Yesterday with Kate Messner at the Write to Learn conference was interesting,
but today, we're headed to new places today.
Yesterday | Today |
Kate Messner, via Skype, took us from a three-minute write into the process of revision by assigning us a "Sometimes" poem and then stressing senses, one at a time. My original writing was about the place in my mind where writing is born: Sometimes in the gray recesses Clouds loiter silently Vision blurs Blinking does not help I wonder to myself where I am going Sometimes in the gray recesses A lonely sound sneaks up behind me Faintly approaching I do not understand it is there, But it is there Sometimes in the gray recesses A sound becomes a breakthrough An idea emerges Like a springtime bird struggles from its egg Sniffing the musty air And achingly developing wings | Sometimes in the gray recesses A sound or an image, tingling, Appears from nowhere Becomes clearer And develops into a belief An idea A concept Sometimes the gray recesses Are brightened By the presence of ideas Clicking together with pictures And words From phrases, sentences From sentences, paragraphs From paragraphs, stories Sometimes the gray recesses Become brighter, warmer, sweeter places Where plots materialize Where characters are created Where “I don’t see it” Becomes “Aha” Sometimes the gray recesses Are the birthplaces of fresh magic | This guy should be able to wake us up bright and early, this morning! Taylor Mali is our keynote speaker to get things started for the Write to Learn conference, today. This video shows what is probably his most popular poem (though somewhat milder than the original): We're looking forward to kicking off the day, but then breaking into some shorter sessions about writing. Hopefully we'll continue to find useful and supportive methods and ideas to bring back into our classrooms. |