The Practice of Creativity

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‘Jump-start Your June’ Series: Laughing in Service of Your Creativity-Guest Post

Posted by: on: June 17, 2013

I am so happy to welcome fellow creative entrepreneur, Florence Ditlow to the ‘Jump-start Your June’ series designed to bring you fresh ideas to support your goals and vision mid-year.

Trying to Build Your Creativity?  Use Your Own Humor!

I enjoy the way Arieti defines creativity: “Human creativity uses what is already existing and available and changes it in unpredictable ways. It brings about a desirable enlargement of human experience, liberating us from conditioning and usual choices. The creative work may make us laugh when we are confronted with something new, which is witty and comical; may offer us aesthetic pleasure when we are in the presence of works of art; may give us a feeling of transcendence, as in the fields of philosophy and religion; or may provide the qualities of usefulness, understanding and predictability as scientific innovations do.” Arieti, Silvano (1976) Creativity:  The Magic Synthesis.  New York: Basic Books

Laughter-Yoga-Health-Benefits

Creative ideas appear differently from one person to the next. They arise out of need, come along while doing exercise or pop out of nowhere in the shower. These spur the mind then the body to act, to build and form the new.

An open mind where flexibility fires imagination helps us create. However, stress overload, discomfort and distraction do the opposite and are obstacles to creativity- a resulting example is writer’s block. We need to play with most problems, to be able to step above the scene and get perspective like a doctor I knew who arriving to help others revive a patient, began by taking his own pulse.

How do you get playful or find hope wrapped in your “ha-ha?” Years of seeking humor in the forest of daily realities drove me to create a silly humor blueprint. I intended to get ease, get a laugh and revive a refreshing perspective, in order to leap obstacles and to empower myself. I needed not a joke, not a trick soon forgotten, but a road toward my humor. Here it is, my personal “Yellow Brick Road” to creativity. The search for humor or…

laughterwsunflower

The Humor Quest      

Humor Chest- Open your chest. This is where you’ve been storing up laughs! Let ‘em out.

Humor Desk- Clean the dust off your desk and laugh at the mouse. She’ll invite you to enjoy working. Have you listened to your phone answering message? Are you smiling? People on the phone hear smiles and they have a nice effect on the smiler’s brain chemistry. Is there anything uplifting on your desk? Be creative and give yourself object d’ uplift!

Humor Fest- Use an object to create laughter. Juggle on your break; if you’re saying “That’s not fun, picture yourself juggling hot dogs, then do it in front of a dog. Guaranteed humor.

Humor Guest- Visit or phone a friend and ask for a laugh. You may invite more than one guest!

Humor Jest- Just kidding around! Letting out the kid inside you can be more than playful, more powerful than a gang of comedians.

Humor List- How long has it been since you read a hilarious book? Look for one in a new place; ask a friend what makes her laugh.  I recommend “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.”

Humor Pest- Feel angry or upset? Balance this through outrageous exaggeration. Example: “I’m late for a meeting…and this may be a news headline!”

Humor Request- Ask a friend for humor, knowing it resides in every one of us.

Humor Rest- Down time can be a podcast or video guaranteed to pull your spirits up.

Humor Test- Learn a humor skill, joke or even try cartooning.

Humor Vest- Wear funny socks or other humor  of your style.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               41116512f35680a996spiral 2

Turning  ha- ha humor into a creative ahh HA! may take practice, but will be rewarding. A playful mind is one delightful way to keep your perspective, your health and your cool.

Florence Ditlow R.N. is an advocate of humor in the workplace who authored “Long in the Tooth: surviving chronic illness with a sense of humor.” Contact her via www.thebakerygirls.net, Twitter, Linked-in or Facebook.

Photo credits: http://www.laughteryoga.org/miscellaneous/get_content/3, & Google Images

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Does Your Vision Need a Jump-start in June?

Posted by: on: June 16, 2013

The Chapel Hill News ‘My View’ column below kicks off my new blog series called ‘Jump-start Your June: Reigniting Your Vision Mid-Year’. June provides a great time for us to review the goals, commitments and visions we made at the beginning of the year. Do we even remember the commitments we made in January? Do our goals still take our breath away? Have we already accomplished some of them?

