Volume IV, Issue 01
January 1, 2020
Dear ,
I wish you the happiest of new years! And new decades! Hope that your holidays were lovely, and love-filled.
Whew, what an end to a decade we had—with the wedding of our youngest, Dan, to his sweetheart, Allison, by our daughter Amanda in Sunny Isles, Miami, after a rain- and rainbow-filled rehearsal!
I thought of one of my favorite poems in the midst of it all: Stephen Dunn's "Loves," which begins with the words "I love the past, which doesn't exist / until I summon it, or make it up" and ends with the words "I love how we go on."
Indeed.
Allison and Dan wrote their own vows, with Amanda's support and encouragement, and their words about imagining themselves on their 25th wedding anniversary brought tears to my eyes.
They already know that they will annoy one another, and that forgiveness will be needed along the way.
Allison and Dan wrote their own vows, with Amanda's support and encouragement, and their words about imagining themselves on their 25th wedding anniversary brought tears to my eyes.
Weddings are a time of looking both back, and forward, and I felt lucky indeed to come upon an essay by Rebecca McClanahan, whose work I have long admired, called "Let It Go. Then Go On." in which she speaks of Janus's two faces—one
looking forward, the other back—and also of her mother, who "has always been not only the kindest and most forgiving person I’ve ever known but also the most forward-facing one."
The essay is absolutely perfect for my son and new daughter-in-law as they begin their life together, and for today's featured writing. I hope you enjoy it!
Here's one of my most treasured moments of looking forward and back, the mother and son dance, for which Dan chose "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You." I love the way Allison is smiling from the "Mr. & Mrs." table.
Alright, now it's your turn to look back, and then look forward, as this new year begins, however perfectly or imperfectly. So scroll on down to check out the WordPlay offerings, read Rebecca McClanahan's gorgeous
essay, and engage with this week's prompt.
Isn't it lovely, how we go on?
Love and light,
Maureen
WordPlay Offerings
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.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: W12 Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. – noon, starting in September, 2019.
COST: $435
TO REGISTER: Please email me at info@wordplaynow.com to start the registration process by filling out a short “Clarity Tool” to share your writing dreams and 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
These two books are for anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one—whether the loss is impending, recent, or in
the past. (The holiday season, for all its overt merriment, is often a time we struggle the most with grief.)
The contemplative exercises within are a guide through the “many waters” of grief (from Madeleine L'Engle's A Two-Part Invention), including "treasuring" and "keeping" as well as regret and sadness.
What is grief, after all, but a sign of the depth of our love? On the far shore is always gratefulness, for, as the French proverb says, “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” Those who enjoy writing will likely also find poems, essays, and/or stories emerging as they make their way through these pages.
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? contains quotes from a wide variety of 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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TAG, I'M IT!
"TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS" SALE!
If you're looking for a way to "go on" with more gratitude and mindfulness, I have a deal for you from now until Epiphany (December 6th)! My year-length TAG, I'M IT!, which sells for $17, is on sale for $15.30, and my three-month TAG, I'M IT!, which sells for $9.99, is on sale for $7.99.
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.
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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!
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.
More WordPlay opportunities coming soon. Stay posted!
Ah, January. Here it comes again. Soon it will be time to secure a fresh calendar to the fridge, make resolutions I will break before the week is over, and toss holiday cards and invitations into the recycling bin.
Time to remember where the month got its name—from Janus, the Roman god of endings and beginnings. Like doorways and gateways (which he also presides over) Janus is literally two-faced, able to look backward and forward at the same time. No easy task for us humans, at least not for me. I tend to look backward far too often, so absorbed in the dark forests of the past that I fail to look to the future, even when the path ahead is lit with possibility.
So each December, in an attempt to turn my face forward to the new year, I try to make peace with the old one. I search my journals for moments of laughter and light and—what a surprise!—there they are, tucked in among the daily frets. But at night, my regrets line up like ghostly visitations, waking me from sleep: the acid words I threw that time, the charity checks I didn’t write, the grieving aunt I failed
to visit, the letter of apology I couldn’t finish, my impatience with my parents when exhaustion from years of caregiving wore me down to a nub.
This is not what my mother taught, this dwelling on the past. She has always been not only the kindest and most forgiving person I’ve ever known but also the most forward-facing one. . . .
Read Rebecca McClanahan's full essay "Let It Go. Then Go On." 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 "go," as in "Let it go. Then go on."
PROMPT: This week, write a list of your best and worst moments from 2019. What was good that can you claim and savor? What needs to be forgiven and let go of? Then, go on. Make a list, as long or short as you like, of your hopes and plans for this new year ahead.
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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