Quiddity is a multimedia arts venue featuring an international literary journal (print and audio), a public-radio program, and a visiting writer and artist series. Each is produced by Benedictine University in partnership with NPR member/PRI affiliate WUIS, Illinois Public Radio’s hub-station. The print journal, published semi-annually, features exemplary prose, poetry, and artwork from emerging and established writers and artists around the world. International submissions are encouraged. The public-radio program and the visiting writer and artist series feature select authors and artists. Contributors to the print journal are invited to contribute to the audio journal and may have their work featured on the public-radio program. The term quiddity means “the real nature or essence of a thing; that which makes it what it is.” Because those who participate in the arts—crafters, readers, viewers, listeners—are its quiddity, the venue Quiddity seeks not only work from a wide and diverse pool of individuals but also…
Month: May 2014
What if we speak truth with compassion? The power of words.
Guest Blogger Kshatriya Millick writes about the importance of words. The lyrics to “Speak Life” by Toby Mac have really been weighing on my heart and mind. Hearing this song, live in concert, touched my soul and spirit in a way hearing it on the radio never did. It has caused me to think about how I speak to others. Do I use my words to lift others up or tear them down? Do I take little jabs to their characters and their lives, to feel like I am connected to something or to feel superior? Do I use jokes that are hurtful to be funny? Do I use my words to inspire others or to discourage them? These questions have caused me to evaluate how I use words in my life, and how those in my life use their words in their lives. I no longer wish to associate…
Maybe what I have written today is messy, clumsy, raggedy . . .
“Say to yourself, ‘Maybe what I have written today is messy, clumsy, raggedy, but that’s my poem for today.’ Maybe there is a neater poem buried inside it that I can work on tomorrow.” — Naomi Shihab Nye, April 2014 Writer magazine, “Mystical Jolt,” by Robert Hirschfield
My mother always said . . . Prompt #69
I hope today’s prompt will inspire you to write about your mother, or your mother figure. Prompt: My mother always said . . . Or: My grandmother always said. . . Or: My [mother figure] always said. . . Marlene and her Mom, 1959, San Francisco, CA After you have written your freewrite, if you are inspired. . . polish, revise, edit, review your writing and submit to Lynn Cook Henriksen for her blog and possibly for inclusion in Volume II of Telltale Souls. Click here for details.
Use sensory detail and be specific.
I love gorgeous writing and wonder how authors produce writing so vivid you feel as if you are in their world. One idea is to watch what people really do when talking, use sensory detail and be specific. For example, author Rachael Herron creates believable fictional characters. There is so much to like about her writing. One tool she employs well is the actions her characters engage in while talking. The dialogue develops character and moves the story along. The action makes the characters believable. Here are some examples from “How to Knit a Heart Back Home.” Owen twisted the [plastic] spoon in his fingers. He would not rub the scar on his hip, which suddenly burned. Lucy took the now mangled plastic spoon out of his hand and then threaded her fingers through his. Dropping his eyes from hers, Owen watched Lucy’s pulse flicker rapidly in the hollow of…
If only . . . . Prompt #68
Writing Prompt: If only . . . Set your timer for 12 minutes and write “If only” . . . . and keep writing. Prompt #68 – If only . . .
Body On The Wall by Michelle Wing
Michelle Wing’s captivating book of poetry, Body On The Wall — is divided into four elements: Wind, Fire, Earth and Water. Michelle delves into the complex array of emotions with an artist’s eye and sure hand, transporting the reader from piece to piece with honesty and intensity. In Wind, readers feel the breeze, the cleansing air, the playfulness, despair and hope. In Fire, the rich texture and complex layers travel a labyrinth of emotional experiences. In Earth, more ups and downs on the emotional ladder of pain, humiliation, awareness, hope, reality. In Water, new life, satisfaction, rejection, sharp pain, settling, calming and humor. Joanna McClure, an original San Francisco Beat Poet: I enjoyed reading Michelle Wing’s poetry — full of her rich and varied multi-cultural life — its sensual pleasures as well as its dark depths. Kathy Myers reviews Body On The Wall: I wish I could reach through the cover…
“Mother Memoir” Story Submission Guidelines 2014
Lynn Cook Henriksen writes: When “TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir…” was setup on the Amazon site, they characterized it as Volume I. I felt someone was trying to tell me Volume II would need follow, so now’s the time to start writing the story only you can write and send it to me for possible inclusion. Volume II will be mainly filled with TellTale Souls’ bio-vignettes, not as a guide to writing, since I covered that well throughout the Five Acts making up Volume I. For the publication of your non-fiction, telling-tale on the TellTale Souls/The Story Woman blog or possible inclusion in a future memoir collection, please follow these guidelines. Look over the The Story Woman Blog carefully and you will gain insight into what we would like to see in your story (your bio-vignette). Need help? Consider reading TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How to Tap…
Due Dates — Making Friends with Deadlines by Michelle Wing
Guest Blogger Michelle Wing writes: I have always been rather envious of writers who say they sit down at their desks each day at, say, 9 a.m., and write for three or four hours. In other words, writers who have a pattern and a discipline to their output. That is simply not how I am wired. I can’t do anything that way – exercise regimens, meals, study sessions – nope, I fail at every attempt to adhere to a strict schedule. Instead of berating myself over this, I have learned to look at what does work for me. What are my ideal conditions for writing productivity? I thrive under deadlines. Having spent over 15 years of my life working as a journalist, I am very familiar with the feeling of having to get a story out – now – just under the wire. It is its own particular type of…
Listen to the world around you — Jörgen Elofsson
“If you want to write about a ‘broken heart,’ it’s good to know what a broken heart feels like. I also believe you need to take the time and not rush things, keep it playful . . . and listen to the world around [you].” — Jörgen Elofsson, songwriter for Kelly Clarkson, excerpt from the May 2014 issue of The Writer Magazine. Photo: Jorgen