I’ll provide some tips about how to reconnect with meaningful goals. I’ve also asked several amazing thought leaders to write guest posts about how to ‘jump-start your June’ in a variety of areas including health, creativity, and finances.

I’d love to know: What aspect of your life could use a jump-start this June?

 

June’s a good time to check in on goals

In June most people want to talk about graduations, Father’s Day, and the start of summer. I’m, however, inclined to ask them, “How is the vision that you set in January coming along? Do the goals you affirmed still speak to you six months later? What intentions for your year have fallen by the wayside? Is that vision board or treasure map, representing your dreams, collecting dust in a corner?”

I wish we could label June as “Jump-start Your Vision” Month. Why? Because midyear we naturally turn toward an assessment of how the year has been going for us. Coaches often get a lot of work in June, most of it involving supporting people in creating forward momentum for pursuing a vision and tweaking their goals.

For many, the energy, commitment and intention to pursue a big vision can fizzle out by February. The fitness industry often labels people who sign up for a membership at the beginning of the year, “January Joiners.” Historically, by the second week of February, most of the newcomers won’t be seen again until late May (scared by the approach of summer).

Some people get discouraged if they’ve tried something for 30, 40 or even 90 days and haven’t seen results. We’ve all heard this mantra before – if you want to form a new habit or quit an old one, try something for 21, 28, or 30 days. Despite what we’ve heard from advertisers, some psychologists and self-help experts, there is little scientific evidence to support the idea that effort over any specific time period will automatically produce a positive behavioral change. Now, isn’t that liberating? Sometimes we can make rapid change in a short amount of time and sometimes we have to redouble our effort and change takes longer.

So, I say before we declare that in any given year, we’re going to do “x” for “x” number of days or weeks, let’s check in with ourselves. If the change we’d like make is in an area of life where nothing else has seemed to work, then OK, maybe we should go for an intense 30- or 40-day challenge, but then I advocate asking for support in a public way – solicit friends to help with accountability, or work with a coach. If people want to tweak a positive habit (i.e. something they are already doing, but would like to do more of), then I recommend choosing a smaller increment (10 days as opposed to 21 days), and to enjoy the sweet spot of repetition.

I review three key areas with clients in jump-starting their vision midyear:

•  Design and desire. We look at what’s not working and why. Let’s take the example of someone who created a goal to make a green smoothie every week and then stopped. I might explore how this goal sounded excellent in the abstract, but the design wasn’t very manageable (because of time, cost of materials, and/or motivation).

I’d then discern if the underlying desire for the client is to possess better health and increased energy. If so I’d strategize to see if we can fulfill this desire by designing a more effective pathway, strategy or behavior. The elements of design and desire need to be in sync for effective goal setting.

•  Buffets and three meals a day. In looking at action steps in pursuing goals, I contrast eating at buffets versus planning three healthy meals a day. We can fall into a trap of constantly taking actions (or piling up our plates at a buffet) that don’t really serve us and dissipate our energy. For example, I work with many creative writers who spend so much time developing their platform (i.e. creating a Facebook page, posting multiple Tweets, writing on a blog, etc.) that they have less energy to deepen their craft. We need to plan a series of thoughtful actions (like our daily meals) as a staple for reaching our goals.

•  Questions and answers. Writer, anthropologist and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston said, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” The great thing about a midyear vision check-in is that enough time has passed to ask deeper questions of ourselves than we could in January. Employing a sense of wonder and gratitude, we can track the insights, synchronicities, and serendipity that has shown up our lives since the beginning of the year. With our environment in full bloom, we can feel supported by physical lushness while digging a bit deeper in our internal gardens.

Column reprinted with permission. Originally published on June 15: http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2013/06/15/76706/berger-junes-a-good-time-to-check.html

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Learning about ‘Story Cycles’ and ‘A Novel Told in Stories’

Posted by: on: June 10, 2013

When someone says they are hosting a ‘literary salon’, I’m never sure what to expect. There’s always prep work to do on my end: dress well, remind myself of five recent outstanding books I’ve read, remind myself to use good posture, and, of course practice a pithy answer to the “What are you working on?’ question. I’ve only been to a few literary salons and I think of them as opportunities to practice being a writer in public. Some literary salons are more like informal gatherings, hosted in someone’s home, with a newly published author; others involve having a lively conversation about favorite works and the state of publishing.

