Reading and Writing...

Reading always has been one of my favorite activities so I'm happy that Elissa Field chose reading and its relationship to writing as the final prompt for the Wordsmith Studio's 3rd Anniversary Blog Hop. Thanks again, Elissa, for all of the work you've done on the blog hop.

What are you reading?

I have just finished or am in the process of reading A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver, Later Poems: Selected and New by Adrienne Rich and The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman.

The first to relate to the genre in which I write and the third to my favorite genre to read.

What is your favorite genre?

My favorite genre is mystery. It all started with Sherlock Holmes. I can take my interest in him back to the age of 11 so I think I qualify as a lifelong fan. I'm not a snob, though. I enjoy reading non-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories involving Holmes and Watson. I like to see what other authors do with the classic characters.

A couple of years ago, I was introduced to the book Mystery Muses edited by Jim Huang and Austin Lugar. The editors asked 100 mystery writers to write about an author/book that inspired them to write mysteries. It's a great resource for classic and contemporary mysteries, both of which I enjoy.

Do you also have an alternate genre?

Biography or more broadly, non-fiction. If I was studying something in school or just took an interest in a person or subject, I would read as much as I could about them/it.

Are there alternative forms of writing or art that you have found inspiring or even dabbled in?

After I began writing poetry regularly, I found myself spending more and more time at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. I wrote a poem inspired by one of the sculptures and found out a few months later that a poem inspired by visual art is called an Ekphrastic poem. Eventually, I began taking my own photographs and combining them with original poetry to create visual art pieces.

What music inspires your writing?

In 2010, I took a jazz poetry workshop and I was hooked by the end of it. I'm fortunate to live in an area that played a significant role in jazz history and to have the fabulous American Jazz Museum as a resource.

Do you have a favorite book, article or magazine for writing advice?

One of my favorites is Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. A favorite quote from the book is:

If  you read a great poem aloud--for example, “To a Skylark” by Percy Bysshe Shelley--and read it the way he set it up and punctuated it, what you are doing is breathing his inspired breath at the moment he wrote that poem. That breath was so powerful it still can be awakened in us over 150 years later.

What do you like to read? How does your reading enhance your writing?

Links

The Crystal Field Scholarship Reading

Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Wordsmith Studio Homecoming 2015

Wordsmith Studio's 3rd Anniversary continues with Week #2 of our blog hop. This week's prompt relates to the overall theme of the anniversary--Homecoming. The twist for the blog hop is to relate Homecoming to your writing experiences. I'm going to approach this topic using two subjects that I write about frequently--grief and jazz.

I have mentioned before that my poetry writing journey began out of a grief experience. Years before that, I started attending a grief support group. I had never been one to talk about my feelings so I was what is known as a delayed griever. In other words, I had experienced several losses and not really dealt with them.  When my mother died, the pot boiled over and I found a wonderful group, with which I now volunteer (How's that for doing a 360?)

I have told the group a number of times that I firmly believe that I would have never started writing poetry if I had not done the grief work. It taught we the value of telling my story and gave me permission to do so. It also taught me that there are strong emotions tied to many memories and when you go back to those events you may feel those emotions. I learned that that is OK and that I can deal with those situations.

The jazz poetry takes me back in time in a couple of different ways. When I was growing up, television was filled with variety shows and talk shows. Jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and countless others often were on multiple shows in a week, perhaps even a day. They already were icons. When I watch clips on You Tube,  I have firsthand memories of some of those shows. My interest in jazz also has allowed me to meet some of these performers when they were younger, to learn of their struggles and the contributions that they made to the music to reach iconic status.

Often, I am surprised by the memories that my writing triggers. In fact, I have had one of those experiences during this month's Poem-A-Day Challenge. I'll probably have another before the month is over. That's OK. I've learned to let the writing lead the way.

Links

Johnson County Library Poem-A-Day Program

Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

I'm going to take next week off. I'll jump back into the blog hop Sunday, April 26.

Catching Up for Wordsmith Studio's 3rd Anniversary

As part of Wordsmith Studio's 3rd Anniversary, the group is hosting a blog hop. The blog hop is in the capable hands of Wordsmith Studio Advisory Group member Elissa Field and re-starts every Wednesday this month. She is sharing prompts for blog posts or you can use a favorite post from within the last month.

The first prompt is a Q&A to let people know about your writing. Here goes!

Are you a WSSer (a member of Wordsmith)?

Yes, I have been a member from the beginning. After participating regularly in the Tuesday #wschats on Twitter for about two years, I started helping with the hosting about this time last year. I am primarily a host for the Night Owl chat, which begins at 9 p.m. Eastern time, but I fill in on the Early Bird chat when needed. I also write or take a picture based on the creative prompts posted on the Wordsmith Studio website. 

What medium do you work in?

I write poetry. I began writing poetry out of a grief experience and have published a chapbook called I Keep You with Me. I also write jazz poetry and Ekphrastic poetry, which is poetry inspired by visual art.

What’s the name of your current project?

My current project is participating in Robert Lee Brewer's Poem-A-Day Challenge as part of National Poetry Month. As of this writing, I am 13-for-13. This is definitely the best start I have had in the challenge.

What is your favorite detail, sentence or other bit you’ve written lately?

In response to the Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Trapped, I wrote a poem entitled Books. I have always love to read. Since I like to read mysteries, I have a hard time putting a book down until I know the outcome.

Any obstacles or I-hate-this-chapter moments?

Procrastination and my head. In other words, not sitting down and writing, and letting my inner editor get in the way.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned lately from your writing?

WSS did some word sprints as part of it's New Year's celebration. After participating in those, I set a goal of writing for a minimum of 15 minutes each day. I learned I could accomplish quite a bit in that amount of time. I also was more focused than if I just "sat down to write". I realized it was OK to write gobbledygook to get started.

In what ways do you hope to grow in the next 6 months/year?

Create better images and use stronger words in my poetry.

In what ways do writing friends and communities help you do that?

They help by offering feedback and support. The  #wschat is a great place to get encouragement if you're discouraged or congratulations if something good has happened. People also leave comments on blogs or Facebook posts. I also go to an in-person critique group that is very helpful with feedback. 

What else should we have asked you, or what would you ask other writers?

Some of my Ekphrastic poems are inspired by my own photographs. I combine the two into visual art pieces and have had a few shows in the past couple of years.

Links

Johnson County Library Poem-A-Day Program

Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day

Author Page

Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.