I have a lot to say and not too much energy to say it tonight, but I want to capture these feelings while they are fresh.
I had a wonderful weekend in Austin with the Story Circle Network folks. A big thank you to SCN for putting on such a warm and informative conference. I was able to finally meet several people with whom I feel close via the internet, but who I have never “officially” met. That was lovely. A big shout-out to my SCN internet group 6. It was great to finally meet you in person! Also, thank you so much for being my cheering section during my workshop. As a result, I was able to relax and have fun.
Another big thank you to my cousin Lee, his wife, Elaine, and their two kids, Nicki and Sam, who fed me grilled chicken and salmon, regaled me with stories, and then topped it off by taking me to my very first Greek Orthodox Easter Vigil service (though I must admit I left at 12:30 am while Elaine and Nicki stayed on until 3 or 4!). I had so much fun with you all, eating, talking and just be together. Thank you for your hospitality.
On another note, Cousin Lee and his son, Sam, both English majors, have set me straight on haiku and let me just say, I now know that my poems I’ve been writing are not official haiku. I already knew that Japanese haiku had specific rules, but I had read that American haiku could be a much looser interpretation. Suffice it to say, I think I’ll follow Cousin Lee’s advice and just start calling those poems something besides haiku. No need to confuse anybody. One of my students at the conference suggested Lowku. Not a bad idea…
I am now in Corpus Christi seeing daughter Sarah. She is moving to Sherman for her last rotation of the year, and we are loading up a U-Haul to help her make that transition easier. As always, nothing makes me happier than seeing my girl who has been living so far away. Needless to say, I am glad to be here.
Again, what a week-end! What complete fun all-round.
Thank you to all who helped me with ideas for the workshop. I incorporated every one of them, so the time you took to respond is much appreciated. My students seemed to enjoy my presentation. My goal was to make them laugh a little, write a lot, be inspired to write even more, and to not take any of this too seriously. That is my personal goal, too. A worthy one, I think.
I am grateful for such a wonderful time this weekend. How lucky I am to have such a loving family, and such great writing friends.
Good night to all.
Opmerkingen