The Origin of Creativity

Once in a while, the internet gives me something useful to share. So, fellow writers, I offer you this TED talk from Shekhar Kapur that a friend shared with me.

I don't know about you, but I am inspired.

Anticipation

It's the eve of long-overdue regrouping of writers. They will be driving from points North & South to meet at my digs for dinner & drinks. We will attempt to workshop seven poems. I expect fun, laughter, productivity.

And I also look forward to re-establishing this blog. Salut!

A Brisk December Morn

I can't really title this post and get away with it: I live in Southern California. Let's just say that it's brisk for my "barely waking" state.

We're taking the month of December off here at Textual Medium, but that doesn't mean my brain hasn't been churning out lists of what I should be doing to sharpen my writerly pursuits. One of our own is applying for to an MFA program in Utah (I forget which university) and the last time we met, our group sifted through her poetry in a sort of mega-workshop: there were at least a dozen pieces in front of us. That was the most fun I've had to date, and I am so proud of how things have been progressing within the context of our writers group.

However.

I wish there were more fictioners on board!

That's all I'll say on the subject. If you know someone, are already part of the group, and believe their input will be useful and their work of interest, invite them already. Or, if you've been on hiatus because of school or other obligations, come back already! We (I) miss you! If you don't, I'm going to start writing poetry. It will be narrative by default and poorly written. Consider this, written a few days before my twentieth birthday:

20
A number
A word
Bizarre
Confused
Struggling to be free
In a society that cannot hold
All my dreams, desires, cares
Swimming through my veins
The life pulse sometimes wanes
Pushing against the skin
in futile efforts to be free
Of a body which surely will not survive
The accomplishments
The soul seeks to succeed in
The air rushes in and pushes on my lungs
Almost suffocating
This life giving force
To live you must breather
But sometimes it hurts, too
(Possibly a catch-22)
In between
And all around
The kaleidescope (sic) is turning
changing
churning
Yearning to be free
The colors scuttle around
Trapped within their shell
Unyielding
Unchanging
But nothing ever stays the same
New challenges to face
Everyday
Why should one day make such a difference

Good grief, there are 3 more half-sized pages of this in my journal and I can't bring myself to keep transcribing it. I think I just threw up in my mouth. You get the picture. It's fugly.

Now that I've wandered a bit in this post, I leave you with this query for the comment box: What is a sample of the worst that you've written?

Up-and-Coming

Please read Bridge of Sighs for next week.

I will update with some more information over the weekend (ie. an assignment of sorts).

Thank you for all your work!

A Plethora of Poetry

Next week's readings:

California Plush by Frank Bidart
Just by Alan Shapiro
Workshop by Billy Collins

I'd like to know your honest reactions to the selections, pick out what you like and don't like, and be prepared to explain your views.

Where the hell was the bread pudding?

The Zero Meeting of writerly cohorts has dissipated for the evening, and I'm a little broken up about the lack of sprouts in my sandwich still, so I'd be happy if you never brought it up again. Ever. Salt on the wound, folks. For serious.

I'm thrilled at the turn out, though markedly a little intimidated by the ratio of poets to fictioners. I think only good can come of this, but I encourage you to speak up when the spirit moves you and, in turn, I promise not to submit you to lengthy diatribes on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" or, hell, Ezra Pound's "Canto XLV: With Usura." We all have our limits. You need to tell me yours. My exposure to poetry is limited.

I'll be playing with the formatting of the meetings in the weeks to come. In the meantime, here's the first assignment:


Please read the following short stories from Zoetrope's All-Story: The Invisibles and Rumors About Me. Simple thoughts: what you like / don't like? Why?

Consider these questions: What do you find attractive in other people's writing, whether it is poetry or prose, published or unpublished? What are your immediate and/or long-term goals (if any) for your writing? Write about these in whatever form you choose. There is no minimum length. Nor a maximum for that matter. Keep it thoughtful.
Responses are to be shared with the group via email, due by Sunday night (July 27). We're all at different places with our writing, so I want to do this as a way of getting more acquainted with each other.


I'll send out an email list to everyone shortly and will update it periodically to insure it remains current. For whoever is being workshopped, please email us your work by Saturday evening so that we have time to prepare feedback for Wednesday. Thank you!

Zero Meeting

My recent relocation postponed our first meet-up, but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening! I know some are out of town or have conflicts, but with any luck we can piece together some ideas and discover what we hope to get out of this. I also hope to do something more with this blog than just iterate what I've already said on Facebook, too. Heh. Maybe I should do post-meeting write-ups instead? With pictures?!?

You just let me know, okay?