Posts filed under ‘creative • resources’
Writing the Life Poetic
Sage Cohen’s new book Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry is being released in April. But you can pre-order your copy here.
Take up the invitation to make poetry a part of your life and sign up for her Poetry for the People class which begins March 11.
The poem below is from her collection Like the Heart, the World.
Sage let us take a peek inside the space where she creates.
The farmland was an orchestra,
its ochres holding a baritone below
the soft bells of farmhouses,
altos of shadowed hills,
violins grieving the late
afternoon light. When I saw
the horses, glazed over with rain,
the battered old motorcycle parked
beside them, I pulled my car over
and silenced it on the gravel.
The rain and I were diamonds
displacing appetite with mystery.
As the horses turned toward me,
the centuries poured through
their powerful necks and my body
was the drum receiving the pulse
of history. The skin between me
and the world became the rhythm
of the rain keeping time with the sky
and into the music walked
the smallest of the horses. We stood
for many measures considering
each other, his eyes the quarter notes
of my heart’s staccato. This symphony
of privacy and silence: this wildness
that the fence between us could not divide.
Wanderlust
There’s nothing like going somewhere to make you feel like you’re somewhere else. Yesterday, my 3 year old son stated,”I don’t like cold Canada. I like warm Canada.” And at the moment, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where that would be. Everywhere billboards are splashed with colorful and beachy destinations, but when I can’t hop on a plane, I remind myself that travel can also be a state of mind. Not quite the same as being there, but close enough.
First stop: troyland- where graphic designer / photographer / Wanderlust author – Troy M. Litten “captures the funny, mundane, and unexpectedly beautiful aspects of traveling the world with a sense of discovery and wonder.”
And while you are “there” check out the airline bag lounge.
Poetry for the People
The approach of another gray winter day reminds me that poetry is not an accessory, it is a necessity.
A year ago, I had the opportunity to take a poetry course with Sage Cohen who helped me uncover poetry in unlikely places.
Sage is the author of “Like the Heart, the World” and the forthcoming book “Writing the Life Poetic” from Writers Digest Books.
She is offering a scholarship for her Poetry for the People class which starts March 11. The deadline for the scholarship is February 15th.
The Beauty of a Blank Page
I begin my French course next week and so I picked up a
notebook with an illustration by the wonderful French illustrator,
graphic designer and author Marc Boutavant. You can find his
notebooks at Jasper + Black
I also picked up this one below which covers everthing.
You can find it at Renaud-Bray but maybe only at their retail shops.
The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination
This is one of those children’s picture books that is really a wonder for anyone. A book to read with all of your senses. One of those to tuck away and pull out over and over again. Jimmy Liao’s illustrations and words punctuate poetry with humor and are filled with curiosity and surprise. Here are some lines from the English text, adapted by Sarah L. Thomson.
Now I listen for the sound
of the colors I can’t see.I try to smell the shapes,
taste the light and dark.And I hope to find a friend
who will read me a poemwhile the window
fills up with sunset.
