Isolation

A little poem on how writing about isolation makes me feel. You know you're struggling when you write about writing...

Isolation
Trepidation
Perspiration
Inspiration
Salutation
Permutation
Compilation
Completion

Writing

Hi all,

Lately I have found myself with much less time on my hands, so I am opting out of our writing meetings for awhile. I feel that I need to put my head down and write, write, write in order to complete some of my personal projects. When I have achieved a sense of completion, I hope to re-join our group, and hopefully participate in a critique group.

Happy writing!
Susan

Elizabeth Gilbert Video

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

Workshop

That writing workshop was magnificent.

I would enjoy hearing everyone's thoughts and insights; what you liked, what we can bring to the group, what you will be working on. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful thing my friends.

messages

Hi
Susan asked if I would post my message from Tues. evening. Thanks for the kind words and support.
I spoke openly and honestly face to face
Wrote a wordy letter to you
Made a phone call
Sent a note
Forwarded an email
Resorted to the maze of Twitter, Facebook, and Blog
Even text
Yet, still you did not get the message

Re: Cabin Fever Daze

Hi Ingrid,

 

The Write On writers' group met last night and the following plan has been adopted for action.

 

The event will be a variety show called Cabin Fever Daze, subtitled Verse & Worse, and will take place in the Theatre at Centre 64 on Friday, February 18th, starting at 7.30 p.m. The entertainment plan is to include readings of poetry and prose, songs and instrumental music, comedy sketches and other as yet undefined performances by local amateur musicians, singers, actors, and writers. The event will be preceded by a reception in the Gallery at Centre 64 offering suitable refreshments which will also be available during the show's intermission.

 

The event will be organized on behalf of the Kimberley Arts Council by an organizing committee composed of members of the Write On writers' group, which is an ad hoc group that meets every second Tuesday to share members' writings under the auspices of the Kimberley Arts Council literary arts programs committee, of which I am currently the default chair.

 

Admission prices to Cabin Fever Daze have not yet been determined but will probably be kept as low as possible, sufficient to cover costs and perhaps make a donation to an appropriate cause, such as the expansion of Centre 64. This will be decided by the organizing committee which will meet next Tuesday to develop plans for the event.

 

I hope this information is sufficient for your purposes and I thank you for providing this opportunity to get the word out early.

 

Mike

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Ingrid Liepa

To: Michael Redfern

Cc: Kimberley Arts Council - Centre 64

Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010 8:40 AM

Subject: Re: Cabin Fever Daze

Thanks Mike -

I've arranged with Maurice and Jenny from GO Kimberley to hold things open until next Wed evening, so if we could plan to touch base on Wed morning after the writers' group meeting, that would work really well.

Would that work with your schedule?

Ingrid

On 11/10/2010 5:36 PM, Michael Redfern wrote:

Hi Ingrid,

Currently Cabin Fever Daze is in the conception stage. The Write On writers' group meets next Tuesday evening at which time we will select a date and time and firm up the contents of the event. For now I can tell you it will be a literary and musical event, possibly subtitled "Verse & Worse", in which local poets and writers, actors and musicians, will entertain in the Theatre at Centre 64.

If you send me a reminder next Wednesday I'll fill in you in on as many details as I can. I'm out of town for the next four days so can do nothing earlier than that, I'm afraid. I hope this will be in time for your next issue of GO Kimberley.

Mike

----- Original Message -----

From: Ingrid Liepa

To: Michael Redfern

Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 12:15 PM

Subject: Cabin Fever Daze

Hi Mike,

I'd love to learn a bit more about what's planned with this event - as it would be great to include it in the general write up of the arts I'm doing for the winter issue of GO Kimberley.

Give me a shout when you have a chance - 250-520-0059

Cheers,
Ingrid

Last night's workshop

Don and I collaborated on this blog - Don did the work and I'm taking the credit.

Writing Group was, once again, a lot of fun last night. We laughed, cried, laughed some more, heard heartfelt writing and vivid childhood recollections.

We also discussed our Cabin-Fever Evening(I can't remember the subtitle, but it's a good one - Mike?) in February. Nola, Nina, Heather and Mike are going to head up this event. Any other volunteers will be welcome - just contact one of the above for the meeting time etc. (I believe it's 7 pm at Heather's house next Tuesday). It sounds like it will be a hoot!