A few weeks ago, when writing teacher and friend, Marjorie Hudson said she was hosting a literary salon with Clifford Garstang, most recently author of What the Zhang Boys Know: A Novel in Stories and inviting me–I immediately said yes.  Marjorie and Clifford know each because they are both published by Press 53, and she has been an admirer and supporter of his work for some time. Garstang is the co-founder and editor of Prime Number Magazine and is also author of the well-known blog Perpetual Folly. I knew at this gathering there would be good food, a copy of the author’s book and a chance to mix and mingle with other writers.

Marjorie Garstang3

What I didn’t know is that I was that at this salon, we were going to be treated to a wonderful craft discussion about the concept of ‘story cycles’ and ‘a novel told in stories’. Marjorie Garstang2

Clifford talked for a few minutes about his own journey as someone who wanted to be a writer right out of college, then traveled to Southeast Asia and instead became a lawyer. Even while he was a lawyer though, he never stopped thinking about writing.  Twenty years later he returned to writing. Fascinating! I’m hoping you’ll get to hear more of his story here, later this summer, in an interview.

This is a brief summary of his very substantive talk:

With an interlinked set of stories a writer can create a ‘wide angle lens’ way of telling a big story that has the feel of a novel. He provided a broad typology of
‘story cycles’:

-Stories that are loosely connected in a collection

-Linked short story collections

-A novel told in stories—linkages are tighter (you’re really telling one big story)

-a polyphonic novel (multiple voices and points of view)

He said that the linkages among and across stories can be made in multiples ways:

-using a setting that ties all stories together

-using one character that appears in each story (but not necessarily as the main character)

-using one character throughout all stories that is a main character

-using a big theme that explores a group experience or worldview.

He gave examples of each type. I’ll name just a few:

God is Dead by Ron Currie Jr. (linked short stories that begins with the premise that God came to earth and died)

Dubliners by James Joyce (stories that are linked by theme and setting)

Accidental Birds of the Carolinas by Marjorie Hudson (loosely linked stories that examine displacement and community for people who move to the South).

The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank (linked stories that follow one character)

One I would add to this list is Ursula Le Guin’s Four Ways to Forgiveness (interlinked novellas set in the future on two different worlds).

The other thing that Clifford impressed on us is that each type of ‘story cycle’ can create a different effect for the reader. Sometimes all the stories in a collection build toward the last story and a deep resolution, and in other instances with less tightly linked stories, there’s no final resolution, but the reader still senses that the “whole is greater than its parts.”

Marjorie Garstang1

Marjorie and Clifford had an engaging conversation about the process of writing interlinked short stories. Is it always intentional? Well, no… Sometimes you don’t realize that you’re writing a set of interlinked stories until you’re far along—you can discover it along the way as you ask more questions about your characters.

I loved his craft talk and now have a long list of new authors to read. The handful of writers in attendance at this literary salon ate great food and talked about the loves and labors of the writing life. A perfect day!

 

 

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Willpower, Commitment and Your Writing: Learning from Yoga and the Chakras

Posted by: on: May 27, 2013

Yoga has been an integral part of my life for the past twenty years. I am a yoga teacher and have become increasingly interested in exploring the relationship between yoga, creativity and writing. I have noticed that many people often feel so fatigued it prevents them from making time for their creative life. Restorative yoga postures can help relax the mind and body which then leads to greater energy for creative focusing. The practice of writing and the practice of yoga also need similar things from us: patience, devotion, activity, silence and reflection.

Through attention to the breath and gentle movement, yoga can help release the body’s wisdom to nurture the creative process.

Over the past 9 months, my writing teacher, Marjorie Hudson and I teamed up to plan a weekend beach retreat that would feature writing and yoga. Although I have taught ‘Yoga for Creative People’ workshops, what we were attempting to do was different. Marjorie would take care of the writing prompts and I would teach the yoga classes and intersperse meditation and stretching throughout our writing sessions. Marjorie is also a yoga enthusiast and understands the importance of movement for writers.

