Volume XII, Issue 1 March 17, 2026 |
Words of the Month: grief and
gratitude Dear , Thank you for having signed up to receive my word-zines, and thank you for reading this one now, after my long hiatus. It's so good to be sharing great writing with you, along with a corresponding prompt. And I'm delighted to be offering a free writing workshop at three PLMC libraries on three
different dates in the very near future, as a part of their "Community Read" project. I absolutely love this year's book pick, The House in the Cerulean Sea. Its themes provide great inspiration for the workshops, whether or not you've read it. If you live in the Charlotte area, I hope you'll join me! Details below. I've never had two "words of the week" (or, in this case, month, at least for the time being),
before. But I've never had two words insist on coming in tandem, from two different poems. Let me explain. Last May, just over a week before my husband died after a long, challenging illness, a friend sent me Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's "For When People Ask," a poem she felt called to share it with me that begins with the words "I want a word that means/okay and not okay" and speaks to the "the churning of
opposite feelings," which I had been feeling deeply. So often, while caring for my husband, and ever since, my heart has been full of as much gratitude as grief. The kindness and generosity showered upon us brought both of us to tears many times.
Rosemerry's poem touched me so deeply that I knew right then that I'd be sharing it with you when I was able to resume the zine. A few days ago, preparing this Word-Zine, I opened the last one I sent out, in late
September of 2022—the day before my husband fell and broke his hip. That issue's featured writing, a poem that had circled back to me quite unexpectedly thanks to a longtime friend, also spoke to "the churning of opposite feelings." Clearly, these two poems belonged together. Scroll on down to read them and the writing prompt. May they lead to good writing for you! Love, light, gratitude, and fortitude,
Maureen
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Upcoming
WordPlay A FREE WORKSHOP IN CONJUNCTION WITH CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY'S COMMUNITY READS PROGRAM!
THE CONNECTING, COURAGEOUS POWER OF WORDS In The House in the Cerulean Sea, Linus Baker’s courage was a testament to the transforming power of love and connection. When have you experienced courage—your own, or anyone else’s? What was its source? What connection did it create? Come explore these questions, and others, through writing methods that will
spark imagination and reflection and provide a framework for telling inspiring stories. Ideal for those interested in expanding their writing—and their relationship to self, others, and the world—for personal expression or publication. There are three different dates/locations to fit your schedule: |
WHERE: Matthews Regional
Library, 232 Matthews Station St., Matthews, NC
WHEN: Saturday, March 21st, 2 - 4 p.m. COST: Free! REGISTER HERE:
https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/691e026175911f28001c1f3a WHERE: North County Regional Library, 16500 Hollycrest Ln., Huntersville, NC WHEN: Sunday, March 22nd, 2 - 4 p.m. COST: Free! REGISTER HERE:
https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/691e0ab8b864f02900253a48 WHERE: Pineville Library WHEN: Saturday, March 28th, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. COST: Free! REGISTER HERE:
cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/691cb451dff9d93e00d0a559
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Featured Writings For When
People Ask
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
I want a word that means
okay and not okay,
a word that means
devastated and stunned with joy.
I want the word that
says
I feel it all, all at once.
The heart is not like a songbird
singing only one note
at a time,
more like a Tuvan throat singer
able to sing both a drone
and
simultaneously
two or three harmonics high above it—
a sound, the Tuvans say,
that
gives the impression
of wind swirling among rocks.
The heart understands the swirl,
how the churning of opposite feelings
weaves through us like an insistent breeze,
leads us wordlessly deeper into ourselves,
blesses us with paradox
so we might walk more openly
into this world so rife with devastation,
this world so ripe with joy.
**Find this poem and many more, and information on Rosemerry's daily poems at https://ahundredfallingveils.com/2022/03/13/for-when-people-ask/
**To learn more about Rosemerry and check out her many speaking engagements and writing suggestions/offerings, click here: www.wordwoman.com |
What Now?
Mark Van Doren
My friend Maureen introduced me to this poem years ago, and its final lines – “Well, it is difficult / Dear ones. It is.” – have stayed with me since. I shared them with a friend last week and then went to find the whole piece for the poetry box. It’s curious little conglomeration, and I think the heart of it is how the poet interrupts himself to attend to what is so very human – the dancing and the weeping – and to name us as “dear
ones.” While the earth turns,
And the skin of it—Oh, scientist—
Keeps cool, keeps deep; While the world shines,
And the rind of it—O, radium— Still does not burn; While—but why wait?
Don’t you hear the dance music, Old as these hills?
Round with it, round with it, Stepping, oh, ever so lightly, Wind in the hair—
What now? You have stopped, You are weeping. Well, it is difficult,
Dear ones. It is. ** To read the latest Poetry Box Post, and check out V ivé's writing, workshops, and teaching, click here: Vivé Griffith. I can attest to their high quality!** To learn more about this poet, click here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mark-van-doren |
WordPlay
Now! Writing Prompt
This is WordPlay—so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after another? This month, we have two, "grief" and "gratitude." PROMPT: Rosemerry Wahtola's "For When People Ask" shares feeling both "okay and not okay." Mark Van Doren's "What Now?" contains dancing and weeping : ". . . it is difficult/Dear ones. It is." Both
express "the churning of opposite feelings." When have you, or if you're writing fiction, one of your characters, felt two or more feelings at once? Create a piece of writing, in poetry or prose, that contains this "swirl" of emotions. Use metaphor, be literal, or both. It's rewarding 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, two guided grief journals entitled I Will Never Forget You and Praying You Goodbye, 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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