We are looking forward to the workshop this weekend. We have a whopping 17 registrants - yahoo! See you all (who are attending) Friday at the Alpen at 7 pm.

Now back to last night. We wrote about the messages that we got in our Fortune Cookies. A fun exercise provided by our facilitator, Margaret. Next week's facilitator will be Nina, and our writing assignment is: isolation.

Last week's writing assignment brought forth some very interesting results. Here goes (thanks for the notes, Don):

Susan's characters found a message from God in their butter dish, only to have the family mutt eat it. But a message doesn't need to last, it just needs to reach its destination.

Heather A very heart rending story of messages from the past. Clara had died the year before and her husband Charlie took a walk through memory lane, holding history in his hand with a letter from his deceased wife. A jar was filled with mementos such as apple blossoms and one of Clara's handkerchiefs.

Nora A delightful stanza about a message sent in a variety of formats, by blog, Twitter, face to face, email and texted The bottom line "but you still didn't get the message".

Don A humorous array of answering machine messages to get away from the usual boring trite stuff that we are used to hearing, eg The advantage of call waiting. "Hi I'm probably home right now but I'm just avoiding people I don't want to talk to. Leave me a message. If I don't call back it's you."

Nina wrote about a place of healing. "What good is love when it comes at such a high price? Who am I without you? "Who would you rather love, who would rather love you?' The tempo of fhe writing was very musical with great potential for a new song.

Margaret mused about an email from son Daniel on a travel adventure across the province to Tofino where he learned to surf. He was successful in disputing a parking ticket and the response not only indicated a cancelled fine but empathy for his situation. It was a philosophical exploration with a variety of high and lows, finding room and board for $150 a month in Vancouver and discovering that the forest is a place of healing.

Mike received an email message from a friend in England whose dad had recently passed away at the age of 99, but it was not a cause for grief. He died at home surrounded by family at a grand old age. It stirred many past memories for Mike as a youngster with his earliest memory at two and half years of moving to Warminster during the war years and looking for lodging. This is where they found Molly Dawkins and her husband Bert, an association that along with Beret's daughter Aryda (?) that lasted for more than 60 years.

Alpen Cafe evening

Hello folks. For those that are coming to the workshop, we are wondering if people mind bringing a bottle of wine and a plate of nibblies to the Alpen Cafe Friday night. We don't need a liquor licence according to the guy I talked to at the store and this would be an easy thing for the Write On members to do. Bought or homemade, doesn't matter. Jenny is providing coffee/tea/clean-up there. We can get a sense of numbers and people willing to help out with that this Tuesday night or email the post with your thoughts!

Next meeting Tuesday November 16th

Margaret will be the facilitator and the writing assignment is titled "Messages"

Meeting Tuesday November 2nd

Writing assignment

"Impressions of Kimberley"

Christine wrote three short pieces that captured for her the essence of Kimberley very succinctly. In summary they included 1. fresh-baked huckleberry pies, nature's beauty, a bath in a mountain lake and not looking for Happy Hans. 2. Friendly locals in a welcoming community who were there when a crisis struck.
3.After 22 years Christine feels she is almost a local. They know my name, my children, my house and my car.

Don read excerpts from his book "Headwinds and Horizons" which recalled the first memories of arriving in Kimberley in 1967 with his new bride. June's reaction was to burst into tears and sob uncontrollably. Don didn't help matters by spending time in the pub with the locals for a couple of hours leaving June to discover his whereabouts after her short shopping spree.

Sue's impressions were of the beauty of the natural environment and Kimberley folk being hardy souls with an incessant cheeriness. They give directions based on how things used to be. They need to take a trip to Frigon Island to get get a dose of world reality and drink something other than berry and flower tea.

Nina came to Kimberley via Toronto "to be" Lost memories haunt her of a life once lived. She feels a lack of attachment, ambition and purpose so far but has a sense of freedom.

Heather. Two poems captured her impressions. Kimberley, how do I love you? Let me count the ways. They included kindred spirits that reside in the mountains blessed with elk and bear, toddlers laughter, Mark Creek's ebbs and flows, wingterscapes and trails, resplendent forests, lakes and rivers. Let me end my ode. Calgary is the toad.

Kay has a new used dog for company to ease the loneliness of waking alone. She is looking for a partner. That charming young man she discovered, after an evening of gin and tonics, confessed his love for leading a single life. She is resigned to being single. There is still room on the bed for the dog.