Last weekend, we traveled to a retreat center in Emerald Isle, NC and met the ten amazing writers who signed up for this weekend of exploration. About half of them had some knowledge of yoga and about half had never done yoga.

Each day of writing was interspersed with gentle yoga postures, meditation and breath exercises that support the creative process.

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We also came up with an original way to talk about stages in the writing life through exploring the chakras. ‘Chakra’ is the Sanskrit word for “wheel”. In yogic wisdom, the chakras are identified as an energy system in the body (from the spine to the top of the head). Each chakra is associated with particular talents, skills or gifts.  They are often described as colorful vibrating balls of light.

We used the chakra system as a way to metaphorically reflect on aspects of the writing life. When we gathered to do our daily writing, we had 7 candles that reflected the 7 main chakras and lit the appropriate candle to the exercises we were doing. Understanding the chakra system is complex and detailed. We, however, just wanted to give the participants a taste of the chakras and how they could think about their writing in new ways. The writers in the room were so open to what we had to offer. Marjorie and I lucked out!

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One of the writing and chakra exercises that helped participants go pretty deep was looking at the 3rd chakra.

Briefly, this chakra physically corresponds in the body through the solar plexus. It is seen as the seat of personal power and as medical intuitive Carolyn Myss notes it is “our personal power center, the magnetic core of our personality and ego.” (Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing). The color associated with this chakra is yellow and emotionally it corresponds in the body to willpower, commitment, persistence, inner authority, personal responsibility and our ability to stand up for one’s self.

In introducing this topic, I led a guided meditation, asking participants to imagine the strength of the sun in their solar plexus.

Marjorie then read a short passage from To Kill a Mockingbird where Jem (the brother of Scout who is the narrator) runs to Arthur “Boo” Radley’s house (Boo is a strange reclusive character). She invited folks to freewrite for 20 minutes on either:

1)      The bravest kid I ever saw or 2) A time when I was afraid- and acted with courage.

People had the option of writing nonfiction or fiction. Stories and poems of exile, bravery, immigration, leaving difficult situations,and of standing up to inner and outer bullies poured out of the participants. Almost everyone in the room chose to write about a personal experience.

A little later, we talked about how important the message of this chakra was in relation to our writing lives. Marjorie and I asked for them to reflect on: What are your commitments to the writing life? Have they changed over time? How have you stood for your writing life? What shape do your commitments to your writing life take?

These are fruitful questions for writers and creative folk. In order to be productive and gain confidence, we must create structure and accountability in our creative lives. We must have the perseverance to keep going in the face of rejection and the daily grind of life. We have to make decisions about how to stay committed to a particular piece of writing (or creative work), when it feels like we have revised it for the 99th time and it is still not finished. Although we can keep an eye on the marketplace, we must draw on our inner authority to write the things in our heart that desire expression.

Sharon Blessum, one of the poets in the room, and I had a great discussion about how this chakra related to her writing life. She’s been writing all her life, so it’s not that she struggles with the commitment to sit down and write (often a challenge for beginning writers). But, the issue is that the fruits of her commitment to writing now perhaps requires a different level of support. Sharon realized that she’d been functioning like an isolated ‘Lone Ranger’ character in relation to her creative life. This practice has often left her feeling tired and frustrated. I suggested that the isolated, solitary mystical artist archetype is one that may require updating. I also suggested that maybe the commitment required for her writing life now is realizing that it’s OK to seek additional support to help her organize and create a pathway for her work.  This can be accomplished through writing coaches, workshops and even a virtual assistant. We both felt like this was useful territory to explore further. The next day, she delighted the group by sharing a poem that emerged from these reflections. I’m so glad she gave me permission to share it here:

HI HO SILVER

I am a Lone Ranger
I ride Silver
too fast
too many directions
because smoke signals
are in neon lights for me
even invisible messages
stop me in my tracks
challenge me to manage
this earthplane incarnation
while riding bareback
with full backpack
of paper and pens
to write every gd*%&  word
God is giving me
from the seven directions

I need a Tonto

Tonto would say
go away
mortal one
go away
pray
rest
I will
mail your poems
walk your dogs
feed your horse
clean your house
brush your kitty
publish your books
arrange your readings
massage your feet
manifest your vision

you go drum
flow on the river
I’ll be sure the sun
comes up

stand
stretch
breathe
up-dog
down-dog
lion
cobra
headstand
oh my

read the not-rejection letter
write
rest
above
all
rest

I’ll
keep
the world
spinning

©Sharon Blessum May 19, 2013

The workshop was a great success on multiple levels. Marjorie and I coached each other and offered the participants fresh ways to think about the writing life. People left with hearts open and pens drained (at least temporarily). I got to work with a dear friend and mentor and get a taste of how I can support others. A great way to kick off the summer!

