Announcement: New Writing Workshops

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I am partnering with two people for two sets of workshops. Both will be starting in the summer and below is a preview of what's to come.

One group of workshops will be in collaboration with Ridgefield Kayak in Ridgefield, Washington - 30 minutes north of Portland. This is my "Paddling Poet" series - although it won't be limited to just poetry. I will give more details as Ridgefield and I get everything set in place. The dates will be Thursday 7/15 evening, Thursday 8/5 evening and Friday 8/27 late morning/midday. There will also be at least one fall date added - probably in conjunction with the arrival of the winter birds at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (early October).

The second group of workshops will take place in August and September. These will include an outing component and a studio workshop component. You can do all four or one. These will be focused on presence and creativity, which includes - but is not limited to - writing. Much more information will be forthcoming! This series will include elements of Miksang and Wabi Sabi.

I'm excited to be putting these workshops together and especially with these two wonderful women. Writing and water; writing and nature.

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[note: Ridgefield Kayak has kayaks and gear available for regular rentals, as well as guided paddles and basic instruction classes. They do an excellent job of fitting you to the right kayak (in terms of size, skill, experience) and they offer shorter and longer trips for all experience levels.]

Herman Creek photo,

bottom right, by gaijinrunner

heron photo is from

the Ridgefield Kayak website

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Razor's Edge: weekly feature

Each Friday I am going to post a set of prompts for you. This may include videos, music, words, puzzles. Use one or all to create something - it may be a response to what you see or the prompt may be lead you far away from where you are now. Each week there will be a different theme, and I will aim to touch different senses, the spirit, the body, the mind. The prompts may be intended to provoke or soothe or challenge or merely raise your muse to guide you further on your creative path.

Today I'm starting with the concept of Wabi Sabi. I wasn't going to go there with this first issue. But, there you are. That is where my muse led me and so, I am following her today.

Architect Tadao Ando described Wabi Sabi as

The Japanese view of life embraced a simple aesthetic
that grew stronger as inessentials were eliminated
and trimmed away.

With that in mind, I offer you the following as inspiration points to leap with:


PHOTO...
..... ......... ....... As I approached ....



VIDEO ....

......There was a sound behind me as I sat down...



CHARACTER ...

She stood taller than almost everyone around her
Straight blond hair, wispy on the edges, lifted by the wind against her cheeks
The first hat she ever knit for herself tugged tightly onto her head
Sand colored khakis, with a carpenter's loop at her left knee
Pockets bulging with coins and receipts and photo ID

If you're coming up blank, look at each prompt above for a couple seconds. Then gently close your eyes and let your head roll forward to a comfortable position. Let the images and words sweep past you, enter you, choose one. Then open your eyes and write. Or draw/collage/paint if your hands and spirit take you in that direction. Or stand up and dance; manipulate the keys on the piano; run your hands through the clay.

The only "rule" is to let your self be guided and don't force. Creativity will happen.

Take 7 -10 minutes. Then pause and look at what you've done. If you feel you need to keep going - by all means do.

And if you'd like to share what you've created, send them my way and I will add them in.

Enjoy!

writing assignment

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This week's Lit Star Training assignment started out with wandering the neighborhood with a digital camera and capturing five images. These were mine, with initial comments. (There's more to the assignment, but these are my images.)


Pictographs left by an unknown person on a corner of the sidewalk. Two figures smiling, sunny, happiness, contentment. They make me smile every time I look and them. I nearly walked over them without seeing.

(I already posted this one a couple days ago.) Signs of urban life. Confusion. Too many directions, micromanagement, controlling. Taking away our right to think. Which can lead to a path of non-thinking.

Lost and not yet found. Furry pets, a rat - like a large rat, yet soft, and loved. Yay for a way where technology fails us and we resort to old fashioned sign posting. I hope they found (her).

"Beware of Cat" sign posted on the gate below a wooden archway. What a perfect perch for the guardian cat and I wonder where she is as I admire the open to the sky opening the people made for her. Welcome and beware.

Inner sanctum. Nature cannot be controlled. Denseness. Branches and offshoots and they all work together to block out the neighborhood, to reclaim the air and the sky and be alive. Wildness.
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a few more cover options for the lit stars

handmade wabi sabi box with writing prompts for dot, by serena


wabi sabi neighborhood photo, by serena and dexter


wabi sabi photo of beach house by serena


"I Keep My Word" by Serena Barton