Margaret shared lots of reflections of her 25 years in Kimberley that included seeking recreation rather than employment, to be recognized, to listen to trees and deer, to await seasons patiently, to evolve never. She loves the brisk mountain air, the reflective clear waters and graceful golden larch. It's here that she is able to pursues her passions.

Mike. Kimberley has changed over the years from a working class commmunity that has morphed into a middle and upper class community becoming dominated by vacant holiday homes of the wealthy. Where there were once forests surrounding the town with trails close beyond the backdoor there are now barbed wire fences across old trails and resident bears that once roamed free are being slaughtered because of the encroachment into their habitat. There has been a loss of it's character as a diamond in the rough and commmunal independence has been lost. It is certainly a diffferent place.
"Impressions of Kimberley"

Christine wrote three short pieces that captured for her the essence of Kimberley very succinctly. In summary they included 1. fresh-baked huckleberry pies, nature's beauty, a bath in a mountain lake and not looking for Happy Hans. 2. Friendly locals in a welcoming community who were there when a crisis struck.
3.After 22 years Christine feels she is almost a local. They know my name, my children, my house and my car.

Don read excerpts from his book "Headwinds and Horizons" which recalled the first memories of arriving in Kimberley in 1967 with his new bride. June's reaction was to burst into tears and sob uncontrollably. Don didn't help matters by spending time in the pub with the locals for a couple of hours leaving June to discover his whereabouts after her short shopping spree.

Sue's impressions were of the beauty of the natural environment and Kimberley folk being hardy souls with an incessant cheeriness. They give directions based on how things used to be. They need to take a trip to Frigon Island to get get a dose of world reality and drink something other than berry and flower tea.

Nina came to Kimberley via Toronto "to be" Lost memories haunt her of a life once lived. She feels a lack of attachment, ambition and purpose so far but has a sense of freedom.

Heather. Two poems captured her impressions. Kimberley, how do I love you? Let me count the ways. They included kindred spirits that reside in the mountains blessed with elk and bear, toddlers laughter, Mark Creek's ebbs and flows, wingterscapes and trails, resplendent forests, lakes and rivers. Let me end my ode. Calgary is the toad.

Kay has a new used dog for company to ease the loneliness of waking alone. She is looking for a partner. That charming young man she discovered, after an evening of gin and tonics, confessed his love for leading a single life. She is resigned to being single. There is still room on the bed for the dog.

Margaret shared lots of reflections of her 25 years in Kimberley that included seeking recreation rather than employment, to be recognized, to listen to trees and deer, to await seasons patiently, to evolve never. She loves the brisk mountain air, the reflective clear waters and graceful golden larch. It's here that she is able to pursues her passions.

Mike. Kimberley has changed over the years from a working class commmunity that has morphed into a middle and upper class community becoming dominated by vacant holiday homes of the wealthy. Where there were once forests surrounding the town with trails close beyond the backdoor there are now barbed wire fences across old trails and resident bears that once roamed free are being slaughtered because of the encroachment into their habitat. There has been a loss of it's character as a diamond in the rough and commmunal independence has been lost. It is certainly a diffferent place.

Meeting Tuesday November 2nd

Writing exercise.
Christine provided the following opening sentence that we had to finish in story form...
"So Nick Wally lived a half hazard life from the day he was born. Mostly due to no fault of his own but by the time he was seventeen....."
Margaret's Nick headed out for new horizons in his van with his dog.
Kay. Nick discovered that he was a genius which meant that life only became tougher for him.
Heather's Nick lost his virginity albeit late in the day after being successfully taunted by Candace.
Nina. Nick had to take responsibility for his actions. Someone was dead and Nick believed he was involved.
Sue. Nick plunged into degenerate negativisms being on drugs and shooting up in the foul washroom of the Cecil Hotel. Death was waiting to release him from his despair.
Don. Nick had been in jail three times that he claimed was no fault of his own. Once for hosting a drunken party that got out of hand and again for delivering a box of health food itmes to a friend in Mexico that the customs agents believed were drugs.
Christine's Nick left his half-crazed mother to go in search of his dad who his mother told him was dead and had gone to hell.
Mike. Nick was determined to leave his Italian Mafia connected relatives to find hbis own way in the world.