I hope that you’ll take a moment to explore the writing prompts that we used. You may surprise yourself remembering your own acts of bravery.

For 20 minutes freewrite about:

1)The bravest kid I ever saw or 2) A time when I was afraid- and acted with courage.

For 20 minutes freewrite about:

What are your commitments to the writing life? Have they changed over time? How have you stood for your writing life? What shape do your commitments to your writing life take?

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National Poetry Month: Featured Writer-Olga Godim

Posted by: on: April 27, 2013

I know newly minted novelist, Olga Godim from the ‘Blooming Late’ group on She Writes. ‘Blooming Late’ is a support group for women who started their writing seriously after age 40 and have hopes still of a long and illustrious career in writing. We are a lively, opinionated and supportive online community of over three hundred members. In celebration of National Poetry Month, Olga tried her hand translating poems from Russian into English. She found this work both fun and daunting.
photo-translations-e1349697706762

Author’s note:

The first poem is a translation of a humorous song from a Russian
children’s movie based on the story of Pinocchio. Unfortunately, I
don’t remember the name of the Russian poet who wrote it. It’s an
ultimate conman’s chant.

Poem #1

As long as misers yearn for gold,
Your luck will permanently hold.
When coins gleam,
The greedy dream
And do what they are told.

As long as fools remain around,
Your opportunities abound.
You spin a tale
Like nightingale,
They slave for you spellbound.

As long as braggarts multiply,
Your fortune grows on the sly.
Pretend belief,
Laugh in your sleeve
And squeeze the wretches dry.

Author’s note:

The second poem is a translation of an aria from the French opera
“Faust” by Charles Gounod. It debuted in Paris in 1859. The story is
based on a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, but I never read it in
the original German; only heard the aria in Russian. I guess, my
translation is ‘second-hand’ or even ‘third-hand’, as someone else had
already translated it from German to French, and then from French to
Russian. I’m not sure how close to the original my version is.
Probably not at all.

Poem #2

In the times of the heroes, people prayed for the gold.
Nations fought in the terrible wars for the gold.
Blood was spilled for the gold,
Cities razed for the gold.
Golden monster devoured the innocent world.

In the times of progress, people pray for the gold.
Voices rise in the glorious hymns for the gold.
Honor breached for the gold,
Love betrayed for the gold.
Everything can be bought, everything can be sold.

Author Reflection: In both poems I tried to keep
to the meter and rhyme scheme of the originals. As I never wrote
poetry before, not even in my youth, this was a very interesting
exercise for me. The result is not a great poetry but an attempt to
transfer the feel of the poems from one language to another.

I’m a writer and journalist from Vancouver, Canada. My articles
appear regularly in local newspapers. My short fiction credits include
multiple short stories, published in magazines, and a novel Lost and
Found in Russia.

Find out more about Olga’s  novel’s here
See a recent interview with Olga at Long and Short Reviews.

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National Poetry Month: Featured Writer-Mariah Wheeler

Posted by: on: April 26, 2013

Mariah Wheeler is a creative spark in the small, but vibrant town of Pittsboro, North Carolina where I reside. Her Joyful Jewel Gallery is in the heart of downtown Pittsboro and has become a destination to explore, marvel and buy works from over 150 local artists. Her deep passion for art and supporting artists has enriched the community.

Writers always need fresh ways to tap into their imaginations. Three years ago, Mariah, along with poet Sheridan Bushnell, conceived of the idea of inviting writers to come to the gallery and write about art. Their idea developed into the much anticipated annual ‘Vision and Voice’ event where writers are asked to read what they wrote after their visit and the corresponding artists are asked to display their objects and say a few words about the art-making process.

