Irene Honeycutt was one of my first writing teachers, and she soon became a mentor and dear friend. I dedicated Spinning Words into Gold to her in honor of all her inspiration and writing wisdom shared!
If you'd like to read about Irene's books and her professional awards, just Google her name (she doesn't "do" Facebook and doesn't have a website). However, she is working on her fourth poetry book, loves to mentor people who want help in putting together a chapbook, and is available to lead poetry workshops.
Some of the things you won't read about her online include: her sunset camel safari into a small village in India; the time she was touched by Pope John Paul II while she just happened to be in St. Peter's Square when he rode by in his "Pope-mobile"; her dog-sledding trip and leap into a frozen lake through a hole someone had carved into the ice; the way she felt when she sat in Bill Holms' fishing cottage in Iceland listening to him playing the piano; how she got lost in the Dolomites and found her way back to the pension in the dark, relying primarily on the sense of smell....She's contemplating writing a memoir.
You can read her interview with Czech poet and scientist Miroslav Holub in Virginia Quarterly Review here: http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2013/04/02/interview-with-miroslav-holub/
And feel free to leave a comment!
What Irene says about WordPlay
I don't have to tell you what an incredible human being Maureen is. So I'll skip that part. Well, I don't even have to let you know she's a great teacher. You already know that, too.
And what a fine poet! I remember when she was in my creative writing class at CPCC and had submitted a poem to a national contest and won first place. I was her sponsor -- proudly so; and before I sent the poem off I remember thinking, "Now here's a real poet." Maureen has a natural gift for metaphor.
It's been such a joy to see her writing life and career blossom. No one works harder with and for her students than Maureen. Now, imagine her as a student years ago.
I remember her nipping at my boot heels on the writing retreats I led on Jonas Ridge. "Are we going to be doing more writing exercises when we get back to the cabin?" she asked. "Yes, Maureen," I answered. "But we're on the trail right now."
After the weekend retreat ended and I was cleaning up the cabin with our dear friend Mary Wilmer (now deceased), Maureen sat at the writing table; and I kept giving her writing exercises while I swept the floors! "Just call me Cinderella," I told her.
This is so much fun: writing about Maureen.
We love to remember our times together as mentor-student. She relishes reminding me how strict I was. Just recently we were walking at the park, and she said, "Remember the time you told the class to memorize a poem and repeat it every day for 30 days?" "Yes," I said.
"Well, do you remember that I wanted to memorize a really long poem, but you refused to let me, telling me I was long-winded enough already?"
I laughed out loud. "I don't remember but I can well imagine that I said that.....At least, I didn't assign you haiku!"
Maureen then told me that she ended up being so happy with the poem she subsequently got approved -- Mary Oliver's "Trilliums." And that reminds me of the time we got lost taking Mary Oliver to the airport following her reading at CPCC's Literary Festival. I was relying on Maureen to keep me sane (huge mistake!) - we both were so enthralled by any comment Mary Oliver was making that we got lost and barely got her to her flight on time.
I remember Maureen and I watching Mary Oliver head towards the boarding gate.
We watched in tears and hugged each other. Then...there's the story about Anne Lamott....But that's for another time. Our lives have enriched one another. I know I'm certainly richer spiritually and in so many ways nourished by my dear turtle friend (another story)!! That's one of the wonderful things about writing and WordPlay: It's all about connections, isn't it?
