Volume VIII, Issue 26
July 8, 2019
Dear ,
Oh, my heavens, what a week I had at Chautauqua Institution, with a Diana Ross concert as the grand finale. I have to pinch myself! Yes, I was there, and here's a link to a video of her singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" made on my own phone to prove
it.
The most touching part of the concert for me was Diana Ross's curtain call performance of "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand." Don't we all want to "Make this world a better place if [we] can"?
As great as the concert was, and as much as I loved seeing the Charlotte Ballet perform and savored every moment of the Chautauqua Symphony's performances (especially the one on the Fourth of July, where all the attendees got to blow up and pop paper bags to portray the canons in the 1812 Overture),
my favorite aspect of Chautauqua remains the emphasis on what we all can, and even are, doing to "make the world a better place."
I heard some fabulous lectures by people who are doing good work in the world, including one by Risa Goluboff, dean of the University of Virginia's Law School on "After Charlottesville" and one by Eric Klineberg, author of Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life on the importance of community spaces.
And I went every morning to listen to the chaplain of the week, Reverend Dr. Zina Jacque, talk with us about what is in our hands, and how we might use it for good.
I was fortunate to have several conversations with Zina during the week. She is even more delightful and lively than she looks!
I thought you might enjoy a taste of this spiritual side of Chautauqua, so this week's featured writing is a newspaper article in The Chautauquan Daily reporting on Reverend
Jacque's Sunday sermon, "What Is in Your Hand?" (If you're interested in hearing her speak, her sermons aren't available on line, at least not yet, but here's a link to her TED talk.)
Zina shared with us that there was a professor at her Divinity School who was famous for walking around his classroom, picking up random objects off students' desks, and asking the students to give a three-minute sermon on that object. While she avoided taking that class, she utilized his strategy at Chautauqua: each morning, she spoke to us about how common objects "in our
hands" can teach us important lessons about faith. These sermons were so memorable that I can list the objects off my head: an iPhone, an eraser, salt, a lamp, and a tea bag. (The "eraser" talk, a perspective on forgiveness, was eye-opening for me.)
You'll have a chance in this week's prompt to think about what you have in your hands. I hope you have a wonderful week! (And if you're interested in listening to lectures, sermons, and/or interfaith programs at Chautauqua, you can click the corresponding links on this web page.
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
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.
Mary Lee Talbot
in
The Chautauquan Daily
“What would you do if God came near and asked, ‘What’s that in your hand?’ That was the predicament of Moses at Mount Horeb,” said the Rev. Zina Jacque at the 10:45 a.m. Service of Worship and Sermon Sunday in the Amphitheater. Her sermon title was “What’s That in Your Hand?” and the Scripture readings were Exodus 4:1-5 and Hebrews 13:20-21.
Moses, Jacque said, was having a banner day. He had encountered God in a burning bush near Mount Horeb and God had an assignment for him. God wanted Moses to go back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. God would meet them at Mount Horeb and “they would have a three-day revival in the desert.”
Even though God predicted a sure and happy end, Moses had questions: “What if they don’t believe me? What if they say I have been out in the sun with the sheep too long?” Jacque said.
~ Mary Lee Talbot
Click here to read the entire article.
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 "hand."
PROMPT: Make a list of what you have held in your hand today (or yesterday, if you're reading this early in a day). If you prefer, do this for one of your characters, rather than for yourself.
Now, pick one of those objects and "break it open" via The Sprint:
• Choose an amount of time you will write (anywhere from three to fifteen minutes).
• Set a timer.
• Begin writing about the object you picked, and keep your hand in motion the entire time. Run with it, or if you like, let it run with you. If necessary, write your word(s) over and over until something comes to you. Do not—I repeat, do not—stop until
you reach your finish line, or hear that timer go off. Often, wonderful words show up in that final stretch when you think you have nothing left to say.
• Finished? Take a few deep breaths, stretch a little, and then read your words out loud. Did you surprise yourself? What did you learn about this object, your (or your character's) relationship to it, its connection to something or someone larger than you?
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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