The Lure of the Water; Praise for Sofia M. Starnes, Former Virginia Poet Laureate

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#poetlaureate, 10000 poems, Clearbrook Center of the Arts, Common Ground, Guy Lambert, Image Werks, Jazz, Lake Ridge, Poet Laureate, Prince William Arts Council, Tackett's Mill, The Clearbrook Foundation, Virginia, WPGC, Write by the Rails

Sofia M. Starnes introduced the selection panel to the press in May. “Poetry and Jazz”; was the July event to crown the Poet Laureate of Prince William County, VA, chosen by the panel.

Virginia’s Common Ground Jazz Band improvised to the poetry readings of Laureate nominees.

I promise this post is about water and poetry.  But, first a little background…  In the early stages of writing “Memory Lake,” I sought to define the lure of the water because Lake Michigan inserted itself into nearly every scene.  The water’s endless beauty was easy to describe and its symbolism easy to interject.  But the reason for its lure proved difficult.  My heart knew the reason, but I could not find the words except to call it “that large place where the Lord seems to dwell.”

Don’t give me the mic, Guy Lambert of WPGC, you’ll never get it back..

I decided, it was a poet’s job to analyze the lure of the water.  Since I am a novelist, I only needed to show my characters being drawn to the water.  I didn’t need to tell the reader why.  Still, I searched for a poem to satisfy my longing.  Mostly, I Googled it, and was always directed to ‘the lure of the water cooler’.

Then, I met Sofia M. Stearns, Virginia’s former Poet Laureate.  She kindly traveled to Northern Virginia in May to speak at an event I had arranged to launch our county’s search for a Poet Laureate.  Every word she uttered, even in casual conversation, was like poetry.  I purchased a copy of her Laureate project, “The Nearest Poem Anthology,” not expecting to find the answer I had been seeking because it is a collection of classic poems. Google is full of such poems, though not the partner essays Sofia collected to give the poems new meaning.  All of her reasoning is beautifully penned in her Introduction where I found, to my surprise, the answer I had been seeking!  I tell you, she nailed it. Take a deep breath and see if you don’t agree….

Lake Michigan; chilly but beautiful…

Two Poet Laureates of Prince William County! The selection panel chose Alexandra “Zan” Hailey and Dr. Robert Scott.

“Even those who fear the ocean are likely to stand on the beach and let the water tease their toes.  Or, Held further back through dread of the unknown, we will yet contemplate the inhale and exhale of the waves, the ineffable expression of their life, the horizon both permanent and altered by the making and unmaking of each day.  Holding on to our residue of awe, we return to the quiet shelter of our homes… Both proximity and smallness are now enhanced by the trace-reverence we’ve carried with us indoors, reverence for a source and a destiny that lie beyond us.”

Zan and Robert… my two new favorite poets! I can’t wait to see what they come up with for their projects. Their awards are sponsored by The Clearbrook Foundation.

Tackett’s Mill Lakeside, Lake Ridge, VA

I think this should be a poem, as should the rest of Sofia’s beautiful introduction. But, I am a novelist, not a poet, so what do I know? Sofia’s tenure as Virginia’s Poet Laureate ended June 26th.  Her project took two years to complete and I highly recommend it.  “The Nearest Poem Anthology” is for that quiet read before bed.  It inspires and enlightens, a few pages at a time.  It provides the words we crave through poetry to explain the lure of the moon, the lure of solitude, and family, of love, and of course, the lure of the water.

(The Prince William County Poet Laureate is an initiative of Write by the Rails and the Prince William Arts Council.  Virginia’s new Poet Laureate is Ron Smith.  Please explore the personalized links in this post.)

 

The honorary position of Poet Laureate of Virginia is hereby created. Beginning in 1998, the Governor may appoint a poet laureate from a list of nominees submitted by the Poetry Society of Virginia. Each poet laureate shall serve a term of two years with no restrictions on reappointment.

Blog Tour Guest Post: Jan Rayl

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Jan Rayl, New Departures, nurse, summer camp, travel, Write by the Rails

Jan Rayl is my next guest blogger.  She is well-traveled, an entrancing story-teller, spent her childhood in Africa, and her Word Press blog is full of advice and insight.  She is also a home IV nurse and has been a summer camp nurse.  I suppose, from that, you can guess what we talk about when we’re together!  Here’s Jan…..

Jan is holding New Departures, Write by the Rails Anthology, featuring her work.

Thanks Nancy for inviting me to stop by your blog.  Nancy and I share a love of summer camp. I worked for many years at summer camps – I also attended my share of them. Reading Nancy’s Book, Memory Lake took me right back to camp. It is a great read for a vacation or to warm you up with thoughts of summer this cold winter.

