Merely Day By Day

  It's  National Poetry Month. I will be posting a poem each day. No theme. I'm just going to follow the spark each day, wherever I might find it. It's bound to be messy.  For National Poetry Month, Mary Lee Hahn has been writing a cherita poem each day on her blog:  Poetrepository . I've been intrigued and decided it was time to give one a try. It seems to me, Mary Lee most often begins with her "pop" right at the beginning of her poem. I love the way the truth is right there from the start.  My "pop" seems to come a bit more at the end of my poem. I'm still playing, but this was a fun form to try. Thanks, Mary Lee.  Self-Employed "Occupation?" the form asked.  I began to write self-employed instead of retired.  Retired denotes ceased to work, but every day I am here with pen in hand.  © Cathy L. Mere, 2023

  It's National Poetry Month. This month, I'll be on the lookout for JOY this year. In an effort to  CHOOSE JOY , I'll share a poem each day this month about what I find. 

  It's day 22 of the Slice of Life Challenge. How are you doing? I'm still hanging in there. My biggest challenge seems to be trying to break the two space habit after a period. I know, it's past time. The struggle is real.  Each year when I participate in the challenge I have three main goals: To write every day (I have done this enough to know that at the end of the month there are stories written that would have been lost --- even if they aren't quite as polished as I might like.) To find mentor posts with interesting craft moves, structures, and/or topics To read a book about writing to try to work toward some improvements and provide some inspiration along the way This year, I purchased A Writer's Guide to Persistence by Jordan Rosenfeld. At the beginning of the month, I started the challenge be rereading some favorite books about writing, but I decided I wanted to read something new. After reading several posts around the topic of writing books, I selected thi...

this space has been quiet  for some time. waiting. for words to return. for time to slow. there are the usual excuses. of days lost. of great demands. of busy days,  tired nights. in truth, time spent  in ways unproductive. a friend reminds, with the understanding  of another  who has fought  the same fight, wrestled  the same demon, "You need to get back to the page."  another inquires, "What are you writing?" interest genuine. my silence speaks. she knows  the struggle. this knowing rests between us. their words spin in my mind. for days. weeks. my fingers grow restless. tired of stillness. still i wait for time to slow for words to return. of course this doesn't happen until in the quiet i return to this space. to try yet again.    © Cathy L. Mere, 2016  It's Tuesday.  Today I'm joining the Slice of Life Challenge ho...

It's poetry Friday!  Today's poem was literally found.  During our last day with the Columbus Area Writing Project we were asked to take a piece of writing from our time together and use it to find a poem.  We were asked to carve it down to its most essential words.  I found this poem hiding in a blog post I wrote titled:   Why Digital Writing .    Lifting Voices  quiet. wandering. surveying collections: childhood reports, paper books made by tiny fingers, journals filled with wondrous words, handwritten poems. words surround. gifts tucked safely away, in closets and drawers. stories should reach; connect to communities. writing for something - for someone. finding space. reaching out. letting words spill. writing lifts silenced voices. © Cathy L. Mere, 2016 It's Poetry Friday!  Stop by The Opposite of Indifference where Tabatha Yeatts hosts today's parade of wondrous words.

"One learns by thinking and writing, and by talking about writing - but primarily through writing."       ---Mary Oliver, A Poetry Handbook (p. 17) Today one door closes another one opens, as today I step from the month long Slice of Life Writing Challenge with Two Writing Teachers into a month of writing poetry for April's National Poetry Month celebration.  I'm looking forward to spending some time writing poetry.  This is my third year to join poetry bloggers in a month of writing (thanks, Mary Lee , for the nudge and inspiration). Many moons ago I was talking about poetry with a friend and poet.  We were discussing poetry and I was lamenting that poets seemed to have a style.  I'm always trying to figure out my style.  Do I write for children or adults?  Do I write about small things or moments?  What type of poetry feels right when I sit down to put words on paper?  Without skipping a beat, my friend commented, "...

So I haven't posted for such a long time because I've been having a bit of a poetry problem; I can't find a poem.  I've looked high and low - no poem.  Perhaps life has been too busy or maybe I just haven't taken the time to pause to find it, but poetry doesn't seem to be finding me these days.  What do you do to inspire poetry? Where Do You Find Poetry? when words do not come, where do you find poetry when it eludes you? what do you do when the silence is too quiet for words? how do you write when the sound of the birds brings no song, when the stream gurgling over it's rocky base can't bring your pen to paper? though you look deep into the night, up into the skies of blue, watch the sun rise in the morning sky; though you search the usual places poetry cannot be found. what do you do when words hide? © Cathy L. Mere, 2015

It's the  31st day of the March Slice of Life Challenge .  The final day.   Thanks to the amazing  Two Writing Teachers team  for all of their support in this event. Reflections Today ends the third year I have participated in the Slice of Life Challenge.  I remember the first year;  it was really all I could do to sit down to write each day.  There were days I just didn't think I'd be able to get anything down to publish.  Year two was a little better, but still sometimes just thinking of what I would write was a challenge. When I joined in year one it was because I wanted to get back into the habit of writing.  Like getting back into exercise, I struggled.  After the challenge that year my ability to stay in the habit ebbed and flowed.  There were times I was writing and times I was not.  There were times ideas came easily and times they did not. The First Challenge:  Crafting an Interesting Piece Now...