Engaging with art objects, in this event, provides a unique opportunity to stretch one’s aesthetic sensibilities. I’ve participated in ‘Vision and Voice’ since the beginning and each time I’ve been amazed at how focusing on a work of art challenges my own assumptions about what I can write. In looking closely at a piece of art, I find myself asking different questions (about plot, character and setting) than when I usually sit down to write. The ‘Vision and Voice’ event also supports an enriching cross-fertilization of ideas and collaborative engagement between writers and artists that doesn’t often happen.

Mariah’s poem ‘A Hat is Better than a TV’ was inspired by hats made by Brooks, a fiber artist. Brooks makes all kinds of textile wonders and sells them at the Joyful Jewel. Mariah modeled the hats while Brooks read the poem. The audience loved it!  I’m so glad that Mariah is letting me pass on the sweetness, whimsy and insight of this poem to you.

 

Mariah Wheeler

A Hat is Better Than A TV

 

mariah1

I am invited to Kazi Jane’s 2nd birthday party, and
I’m in the pink along with:
Cotton Candy Kisses
Giggles, Games, and Balloons
Glow Worm Tea Cakes
A Grandmother’s Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

mariah2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The military calls me, and
I’m at the ready:
The medals have already been earned and attached
I can divert attention at the last minute
(the enemy is dazzled & confused)
Hiding in trees or in a meadow is possible
I am just too cute to shoot

 

 

mariah3

The Queen is found to be an imposter, and
I visit Buckingham:
A Palace Guard (in a similar hat) recognizes me as Queen
A stately fascinator is ready for me to wear after my coronation,
and it has room for the crown jewels on the crown
I feel like Dudley Moore as Amadeus when riding in the parade

 

mariah4I decide to safari in Africa, and
my camouflage allows:
Closeness with elephants and giraffes
A gazelle’s invitation to dance
Frolicking in the dirt (which remains invisible on my head)
A bird to find a nesting site complete with fuzz for the nest

 

mariah5I’m in my own hat, and
standing out in the crowd, I:
Bring fun to strangers by eliciting their smiles
Know that blue matches my eyes and I feel pretty.
Am reminded of Christmas tinsel and break out in song
Have a bad hair day and still look good

 

I say “A Hat is Better Than a TV” because:
Imagination has a prop ready for action
It can go with me, in a useful way, when I’m outdoors
I can take it with me wherever I go
Because Dreams accumulate underneath a hat
and nothing happens underneath a TV

Author Reflection: I am proprietor of the Joyful Jewel, where every day I see the great beauty that local hands guided by an undefinable muse are creating every day.

These hats by Brooks make me laugh and get my imagination going.  They do the same for any patron who tries one on.

For more about Mariah and the magical Joyful Jewel, see here. To see more about Brooks and her creations, see here.

 

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National Poetry Month-Featured Writer-Robin Whitten

Posted by: on: April 23, 2013

You never know if the person sitting next to you in a writing workshop will change your life. In February 2011, I sat next to Robin Whitten. We had seen each other once before at a different writing workshop, but didn’t have the chance to interact. In the 2011 workshop, the participants were asked to identify new forms of support for our writing. I had not been in a writing group for almost a decade and didn’t think I was looking for one. [Yup, I was pretty much into suffering alone.] During the afternoon, I got to know Robin and her interest in speculative fiction (which made my heart sing!), and she casually mentioned that she had created a writing group that met monthly. A few weeks later, she invited me to attend. They checked me out and I checked them out (as I had been in my share of dysfunctional writing groups and didn’t want a repeat experience). After ten minutes, however, I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this group. The group (we call ourselves ‘the writing women’) is well organized, well-run, is serious about writing, knows how to provide constructive feedback, and is incredibly supportive. I’ve found my creative ‘tribe’! What a life changer! We have become good friends as well as trusted colleagues.

I also came to discover (and marvel at) Robin’s incredible and prolific talent. She is dedicated to the craft of writing and her creativity seems endless. I’ve had the good fortune to take several writing classes with Robin and continue to be amazed at her ability to take a writing prompt given to us one week and then return with a fully formed short story the next week. As I hoped she would, she decided to try her hand at poetry for my ongoing celebration. And, she wrote not one but two poems! Fearless and unstoppable, she’s a model for all of us.