Nancy is a gifted story-teller and she weaves the memories from summers gone by with the present day reunion she is attending. The story is one of friendship and the adventure of summer.  There are some summer camp antics that will make you laugh for sure. Nancy draws the reader into the action around campfire, swimming in the lake and pranking the camp counselor.If you ever attended or worked at summer camp this book will take you back to the friendship made in those endless days of summer. You will experience the freedom and the fear of lessons learned at summer camp. If you have never worked at or been to summer camp once you have read this book you will feel like you have.

I, Jan, am an avid traveler. I blog on travel and do book reviews as well. I see books as an integral part of travel.  I never leave for vacation, business trip or visiting family without a good book to read. Nancy Kyme’s Book, Memory Lake; The Forever Friendships of Summer, is a great book to take along on a trip. It is an easy read, uplifting and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Jan is a travel and book review blogger. Jan is also a multi-media artist. Other fascinating travel facts, recommendations, adventures and reviews of the ever important vacation book can be found on Jan’s Blog at http://write4jan.wordpress.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/write4jan  drop by and leave her a comment.

Here’s another link to learn more about Jan:  http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?id=160923

Saying “Yes” has consequences and endless possibilities… and the ‘Endless Possibilities Blog Tour’

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authors, Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Manassas, Blog Tour, Manassas, Prince William Arts Council, running, Virginia, Write by the Rails, writers groups

We’re off and running in 2014 and I’ve discovered I’m in the middle of at least six races at once.  Because I like to run, (saves time), I say ‘Yes’ quite often to a new race without yet knowing the route.  (If you want to jump to the finish line of this, go ahead to the last paragraph.*)

My writer’s group in Manassas, Virginia. In honor of the rails running through Manassas; sight of Civil War Battles of Bull Run, (the Union name) or Battles of Manassas, (the Confederate name).

There are two places in my life where I’m slow and cautious, and do not run.  The first is my writing.  I view it as a slow, solitary walk in the woods; full of reflection, backtracking, pauses to discover little treasures, and a keen, ever-mindful eye on the path.  The second is when I’m dealing with money, at home or at work.  I close out the world and only see numbers.  As for the rest, I follow my intuition and run where life takes me.  When I like a person, place or thing, I always say ‘Yes’ to him, her, or it.  (Being married to a ‘No’ person is very helpful!)

Write by the Rails Marketing Panel..

Prior to publishing a book, I was only running three races with family, friends, and work.  Once Memory Lake hit the marketplace, the other races began.  I stepped out from behind the computer to say ‘Yes’ to book signings, interviews, and speaking at book groups, clubs, and special events.  Along this race, I met other authors and joined “Write by the Rails“, (WbtR).  We are a writing group, kind of like AA for writers, where we support each other and find venues to help each other market our works.  Being in WbtR, led me to say ‘Yes’ to our President, who asked me to get involved in Prince William County’s Art Council.  I said ‘Yes’ to that President and became the Art Council’s Secretary-Treasurer.  I also said ‘Yes’ to my boss of 21 years, (a wonderful woman, whom I adore), when she asked me to find a way for her very quaint town center, Tackett’s Mill, to serve the community.  (She owns other properties, which I oversee as CFO, but Tackett’s is our favorite, and it’s where my office is located.)  Thank goodness, these three races will converge in 2014.  Tackett’s Mill will have a beautiful community center and one of its first events will be the announcement of a ‘Poet Laureate’, as organized by WbtR and sponsored by the Arts Council.

Fellow author’s book signing; Linda Johnston. (That’s me, in green, my favorite color.)

* It’s quite rewarding for me to see all that running around last year was not in circles.  It is following a route toward a finish line.  Good thing too, because I just said ‘Yes’ to a blog tour!  It is the “Endless Possibilities Blog Tour”, organized by WbtR members.  It means another race for me, and if you run it with me, you will meet other authors and may just find that next good book to read.

Here is the list, in no particular order, because it is a race, after all.

• Nick Kelly
• Tamela J. Ritter
• Katherine Gotthardt
• Dan Verner
• Cindy Brookshire
• Patricia Daly-Lipe
• Jan Rayl
• Kristie Feltenberger Gillespie
• Angela Bryce
• Shay Seaborne
• Mary Rosenthol
• Nancy S. Kyme
• Linda S. Johnston
• Stacia Kelly
  

  And here’s my grandbaby, “Lilly”, just because she’s so darn cute.