Poetry Friday round-up is with Michelle Kogan today.
PoemCrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge is a book I go back to again and again for writing inspiration. My writing friend, Linda Mitchell, reminded me of an exercise “our real names” found on page 36. The prompt is simple with different sentence stems to lead you. I was attempting to use this prompt for my “Work in Progress” but I wasn’t happy with the results. No matter. I walked to the study and turned on the IBM Selectric my son-in-law found at an estate sale. The hum and the musty smell settles me into creative writing.
The first name that came to me was Temperance Flowerdew. My cousin has done some genealogical research and found her in our ancestral line. She survived the Starving Time in Jamestown and was married to two governors, George Yeardley and Francis West. Not only did she have a wonderful name, she was an early colonist, a fighter, and a survivor. I can’t even imagine what her life was like, but I can invoke her name to give me strength and courage.
I am pleased to announce the first post of the Bayou Song blog tour is with Michelle today. Click over to see features of the book and an interview. She is also rounding up all Poetry Friday posts today.
Friday, June 22:
Michelle Kogan
Tuesday, June 26:
Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
Friday, June 29:
Ruth Hersey at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town
Friday, July 6:
Kimberly Hutmacher at Kimberly Hutmacher Writes
Friday, July 13:
Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
Tuesday, July 17:
Laura Shovan
Tuesday, July 24
Amanda Potts at Persistence and Pedagogy
Friday, July 27:
Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink
Monday, July 30
Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
Friday, Aug. 3
Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
Reflections on the Teche 