come sit, share the bread with me, spread it with butter, there on the pewter dish. Pour the wine—we won’t need the carafe of water, but maybe later the apricot brandy the sun is hitting now, spreading its shadow across the table. Bring cheese, and there are apples in the kitchen in a basket. Red wine is your favorite, earthy tannins that preserve. I want to tell you of the new sadness, how the heart can fold like
a flower at sunset. You, who’ve lived with me so long, having studied my face, desired good things for me—lift the bottle and pour, then my lips will taste like yours. Don’t worry about the white cloth if anything spills, it will wash. This knife isn’t sharp, just tear the baguette—bread made to last only a day. Now I can tell you, while all is quiet, the walls surrounding us, making us close in this small space.
Purchase/learn more about The Braided Light 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 “share.”
Write a poem, scene, story, or essay in which any two people, real or fictional, share a best or worst time (or any place in between) with each other.
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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