Day Ten. Portland Center Stage

So sad that this was the last workshop in the Ten Days of Writing, but so very glad to have made it to all of them. I always am sad to see the end of any Write Around Portland workshop, but this one in particular because it had so many twist, turns and variables for me. I got to write with some of my favorite facilitators, as well as some new ones and some that I even trained with.

Then there were the participants. People I've been in workshops with before, new faces that went to several in this series and people that brought their kids and just the overwhelming joy of writing with strangers.

As usual it all melted into two groups totaling about 30 writers in all. And, the magic happened one last time. Today a prompt I will definitely use in the future, was to first write a name or occupation of a person on a yellow piece of paper. Follow that up with a mood or emotion on a purple paper, and finally an action or activity on a blue paper. We then put our papers in coordinating manila envelopes, passed them around and got one of each back. We then could start with the words "that was the day that he/she.... or as usual what ever we wanted. I pulled out "British palace royal guard", "relief", and "people watching".

That was the day that he finally got relief from that nagging feeling he'd always had from not following his passion. Tommy Brown was an army brat, endearingly known to his friends as Private Parts. Tommy had got out of the army because his real passion was people watching. Sure there was plenty of people in the army to watch, but they were always the same. This people watcher liked variety in his people.

If Tommy had not caught that special on the history channel about the British empire, he'd never had put two and two together. Now Tommy lives in Manchester with his wife Kay, satisfying with much relief, his passion for people watching, as a British palace royal guard.

Day Nine. Pre and Post.

The library in Gresham was buzzing with activity on Thursday, and it seemed like the beginning of a wonderful mystery to walk into the room where we would have Day 9 of the workshops. I had so many questions floating in my mind: Who would attend? What would they write? Would we find that connection through writing – that always seems elusive yet shows up in every Write Around Portland workshop?

That magical connection made an appearance as writers shared truths about growing older, family rules, and living with teenagers. Images of campfires, New England post offices, birds singing and fish dancing. Questions about how we find answers and even a few thoughts on math.

We also talked a little shop during the break. How do we write? Does it spill out onto the page willingly, or do we sometimes have to stop our pens, take a deep breath and let the thoughts take some shape before they'll go down on paper?

Writing with Write Around Portland in Gresham made my day! By the time I left the workshop, my pre-workshop questions had evolved into so many beautiful images and ideas. Thank you to everyone who came and shared their voices.

10 details from po' shines.

note: franciszka was the facilitator at the po'shines workshop.

1. 81 years old
she's the first to arrive
and the last to leave
she maps fire and volcanoes
alive in the days of horse-drawn milk carts
alive in the days of cell phones.

2. some write seated around the table
one writes standing

3. fake spring in full effect
first bike ride over dekum 1-5 footbridge
i'm falling in love
with the kenton neighborhood
laced in warmgold sunset

4. this group knows what it wants
requests for no feedback
forays into the language of bravery

5. a lily corsage

6. we ride the cyclone roller coaster
with you

7. 2 pitchers of water
red stacks of plastic cups
we are thirsty
in more ways than one

8. to know and love herself
is only one reason

9. the map is not a blank page
perseverance
gets us there

10. a heart so full
the footbridge calls me back

lovely day to you.
franciszka.

Day Nine. Ten Places I've Been or am Going.

It was a long ride on MAX today, all the way out to the Gresham Library. We started with eight, then down to seven, up to a cozy twelve, ending finally with a lucky thirteen participants.

We had a good range in age again including some wonderful teens. I'm so glad people have brought their children to some of these workshops, because I have always thought I would not enjoy or be comfortable writing with anyone under say eighteen yrs of age.I don't feel that way anymore.

Today I choose to share 10 Places I'm Going.

1.Driving down the Pacific coast highway when it's sunny weather.
2.To see the Redwood forest of California.
3.Hiking in Mazatlan, Mexico.
4.Walking out on that new glass sky-bridge overlooking the Grand Canyon.
5. Hot air ballooning in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
6.Epcot Center in Florida.
7.The sandy beaches of Hawaii.
8.The national square dance convention in Chicago 2010.
9.Back to my family tree roots in Scotland.
10.Home to bed, I've been up twelve hours.

JKC

Day Eight. I Know.

The eighth workshop in the series was held in a place I've always wanted to check out: Sisters of the Road Cafe on NW 6th. There were twenty five or so participants in total, and while two left at the intermission, the universe provided us just minutes later with two late arrivals. I'm seeing some faces I've seen in other workshops, so I'm glad people are taking advantage of the "Ten Days of Writing." I chose the first prompt.

I know this is a free-write and I could write about anything, yet I keep thinking I only have three minutes to come up with something. What can I possibly come up with and get on paper in such a short time?

It doesn't matter, the facilitator did not say I had three minutes to come up with a poem, fairy tale or even the next greatest novel. Just write something (dog gam-mit), write something about what I know.

Oh no, she just said we have one minute to wrap it up.

Thank God spelling, grammar and neatness do not matter. I do know this much for sure. I'm so glad to be out writing with strangers in the community I live, possibly sharing and definitely respecting.

JKC

Day Seven. Color, Bodypart and Personality Trait.

The seventh workshop was at Stoel Rives LLP downtown on SW 5th avenue. We had to break up into two groups as we were fortunate to have twenty-nine people eager to write and share. At first the extra voices were a bit of a challenge but like community will do, we came together as one and focused. Again with all new prompts we got in four free-writes.

Once again I ask people to share your writing and or experience here on the blog, and don't be shy with comments. Here's the start of my piece from the title prompt.

Always painted or brushed in jungle red;
She had zygomas that could cut glass.
Her pet peeves, sobriety and kindness;
Flirting eyes, cold and black.

JKC

Day Six. We Could Have Written All Night.

The workshop at Looking Glass Bookstore last night was so, so great.

Sixteen participants wrote with me in the main room of the bookstore. Tall bookshelves surrounded us, and we sat in a large circle.

I was so excited at first I probably talked too fast, but the group was forgiving.

Suddenly I was nervous, too. What if I lost track of time? What if Kathy's group had way more fun? What if people felt too shy to read or give feedback?

Somehow—call it amazing luck, wonderful writers, or Write Around Portland's unceasing ability to inspire people—everyone seemed eager to write, read, and give feedback. People were comfortable passing, too, and everyone seemed to effortlessly follow the guidelines we talked about.

Soon the room was thick with moving poetry and prose.

One woman, glad to be there but also a bit overcome with timidity, ventured to share a haiku she wrote. It was truly breathtaking, and everyone made sure she knew it.

Another participant expertly took on the voice of a teenage girl, sneaking characters' names, slang, and vital details in at all the right times. How she did that in ten minutes is beyond me.

We were all transported to calming beach-side retreats and crisp autumn days. We peered into a mother's nighttime routine and watched a writer find solace in her private room. We laughed at clever turns of phrases, appreciated raw honesty, and related to the familiar.

My only regret is that we only had two hours together. We could've written all night.

M