1_moon_clouds

Robin Whitten

Stillness

Something startles in the night
Clouds cover the moon
A veil of darkness fills the empty place
Where I can see, there is nothing
Hope is lost, no one will see
Blackness fades to gray
Stillness covers all

His Soul

Bending over him, I smell the familiar scent of death.
I inhale deeply as it penetrates my being.
I search his face, hoping to capture the soul that I knew.
He was alive then, and he was mine.
Who’s is he now?

Author Reflection:

I’m not witty and I can’t rhyme
But when Michele asked me to write a poem
I took the time
To sit and study verse
I suppose what I’ve written can’t be much worse.
I love to write so any challenge only adds to the game
Of creating, writing, and naming names.

Robin Whitten is a Physician’s Assistant working in family practice. She enjoys writing science fiction and has finished her third book, a coming of age story full of shapeshifting and traveling to other worlds. Her story ‘A Drop in Time’ appeared in recent issue of the Red Clay Review: The Literary & Arts Magazine of Central Carolina Community College (CCCC).

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National Poetry Month: Featured Writer-Mary L. Barnard

Posted by: on: April 20, 2013

Most of the writers participating in my celebration of National Poetry Month do not consider themselves poets. I’ve enjoyed seeing how they approach words from a new angle. Today, however, I am delighted to welcome Mary L. Barnard, someone who has been writing poetry for a long time. In May, she will receive a Certificate in Creative Writing from Central Carolina Community College’s (CCCC) Creative Writing Program. She’s part of the inaugural class.

 

crayons

 

Mary L. Barnard

MEA MAXIMA CULPA IN BLUE

with Orange crayon
I printed M-A-R-Y on
the window sill, porcelain tub,
oven door, kitchen sink

all capitals
short fat letters
stub of Crayola
hand-me-downed twice

picked for boldness Orange
spoke for itself without words
parent nor priest nor nun
dared question

its place in nature
sun at daybreak, flow of lava,
Grand Canyon, fish eggs,
eye of owl and fox

I imagine my mother
following me
with damp sponge
and can of Comet

if I had chosen Blue
calm and quiet
would forgiveness
have come easy?

white cloud in Azure sky
minnows silvering Cobalt waves
SORRY  SORRY  SORRY
in Cerulean

June 10, 2012
My brother Bob’s birthday

Author Reflection:  inspired by prompt #6 from Steve Kowit’s book:  Recall something dangerous you did when you were young.

Mary L. Barnard, a Chathamite forever, plans to write poems from her little acre as long as …

Her poem ‘Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant-SW Wake County, NC’ appeared in a recent issue of the Red Clay Review: The Literary & Arts Magazine of CCCC

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Naming and Claiming Your Writing Accomplishments: Do You Have a List?

Posted by: on: April 14, 2013

I remember anxiety creeping over me in Marjorie Hudson’s ‘Strategies for the Writing Life’ workshop when she cheerfully asked the group to name and claim our writing ‘accomplishments’ so far. People immediately raised their hands and asked questions like: Do you mean publication credits? How far back can we start our list? Does a personalized rejection letter count? What if I can’t think of anything?

hand-writing1

She calmly explained that we could count anything and everything that has happened in our writing lives that we believe strengthened or encouraged us. This could include the time our teacher in the third grade chose to read our essay in front of the class to submitting an op-ed to getting a poem published in a literary journal. Our list could include helpful feedback we received from an editor or agent (even if they passed on the book), or reassuring words from a published writer. Most of us undertook the task with a kind of grim determination. And, I felt that I was bound to have a short and uninteresting list.

After about ten minutes, she asked us to read from our lists. The mood in the room softened as people shared. As it turns out until we were asked to reflect on the shape of our writing lives, most of us had either forgotten or discounted many of the positive things that had shown up. Several people did mention publication as an aspect of their accomplishments, but much of it included specific moments of encouragement expressed by peers, teachers and other published writers. Often words of encouragement allowed us to keep going in the face of high self-doubt and flat out fear. We also celebrated the fact that many of us had completed various types of writing projects and with some additional strategic effort, some might eventually find their way into publication. My list included the over 50 journals I have amassed, over my life, that are stuffed with ideas, dream fragments, stories, and chapters of novels. Hearing the lists of the other writers uplifted and inspired me.

