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Poetry is the essence of ideas before they are distilled into thought.
It is made by dissolving halos in oceans of sound.
Poetry is all things born with wings that sing.
A true poem can create a divine stillness in the world.
~Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Poetry As Insurgent Art
Dear ,
Since it's National Poetry Month, I'm dedicating this issue to the poet inside of you; the one ready to free those trembling combinations of nouns and adjectives captive to your over responsible schedule, the ones currently forming complaints about your precarious focus as it gravitates toward the immediately gratifying, but often hollow, shiny things.
Or at the very least, expose you to the words of those poets who can transport you, even for a minute, with their cunning to call upon something inside that you forgot was there.
Or perhaps something you never considered might be there.
Short snippets of poetry can be enough to rekindle the waiting, fiery creativity in a gentle "kaizen" fashion. They add kerosene to ideas that dried up in the static that's out there when you neglected the vast terrain of possibility, alchemy, and reverie inside you.
“Poetry is my life, my postmark,
my hands, my kitchen, my face.”
~Anne Sexton
“While the novelist is banging on his typewriter,
the poet is watching a fly in the windowpane.”
~ Billy Collins
“A poet's work . . . to name the unnamable, to point at frauds,
to take sides, start arguments, shape the world
and stop it from going to sleep.”
―Salman Rushdie
A poem written by Laurence Ferlinghetti decades ago is weirdly relevant to where we are now,
an uncanny warning wrapped in rhythmic poetic, poignancy. Click here,
For Facebook friends (or friend me).
Eskilstuna Rag 032917
By Chris Vannoy
"The snow flakes are dancing around me
And I am smiling
Ginsberg is sleeping in Izzy’s basement
And I am smiling
Dylan’s ghost downs another whisky
And I am drunk on IPA
Listening to the thumping beat of Jazz
With old friends
While Irene screams slam poetry
Standing on top of the piano
As Tom Waits bangs out a new tune
With a cigarette dangling from his lower lip
And the psychedelic Juke Box
Drops another record
onto the turntable of the world
Bessie Smith drones from the speaker
As Miles blows his midnight horn
Charlie Chaplin taps his cane to the beat
Marlene catches my eye with a wink
And we are dancing, dancing, dancing…."
When power leads man toward arrogance,
poetry reminds him of his limitations.
When power narrows the area of man's concern,
poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence.
When power corrupts,
poetry cleanses.
~ John F. Kennedy
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Now for a Little Mirth...
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Poetry Prompts:
1. Titles
Titles to songs and paintings can provide a starting place for poets.
Scroll down on this page for a list of titles. How might you use one as a title or a line in a poem to propel you into poetry?
2. Starters
These are lines about happiness from the 6-line memoir site. Pick one and keep going with it into your own poem or make it the last line of your poem. Or write your own six-line memoir about happiness. It's okay to be happy.
- Nothing wrong with broccoli for breakfast.
- Happy Hour: No beer; just laughter.
- Ink, pages, the words of sages.
- Tea, alone, in the quiet morning.
- Happiness spills over to unconscious humming.
- Cherry blossom perfume wafts away gloom.
- The dance that writes the song.
- Enjoying the company of my loneliness.
- Get a dog. Seriously, a dog.
3. It was a day of ...
Make a list of events, nouns, feelings, thoughts about today or yesterday and then weave them into a poem that begins: It was a day of ...
4. Copy Billy Copying Someone Else
Start with a line from a famous poem like former poet laureate, Billy Collins did with his poem, Litany
5. Google Words
Do the prompt over in the right column. ----->
6. Send me your poem
And I will randomly choose one of them to publish in my next issue. If I choose yours I will send an Awe-manac to you or a friend. Reply to this newsletter. You have a pretty good chance because people rarely read this far. Go for it.
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The Muse is In Writing Club
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| | Think of a word or two words that go together. Go Google images of the word/s and choose the fourth image and write about it. I googled "easter basket" and the fourth image was a Dean and Deluca Easter basket:
Dean stood in the middle of the basket
wondering how it all came to this.
He never considered himself to
be just any chocolate rabbit.
He's won singing competitions,
marched for women's rights,
and is exceptional at ping pong.
Clearly he's more than just a delicious face. Why hasn't he been discovered?
And Deluca never shows up for the shoot.
Where IS that tramp?
Why does he always have to be the responsible one,
keeping the peeps and the jelly beans from edging out the eggs and the lollipops?
Dean felt hollow.
Join The Muse is IN Writing Club:
No pressure, no critique, two prompts weekly, shared, or not, with a community of like-minded people to sustain a regular writing practice - the only way writing happens for some people.
Encouraging shitty first drafts, random mumblings, and accidental masterpieces. For the writer who needs some different, kind of quirky, odd-ball prompts and some gentle structure to trick you into effortlessly writing on a regular basis among all levels of writers - some that will inspire you, some that will make you feel at home.
First month free, $10 a month (less than a movie) after that. Unsubscribe at any time. Click here for more info.
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| | Join the Underground Highway to Creative Results
A place to get regular reminder, prompts, and tips on the thoughts and actions fulfilled creative people engage in. Includes a monthly live creativity workshop webinar, and free membership in The Muse is In Writing Club. More here
$20 off registration until April 15, 2017 More information here
Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training
Every August and February
Taking applications for August 16 - December 12, 2017
Find your own creative depth and the answers to breaking through creative blocks with this 18 week training that gives you another stream of income and a community of creatives that support your dreams.
More here
San Diego Writing Workshops:
Free-Range Creative Writing Workshop with Jill
6:15 – 7:30 No Charge
Please call 619-533-3974 to register.
May 17
June 21
July 19
Off-beat prompts, imaginative triggers, and guided beginnings will make generating writing material easy and fun in this workshop designed for all levels of writers from, “I’d like to write but I can’t,” to seasoned pros and authors. We will explore poetry, prose, even the joy of the absurd to awaken your Muse and tap into your authentic voice.
Join poet and author/illustrator and internationally known creativity workshop leader, Jill Badonsky, at Kensington Library, for a non-critique, non-threating evening that will make you fall in love with writing and meet some kindred spirit.
Find Jill at www.themuseisin.com or www.kaizenmuse.com
Taos Retreats 2018
Start a payment plan now to make the registration easy for this creative writing, free-range art, yoga, improv retreat at the famous Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos
The Muse in Winter February 14-18, 2018
Camp Creative Thunder July 17-21, 2018
Limited registration, sign-up now.
Parallel Universe Time
Mondays 8 am pacific/ 9 mountain/ 10 central/ 11 eastern
I've been meeting, on the phone, one hour a week for the last seven years with all those who need a little structure to show-up for their creative work or just like to be in a supportive community to feel grounded and focused.. Everyone is invited and it's free. Bring something you'd like to make some progress on and watch what happens. Sign-up here.
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| Fine Print: Thank you for reading this far. Just for doing that< here is your free compliment : I love your posture, you're adorable.
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Jill Badonsky, M.Ed. is author/illustrator of three books on creativity, yoga teacher, poet, creative consultant, and an internationally recognized workshop leader,
She is founder and director of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training.
She lives with two cats and a bougainvillea.
Happy Passover - Happy Easter - Happy Poetry Month - Happy Full Moon - Happy Happy
The moon, pictured here, wearing a castle as an Easter bonnet
(R) Rights reserved 2017, Creativity will save us.
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