Sweet Summertime

Happy Fourth!

I'm taking a hiatus from blogging for three days! Enjoy the holiday.

Art of Personal Letters

The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.

Walt Whitman

When I was growing up we were encouraged to have pen pals. In grammar school we were taught how to write the different styles of letters and we practiced regularly working on our penmanship and our creative writing skills.

I have almost every letter I have ever received. Last week going through some of them I came across one from my aunt, in the letter she relived my last visit in details I had long forgot. What a gift this letter was, twenty years later I can read it and remember how special the day was. She passed away about a year after the letter was written but in her words I can clearly hear her voice. My letters from my sister were filled with drawings and funny stories that I was missing since I moved away from home. As she grew up her handwriting changed as did her vocabulary.

Although I love technology and use email daily I think it would be wonderful if letter writing had a resurgence. Who doesn't love to receive a hand-written letter? Part of the reason this semester was so special was because we mailed two chapbooks to the other members of our small group. This meant that I looked forward to getting the mail...tucked into the mailbox between the junk mail and the bills there was a connection with another writer.

One of my favorite postcards in my collection is the one pictured in this post. On the front "Pauline" has underlined my True Love so hard that is has worn away the gold tone. On the back addressed to Mr Fred Koppin Stewardson Illinois she writes "How about what I underlined? answer.

What a story! More so because the postcard was never mailed. I wonder if Pauline and Fred ended up as husband and wife. And because of the style of the postcard (a penny postcard) I know it was written in the early 1900's. Quite a question for a Victorian woman to be asking.

Today, consider taking fifteen minutes and writing a personal letter...reconnect with someone, a family member, an old friend, a writing buddy. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Letters Nag

Poetry Window

My poetry blog is Eat Poetry, although I've been pretty lax in posting lately. I should have some new posts towards the end of the week. Today here is my poetry window which hangs in the garden and will soon hold words.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Woof Winners for June 26th

WOOF Contest – Top Picks

Poetry

Zorlone – “Under the pale moon” - Events that occur to our mortal lives have been witnessed by the light of the pale moon. A poetry challenge to myself, inspired by the words of Robin of Robin's Nest.

Dragon Blogger – “Doggy Day Dream” - Whimsical poem about what dogs do when left home alone.

Jennifer M Scott – “Wicked Victory” - A surreal poem.

Jennifer M Scott – “At the Lake Haiku Series” - A series of haikus about swimming at the local lake.

Fiction

Romeo -“ Memories in the Shadows” - A short story about the past, the love one can recieve from a loving mother, a caring sister, and the onset of a terrible medical conditon- all linked together by a river flowing freely through an open field.

Presenting the finest of the writer’s blogs by the bloggers who write them. Highlighting the top posts as chosen by the June 26, 2009 WOOF Contest participants. Want in to join the next WOOF? The next contest ends July 3. Submit a link to your best writing post of the last 3 weeks using the form on this page.

Other WOOF Contestants for 06/26/09

About Writing

Writing Nag – “How Else Could We Discover the Stars?” - What is story and how can you add the elements of good fiction to your writing. A short piece of fiction is discussed.

Poetry

Zorlone – “I am my father's son” - "This little tribute, to one of such great importance in your life, points out many things that you must have been taught from his word and deed. Such as the connection that you have to your ancestors, the responsibility that you feel towards upholding your family name, determination and education and perhaps you hint that life has made difficult the upholding of his ideals, yet he has persevered to be a great man and a great father." - Strawberry Girl

Romeo – “Memories of the Past” - A elderly man recalls the love of his youth, battling the ever-present loneliness that comes with age.

Dragon Blogger – “Rescue From The Witch” - Fantasy poem about hunters rescuing a girl.

Growing Old

If you haven't seen these animated virtual movies on You Tube by Poetry Animations they're quite good. There's quite a few. More than 300. Here's just a sampling.

Summer afternoon, reflections on haiku

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. Henry James

Although this post might be more appropriate for my poetry blog I think that the lessons that haiku teaches can apply to all writers. Writers are deep observers and this book reminds all writers to look for moments of haiku in their life and their writing.

The first sweet pea blossom

Donegan, Patricia. Haiku Mind : 108 Poems to Cultivate Awareness and Open Your Heart. 1st ed. Boston: Shambala : Distributed in the United States by Random House, 2008.

morning glory in the evening

Poetry editor and poet Patricia Donegan presents a haiku anthology that celebrates and attempts to explain the ancient Japanese poetic form and “haiku mind.” Haiku mind is defined as being present, mindful and aware, something I believe is necessary to write all kinds of poetry. 108 haiku’s are listed by themes including adversity, sorrow, children’s innocence, dreams, war experience, sacred food chain, letting go and greed. With simple language but her obvious expertise in this subject, Donegan leads the reader through each poem with in depth analysis, spiritual reflections, history, and story of some of her favorite haiku’s from ancient haiku master poets to contemporary Japanese, American and Canadian poets. Donegan reminds readers that “as is taught in Tantric Buddhism” the haiku poet should “lean into the painful points as a way to acknowledge and transmute it.” Donegan invites the reader to experience the varying styles of haiku including free verse haiku, haibun, renga, renku and Jack Kerouac’s style of haiku “American sentences.” This book reminds all writers to express “simple moments in a profound way” and asks readers to slow down to notice the simple things that life offers. Written for beginning or experienced poets or anyone who enjoys this poetic form this book gives insight into the haiku writing process that made me appreciate haiku as I never have before.

An excerpt from the book under the theme of "Fearlessness" by Buson Yosa (1716-1784) considered to be "one of the three greatest male haiku and renga poets"

the piercing cold-

in our bedroom stepping

on my dead wife's comb

Today, consider writing some haiku. Why not slow down and become more aware of the simplicity and beauty that surrounds us. You may be surprised by what you write. Now get back to your meditation.

Lovingly,

The Writing Nag

lamb's ear

beginnings of Concord grapes

How to grow a summer garden

RIP Farrah and Michael

It's hard to write about such icons of my generation. When I first saw that Michael passed away my first thought was he couldn't have because Farrah Fawcett just died. There are great tributes to both of these icons on the web today as well as in print. All the news channels did wonderful coverage last night and I'm sure it will continue all week. I hope they both rest in peace.