It's day two of the March Slice of Life Challenge .  31 days of writing.  Today's post is the story of how I found myself starting my first Class Slice of Life Challenge with FIRST GRADERS .   Thanks to the amazing Two Writing Teachers team for all of their support in this event.  A big thank you to my colleagues Deb Frazier , Carolyn Carr , and Julie Johnson who helped give me the courage to take the classroom plunge.   Why Do You Write? On Thursday I sat down beside a young writer to talk about his story.  The writer seemed to be going through the motions.  Sadly, he didn't look at all interested in what he was doing.  His book had one sentence and an illustration on each page about different plants he had.  I quietly sat beside him and began a conversation with him about his piece.  He'd picked an interesting topic and I especially wanted to know more about the cactus. I noticed, as I started asking him some questions, his...

Today's post is part of the  Slice of Life  roundup at  Two Writing Teachers .  Stop by for links to many great slices or, better yet, join the fun by linking your own piece.  Thanks to all for hosting. "A winner is a dreamer that never gives up."  Nelson Mandela Last Saturday I had the opportunity to see Bryan Collier at the Dublin Literacy Conference .  I'm always fascinated to listen to creators talk about their work.  Bryan started out by asking the group, "How many writers are in the room?"  A few hands raised, but I'm guessing there were truly more writers in the room.  "How many of you have a story to tell?" he asked.  "How many of you hope to get something published?" "What are you doing about it?" he added, letting a long pause fall across the room. His statement found its way into my head where it swirled for awhile.  It bounced.  It rested.  It whispered.  It shouted. "What are you doing a...

Slice of Life Challenge   Thanks  Stacey  and  Ruth :   Two Writing Teachers #slice2013   16 of 31 As we cross the halfway point of the challenge I find myself considering how my purpose in this challenge has evolved. Last year I joined the Slice of Life Challenge to get into the habit of writing.  Surely after 31 days of making myself produce writing I'd have a writing habit.  I jumped into the event with some apprehension.  Would I be able to write every day?  Would I be able to produce pieces I was willing to throw out into the world with such a short period of time to work on them?  Would I have anything to say? Yes, there were days when I felt the pull of panic begin to run through my body as I struggled to find something to write about, but I learned a few tricks for getting something down.  In a pinch I could write a list, collect some ideas, or dig back into time to find a story.  There were some...

Being a part of a writing community that learns together from places very much apart is new to me.  However, I have felt such a part of this community as we move from blog to blog - or slice to slice - to learn from one another.  Reading, writing and commenting are all important in our work together.  "The short songs we need now are about to be written by voices we don't yet know.  We will need to be eloquent listeners to invite these songs forth, and share them all around."  Kim Stafford, The Muses Among Us . Your 2¢ Worth So here we are.  Maybe I should say, SO HERE WE ARE!!  Twenty-two days of writing under our belts.  Twenty-two!!  I find it intriguing that today is the 22nd --- two 2s (2-2).  So...I'm going to talk about our 2¢ worth in commenting.  OK, I know I'm pushing it here.  That was probably worse than the segue on the evening news, I know. Writing, for me, has surely had its ups and downs.  Tonight...

"Writing is 90 percent procrastination:  reading magazines, eating cereal out of a box, watching infomercials.  It's a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning and you reach a point where you have to write."  Paul Rudnick.   From Writers on Writing:  Overcoming Writer's Block On this 10th day of the Slice of Life Challenge what better topic than procrastinating writing?  I'm the queen of procrastination so here the ten ways I suggest you procrastinate: Log in to Pinterest maybe you'll find some ideas there Check out the #slice2012 Twitter feed Read the posts of other slicers (this is called positive procrastination) Eat Girl Scout cookies Read a book Call a friend or family member to catch up Take a nap Go through your DVR and catch up on all the sitcoms for the week Write silly lists like this Clean your house (only if you are desperate to avoid writing) I hope you'll share your favor...

Writers write about special places they remember.  When I started writing about sitting beside my grandfather at the counter of Roots Restaurant in Lancaster, Ohio, I expected to write a short personal narrative.  In "Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem," Donald Murray reminds us "to find the voice and forget about intention (E.L. Doctorow)."  When I think about story, I can't help but think about my grandfather.  It is his stories I carry with me forever.   My grandfather waits As the waitress brings his cup of coffee. Steam rises above The hot black liquid. Grandpa pours thick white milk And a bit of sugar. He stirs his coffee slowly. I grab my drink From the cool white counter. Around the glass I wrap my small hand. He banters with the waitress. To all who enter He shares a warm hello. We sit there Side by side. Friendly small talk With others at the counter. A kind word to a stranger. I watch him from my stool ...

"I write every day for two hours. But it's what I do for the other twenty-two hours that allows me to write."                           Don Murray (This post is cross-posted at my other blog,  Reflect and Refine:  Building a Learning Community.) I found this  Donald Murray  quote on  Ralph Fletcher's site .  It made me think.  Write for two hours a day?  I can't imagine it.  I'm not really much of a writer.  I go through writing spells.  Though I don't consider myself a writer, there are times in my life when I can remember writing being an important part of it.  There have been times when I've gotten myself into a writing routine.  Honestly, I've felt the most balanced in those times.  There were my poetry years - years of school in which I focused my writing on poetry.  There were my survival years - the years that writing helped m...