Volume VIII, Issue 23
June 17, 2019
Dear ,
I'm delighted to share the work of three of my dear friends with you this week via their blog, ourblueboat.org. In case you're wondering, this name was inspired by lyrics in a song by Peter Mayer called "Blue Boat Home." [You may recognize its beloved tune, HYFRYDOL (Welsh for
“tuneful” or “pleasant”), composed in 1830 by Welsh composer Roland H. Pritchard, who was only 19 at the time. Its first publication was in a collection for children, Cyfaill y Cantorion (“The Singers’ Friend”), fourteen years later.]
I can't help but think that Pritchard would love both Mayer's lyrics and Dede, Kathy, and Wendy's blog, which celebrates the home we all share, our beautiful blue (and green) earth.
Our Blue Boat had its genesis in the book club Wendy started some years ago, which the six of us members have dubbed the Soul Sisters. One month, Wendy, Kathy, Dede, and I, along with our friends Elizabeth and Karen, were all moved by a book we read that encouraged a deep relationship with the
earth: Earth Calling: A Climate Change Handbook for the 21st Century by Ellen Gunter and Ted Carter. While Kathy, Dede, and Wendy are the ones who decided to collaborate by starting a blog, we've all been more aware of our attitudes and actions and their impact on the earth.
Last week, I sat for luxuriously long stretches of time at the campsite where Richard and I stayed in Swannanoa, North Carolina, and savored the music of a rushing stream and the sight of rhododendron in bloom. I couldn't help but think of a quote by William Irvin Thompson that I
discovered on the Earth Calling website: "Modern man knows how to talk back to nature, but he doesn't know how to listen."
I was definitely listening more than speaking. I think you, , know how to listen, too, and will enjoy the writings by Kathy, Wendy, and Dede about "our beautiful blue boat home." I hope they'll inspire you to do some writing of your own, and give you an even deeper appreciation of our shared earth.
Love and light,
Maureen
Upcoming WordPlay
POETRY ROCKS!
(Learning the Ins and Outs of Poetry; Strengthening Your Writing Skills; Adding a New Layer of Literacy Beauty to Your Life)
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!
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 info@wordplaynow.com for instructions. To register for Poetry Rocks online, click here.
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CLASSES AT CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION
WRITING OUR WAY TO HAPPINESS
(Week 2)
Come explore research-tested ways writing can increase your happiness level. You’ll learn how to use writing as a tool to increase your sense of well-being, as well as jumpstart your pen and provide inspiration and knowledge about the process of creative writing, whether you want to write memoir, fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. For writers of all levels, including beginners, who are interested in expanding their
writing practice—for personal fulfillment or for publication.
WHERE: Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722. Alumni Hall Poetry Room
WHEN: Monday, July 1st – Friday, July 5th, 2019. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
COST: TBA
TO REGISTER: Register directly through the Chautauqua Institution website
here
TELLING YOUR LIFE STORIES WITH GRACE
(Week 7)
Our life stories are a precious legacy, imbued with grace we can often see only in hindsight. Capturing these stories “gracefully” in words is a gift, not only to ourselves, but to those who love us – they’ll be treasured for generations to come. Come learn engaging tools and techniques to retrieve and record your adventures, loves, losses, successes, mistakes, and more with ease and, yes, grace, no matter where you
are in the process.
WHERE: Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722. Hultquist 201B
WHEN: Monday, August 5th – Thursday, August 8th, 2019. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
COST: TBA
TO REGISTER: Register directly through the Chautauqua Institution website
here
DELICIOUS MEMORIES
(Week 9)
Food not only nurtures and sustains us, it’s also a rich source for writing. We’ll explore our culinary connections as we write of when, where, what, with whom, how — and even why — we ate. We’ll also learn from the work of accomplished writers. You can use the tools you’ll learn to create a family cookbook, individual essays, stories, or poems, scenes in fiction or memoir, a food blog—or just for your own
pleasure.
WHERE: Chautauqua Institution. 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722. Hultquist 201A
WHEN: Monday, August 19th – Thursday, August 22nd, 2019. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
COST: TBA
TO REGISTER: Register directly through the Chautauqua Institution website here
More WordPlay opportunities here.
OUR BLUE BOAT is the story of our journey to serve Mother Earth. The name was inspired by the lovely lyrics of singer/songwriter Peter Mayer, who calls the earth “our beautiful blue boat home.”
This blog marks our deliberate return to nature to rekindle our relationships through creative action in the form of intention, ceremony, language, and photography. As citizens of the Universe, we hope to inspire deep listening and re-remembering of the oneness in our collective lives. We invite
you to join us. We’d love to hear from you! Please subscribe to our blog via email, and share your thoughts with us in the comments section! (Just go to the bottom right corner of OurBlueBoat.org. Under CONNECT WITH US VIA EMAIL, click the link that says "Subscribe to Our Blue Boat by Email.")
Kathy is a Canine Rehab Practitioner for an integrated veterinary practice. She has studied with the Four Winds Society and is currently studying Clinical Aromatherapy. Working with animals, creating ceremony in everyday life, and
studying plants as a healing tool help her to stay grounded in nature and in gratitude.
Dede’s “work is loving the world,” to borrow a line from one of her favorite poems. Before retiring, she managed projects in energy efficiency and renewable energy. She writes, hikes, boats, takes photos, and is learning to listen better
to plants, animals, stones and rivers. Her writing has appeared in a variety of print and online journals.