Since that workshop in the spring of 2011, I have often gone back to the list in my notebook as well as the longer ‘accomplishments’ list that I keep on my computer. Some of the writers in that workshop posted their list in their writing space for daily inspiration.

It is easy to forget or minimize the ways in which the writing life is sustained. A list is evidence of one’s deep intentions that we can turn toward during moments of skepticism about our progress.

It is atypical that a writer gets anything published during a normal week and highly unlikely that more than one thing gets published. The first two weeks of April have been exceptionally good to me, so I’ve got new things to add to my list.

I received news that I am the 3rd place prize winner in the Carolina Woman Magazine Writing Contest, for my speculative fiction short story ‘Urban Wendy’. They will publish the piece in an upcoming issue.

For fun, I’ve included a few lines from the beginning of the story:

Marisol pulls another strand of red hair from a perfectly glazed Dunkin Donut, holds it up and looks at the stray bits of delicate pink icing clinging to the hair. Marisol reminds herself that her other team members working this shift don’t have red hair, nor does anyone else working here. Just like the icing clinging to the hair, Marisol knows that Wendy is trying to cling to her.

When Marisol announced she was leaving Wendy’s to work at Dunkin Donuts, two weeks ago, her co-workers warned her.

“Expect a visit from Wendy,” they said. Marisol looked at the goofy-looking freckled girl on the napkins she had passed out so many times to snot-nosed kids, harried mothers and dope addicts.

“She doesn’t like it when we leave without warning,” one of them whispered.

“You gotta to be kidding me. I’ll tell her a thing or two,” Marisol said. She filed their concerns of Wendy the phantom stalker, under ‘another urban legend’ and said good bye to the drab brown uniform, the never ending work of keeping the salad bar clean and organized, and sought her fortune among coffee and donuts.

* * *

A prose piece, ‘The Poison Our Grandmothers and Mothers Drank’ that I wrote in 2010 found a perfect home at  Trivia: Voices of Feminism, an online magazine. This piece was created for the wonderful ‘Vision and Voice’ event at the Joyful Jewel gallery (in Pittsboro, North Carolina), where writers are invited to write about art. Then the writer gets to read the piece and the artist attends, too, and remarks about the inspiration behind the art.

Sharon Blessum’s photograph (below) triggered a memory about a powerful dream regarding my grandmother and other female elders that I wrestled with for many years. In the piece, I tackle the metaphorical ‘poison’, given societal constraints, that many of our female ancestors swallowed, and how I integrate this knowledge into my work as a professor and coach.

5x7grandmothers

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National Poetry Month: Featured Writer-Judith Newton

Posted by: on: April 12, 2013

I am happy to welcome She Writes buddy, Judith Newton to participate in my celebration of National Poetry Month.

 

Judith Newton

There’s None Can Die

 “There’s none can die in the arms of those who are wishing them sore to stay on earth.”  Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton

 

droopyflower

 

In the end when you lay almost in a coma,
your belly concave as the flanks of living skeletons
in newsreels long ago,
your pointed hips worn through
in purple bed sores
as if your skin had turned to rotting clothes.
Your eyes showed strips of white
like blinds drawn down in a house where I once lived.
I saw your mind withdraw,
as in a dream when I returned
and found the roof of my old room had fallen in.

And yet your hands were warm, and they were large hands still,
with long square fingers, hands to lay my life in–
now they lay in mine,
as if they were the life in you that still remained.
I held on to them, held on to you
straining not to hear the strangled rasping of your breath,
trying not to see how I was like that man
who kept his dying child from rest by “wishing” it,
by willing it to stay
and pulling it still closer to his breast.

 

Judith Newton offers this reflection: I’ve written many poems about my gay ex-husband’s death from AIDS. I also wrote a piece for the Huffington Post about our relationships: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judith-newton/gay-husband-valentine_b_2641159.html

Judith Newton is Professor Emerita of Women and Gender Studies at UC Davis.  Her memoir, Tasting Home: Coming of Age in the Kitchen,” was published by She Writes Press in March 2013, For more see http://tasting-home.com.

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