Volume XI, Issue 21
May 25, 2022
Word of the Week: library
Dear ,
Greetings from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, where I was delighted to find this bookstore, perfect for browsing a bit during my long layover. I'm on my way to Cody, Wyoming, to celebrate my friend Nora's 65th birthday.
Because Nora, whom I met when we were 17-year-old waitresses together at Elby's Big Boy Restaurant on Peach Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the kind of friend she is, what we're doing (among other things) is taking
a trip to North Dakota because it's one of the four states I need to reach my goal of visiting all fifty of them.
So, you may be wondering . . . What does this have to do with the word library?
Well, I have been looking for an opportunity to share Mark West's new book Theodore Roosevelt and His Library at Sagamore Hill with you. And one of the things Nora and I will do in North Dakota is visit
Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Maybe this is a bit tenuous of a link, but I am a bit jetlagged, and to my brain, it makes perfect sense. Bookstore looks like Library, Library brings to mind Teddy Roosevelt's library, which was written by Mark
West, whom I know as one of the largest supporters of writers Charlotte has.
Mark, who serves as Bonnie E. Cone Professor in Civic Engagement in UNCC's Department of English, features a local writer each week in his blog, Storied Charlotte. I get an email from him each week, sharing a tidbit
about the week's writer and his or her work. A few weeks ago, there was no mention of a writer at all, only
I didn't discover the book or author until I clicked the link. Now, that's humility!
I've loved learning about Teddy Roosevelt's library via Mark's lovingly meticulous research. And I'm betting you will, too.
At the very least, you yourself have had a grand time in a library!
Let's hear it for those who collect and catalogue the books of authors they enjoy—and those who write about them, like Mark West.
Love and light,
Upcoming WordPlay
THE HEALING POWER OF WORDS
(Writing as Renewal/Creating New Writing/
Tools for a Writing Life)
What benefits can writing provide – physically, mentally, spiritually? Are some ways of writing more healing than others? And can we create quality literary work as we heal? In this workshop that incorporates Dr. James Pennebaker’s ground-breaking ideas, we’ll discuss and implement ways to use writing as a
transformational tool. And, if you’re looking, you’ll find the genesis of new poetry, creative non-fiction, and/or fiction. Warning: Laughter likely. Inspiration guaranteed.
Read more about this program here.
COST: FREE!
WHERE: 7015 Carnegie Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28211
non-fiction, and/or fiction. Phone: (704) 416-5400
Get Directions.
WHEN: Thursday, June 23rd from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
More WordPlay opportunities here.
Featured Writing
from
Theodore Roosevelt and His Library
at Sagamore Hill
by
Mark I.
West
The Opening of CHAPTER ONE
An Overview of Theodore
Roosevelt's Life as a Reader
Learn more about Mark I. West's new book here.
WordPlay Now! Writing Prompt
This is WordPlay—so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after another? This week,
it's "library."
PROMPT:
Write about an experience—yours or anyone else's, real or fictional—that took place in a library. (Are you, like me, getting visceral memories of moments in libraries from your past? The St. Luke's Elementary School Library is one of mine—a time when the librarian wouldn't let me check my favorite book out for the umpteenth time. "Pick another book,
Maureen." While it's good advice, I wasn't very happy about it at the time.)
MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN, an award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, is the author of Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of Writing, two grief, healing, and gratitude workbooks entitled How Do I Say Goodbye? and Praying You Goodbye, and three
collections of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water. She believes, as author Julia Cameron says, "We are meant to midwife dreams for one another."
Maureen also believes that serious "word work" requires serious WordPlay, as play is how we humans best learn—and perform. What she loves best is witnessing all the other dreams that come true for her clients along the way. Language, when used with intentionality and focus, is, after all, serious fuel for joy. Here's to yours!
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