Wendy is a writer, photographer, and the owner of Professional Communications, a creative video production agency. Her poems and essays have appeared in a variety of regional and national publications and she has produced a number of
award-winning documentaries. Photography brings her closer to nature and helps her practice the art of seeing.
The wind is us, it gathers and remembers all our voices, then sends them talking and telling through the leaves and the
fields.
~ Truman Capote
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the wind. From blossom floating breezes to flag snapping westerlies, it carries a sense of magic. After all, Mary Poppins blew in on the wind and Dorothy and Toto were no longer in Kansas thanks to a mighty windstorm.
Northern California, where I grew up, provided the perfect geography to ensure a constant current of air from the Pacific coast to the San Francisco Bay. Depending on the direction from which it blew, the air was tinged with the smell of salty, slimy kelp or fishing boats with their catch of the day warming in the sun.
Each summer morning, I would wake up and immediately go outside. Poking my freshly licked index finger skyward , I would slowly turn in a circle. I was waiting for the cool, drying sensation on my fingertip, alerting me which cardinal wind was here to play. My dash back into the kitchen to don shoes and grab a snack signaled to my Mother that I was off on an
adventure.
Sometimes the breezes were gentle, inviting me to feel the warm Summer day with the scents of eucalyptus and lantana. On other days, the gusts were stronger. My head bent down, shoulders hunched up to meet both ears, body tilted forward against the gale force, I would embrace the challenge. This wind walking was exhilarating! The wind and I were one … our pulses
pounded with possibilities ahead.
Through the years, the same feelings of exhilaration and magic arrive on the wind. Yet now, the wind brings a shift to the here and now – an invitation to go on a sacred, contemplative journey towards my true North, South, East or West. It is, at once, stabilizing and toppling, grounding and lifting. Centering.
Walking with the wind is a moving meditation, allowing my mind to wander and wonder as muscles and joints rhythmically power forward. My breath becomes the internal wind.
“Wind is the invisible force of nature whose thumbprint leaves an indelible mark on time and space.”
~ Renee Baribeau, The Practical
Shaman
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To be interested in food but not in food production is clearly absurd.
~ Wendell Berry
Speckled brown, rosy taupe, pale green. These beauties are almost too pretty to crack open. Almost.
Bobbing in the bowl, their yolks are as orange and round as ripe apricots. They are tenacious, requiring assertive action with a wooden-handled whisk. And a splash of water.
The mixture, poured onto the heat of an iron skillet, scrambles and cooks into a glossy, golden mound.
Yesterday, I watched the hens that produced these eggs scratch in the dirt for bugs, peck at scraps of cantaloupe and spinach, and perch on low-hanging branches outside their backyard coop.
I grab a plate. Sea salt. A generous grind of black pepper.
Thank you, my fine-feathered friends, for a taste of gratitude this morning.
This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb, has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint. It leaves a
legacy.
~ Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain’t
Normal; You Can Farm
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When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light.
~ Tecumseh
We are of earth and sky, formed from clay according to many religions, and made of stardust the scientists say. And yet so often we go about our days forgetful of this most basic fact. Out of necessity and habit, we live mostly within the ephemera of our
thoughts, from contemplating our to-do list to imagining a friend is angry because she hasn’t responded to a text. We may even go through our days with a vague homeless feeling, a sense of unease, unaware that we have abandoned our bodies and the place they inhabit.
A simple way I’ve found to help bring me home again is to greet the day soon after I rise and to say goodnight just before I retire. It takes as long as I want, from mere seconds up to fifteen minutes, depending on my needs and the events of the
day.
After I wake in the morning, I make tea. Then I carry the cup of hot tea to the front or back door. If the weather is unaccommodating or time is tight, I merely open the door, breathe in the new day, and take in all the early morning smells – dewy grass, the scent of an
upcoming or recently visited rain-shower, crisp fallen leaves, wood smoke, the sharp scent of frost. Whatever it is, I take it in and give thanks for the day. If there’s time and I’m so inclined, I may sit a while on the front or back porch and watch the early light gather.
At night before bed, the practice is similar. I open the door to the outside world, making sure the porch light is off, and, as a poet friend once put it, “breathe in the stars.” The smells differ in the evening and can offer clues to the day’s activities –
the lingering scent of grilled hamburger, cut grass, burned leaves, engine oil. Once again, I give thanks, this time for the day at its end and all the encounters offered, even those I may have experienced as annoyances or irritations. I give thanks and let go. In the darkness, too, I take a moment to sense the living things around me – trees, plants, the spider in her web under the porch railing, the nightingale sending up a few final
notes.
When I’m consistent with these morning and evening acts, I’m reminded at least twice a day that I belong to this good earth and am a sibling to all its inhabitants.
If you'd like to subscribe to the Our Blue Boat blog via email, and share your thoughts about "our beautiful blue boat home" with Dede, Kathy, and Wendy, just go to the bottom right corner of OurBlueBoat.org. Under CONNECT WITH US VIA EMAIL, click the link that says "Subscribe to Our Blue Boat by Email.")
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 "home."
PROMPT: Write about one of your (or one of your character's) encounters with your "blue boat home" in any way that you like. In other words, when and where have you felt a connection with the earth? Describe the experience.
It's fun to play with prompts in community with fellow writers, and to be able to share the results when you're done. You can find out about WordPlay classes, workshops, and retreats 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.
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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