The architecture of our work.

Everything about our poetic voice gives
the work art and texture: the idea, the
feeling, the story, the details, the
rhythm, color, and line.

The look of the words on a page

You are invited to explore the design of
your writing and to craft new poems
and stories through the exercises we
will do together.

Be inspired in this beautiful location,
the presence of other writers, and
stretch your words, music, and art.

You are welcome to bring musical instruments
or your visual art works to
help us develop our theme and inspire
new works.

We are returning to Maris Stella Retreat and Conference Center for this weekend of sight and sound and creative design.

Dates: April 17-19, 2009 Friday to Sunday

Place: Stella Maris Retreat and Conference Center
7201 Long Beach Blvd.
Harvey Cedars, NJ

Facilitator: Deborah L. Humphreys SC

$150 (includes meals and $50 non-refundable deposit)

Download attachment and reserve your place.

 Application:

Words on a Page

gathering stones

my attention drawn away

cinders in my shoe

Or questions. Stones fascinate me. In Ireland I begin to wonder if each county has its own special stone. Donegal has the bleach-white round eggs called durlings,  In  County Clare, there is the smooth slate that looks like books lined on a shelf and Tipperary has  rose-hued clay pebbles along the cow paths  through the Galtee Vee. In Glashú, Gaoth Dobhair, I see how the stones are piled to make strong fences along the water where winds rip and tear.  I hear in that wind one generation teaching another:  you may think the wall is strong by making the fence tight with stones, but no. It is allowing spaces for wind to come through that diffuse its fury. This is what preserves the fence. A simple wisdom of design. A way to live as well.

This May in El Salvador, I see stones here, too—red bricks as familiar to me as the walls of  Newark tenements, fading slogans seeping into the bricks.. Some walls, scarred, chipped-off stucco revealing deeper older walls, wounds High walls in rich neighborhoods where the grandchildren of the “13 Families” live their quiet protected lives. At the top of these walls embedded in the cement are pieces of sharp glass. In Suchitoto, named the cultural capital of the country, cobblestone roads appear as charming as the plaza, the cathedral, the art galleries and outdoor Sunday morning market.  I learn that the cobblestones functions to slow down the military when they invade. Visitors might hear, be tempted to  believe that the civil war ended in 1992,  but peaceful demonstrators against the privatization of water were jailed as terrorists in July 2007. The Suchitoto 14. The charges are dropped by the Salvadoran court in April. In May, the youngest of the group, Hector Antonio Ventura, is murdered  here in Valle Verde.

 mosaics of stone

art you can walk on, reflect
dulce et util

Translation of the following Emily Dickson poem in Irish and Spanish. Gobnait, patron saint of beekeepers, might be amused.

To Make a Prairie it takes

One Clover and a Bee,

A Clover and one Bee,

and reverie.

The reverie

Alone will do

if Bees are few.

Ní foláir ach seamair amháin agus beach
Fásach féir a dhéanamh
seamair agus ach beach amháin
agus brionglóideach.
Is leor an bhrionglóideach
má tá laghad na mbeach ann.

Para hacer una pradera requiere
una  hoja de treból y una abeja,
treból y solamente una abeja
mas arrobamiento.
El arrobamiento solo basta
si las abejas son pocas

First, a principal of attention, simply that, A faith that if we look and look we will be surprised and we will be rewarded. 

Mark Doty in “Still Life with Oysters and Lemons”

out and traveling

in blue fog at an hour

for those with insomnia

or dogs with needs

i am here.  tangerine suns

of street lights show silver

on grass, teardrops at tips

of branches, first words

of morning. between friends

about friends, not praise but

prayers of petition, promises,

wishful thinking that spirit

wants spirit in these faithful

tributes we make before

another day.  i look up, see

scraggly heads of trees, roots

trying to

anchor

the lifting

sky

Seeing the droplets from the pines at Maris Stella brought to mind, the volunteers along the marathon route, Palm Sunday and the mandate to care for the stranger, the widow, the orphan.

Kelly’s Welcome is a turn of phrase for a whole-hearted welcome and there is always one waiting before us.

What is key to artists in our work is “attention to detail.” These are the sparks that awaken the imagination–pushes the brush, the pen, opens up new understandings.

To have the time to explore our creative process is a way to kindle those flickers of soul. On March 7-8, I will be facilitating such a workshop–a retreat for women writers at Maris Stella Retreat and Conference  Center in Harvey Cedars, NJ.

If you are interested check out the attached brochure. The retreat will be begin with a multimedia poetry presentation, followed by an open reading. The next day we will be writing and sharing new works. Stretch. Stretch back. Stretch forward. Breathe deeply. Walk on the Jersey shore just before spring.

Attention to Detail Brochure