[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!
Melanie Faith
Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.
Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.
The Society of Professional Journalists
In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.
I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.
Maxine Greene
Philosopher and Education Scholar
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Living the Comma #26
A Celebration of Life. Exploring Calling. More Poetry.
Listen, everyone has a chance./ Is it spring, is it morning?/ Are there trees near you,/ and does your own soul need comforting?/ Quick, then – open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song/ may already be drifting away. — Mary Oliver, “Such Singing In The Wild Branches”
Dear Writer Friends,
Yesterday, I attended the Celebration of Life for Laura Wilund Adams. I interviewed Laura, an accomplished artist and environmentalist, several years ago for a project on which I am working — the story of the B.Mifflin Hood Brick Factory. Laura and her husband, Andrew Feiler, an accomplished artist as well, bought the historically designated brick factory building and transformed the space into an art gallery and home.
I have been fascinated with the space, and its story, ever since we moved across the street into a renovated factory loft. My curiosity lead me to send Laura an email on her website asking for a conversation. She unexpectedly and graciously said, “Yes.” We spoke several times and our conversations were magical. In paying my respects, I was reminded of her effusive energy, artistic excellence, and radiant kindness. Here I was, a stranger, wanting hours of her time, talking about a nascent project, and she said “Yes.” She even got Andrew to talk with me, too. I quickly learned she understood my interest in art and life and justice, and my belief in using our tools and humanity and craft to build a better world. As we sat in her studio — amidst exotic papers and beautiful trappings of art and life. I deeply felt our shared commitments.
One of Laura’s friends read Mary Oliver’s, “Such Singing In The Wild Branches” during the service. This was a reminder. A reminder of the poetry that was Laura’s life. A reminder to fling doors open and greet morning. A reminder to comfort our souls. A reminder to sing our song.
Our Writer’s Group is where we rehearse our song. Where we come together and share our story. Where we invite others to sing with us and become a glorious choir. Where we find our words and heal. When I say it like that — that our Writer’s Group is where we learn and rehearse and sing and heal — it feels harmonious and choral, welcoming and challenging, creative and vital.
Our final in person writing session before we take a summer break is Sunday, May 3 at VHC after snack time from 12:15 to 1:30.
Our Weekly Writer’s Hour will resume in fall.
Calling
Pastor Matt spoke about a calling in yesterday’s sermon. He spoke about his faith journey, specifically his journey to become a minister. I want to offer an exercise about finding our calling as this week’s writing prompt.
Coach and writer Meredith Walters suggests “12 Clues You Can Use to Find Your Calling.” Writing through these clues just might guide our understanding. Walters reflects,
“For most of us, the idea that there’s one career out there that we’re meant to do is a shaky proposition at best. In many ways we’re right to be skeptical. I’ve already addressed some of the biggest myths about finding your calling, but it bears repeating that your calling isn’t necessarily just one thing; it can take many forms and change over time; and it certainly isn’t going to make all your problems go away./ Still, I do believe that, as Rumi eloquently put it, “everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.”/ Many of us doubt this seemingly too-good-to-be-true promise because we think that if we’re meant to do some type of work, it should be obvious by now. But that’s not the way the world works, especially these days./ In a culture that encourages us to disconnect from who we are and what we most deeply want, the work that calls us isn’t written across the sky. Instead, it shows itself in scattered bits and pieces that require interpretation and are easy to miss if you aren’t looking for them.
Walters offer 12 “clues” to finding your calling:
1. You loved to do it as a child.
2. You feel energized after doing it.
3. It brings you joy.
4. You want to learn about it.
5. It makes you lose track of time.
6. You’re excited to talk to others about it.
7. It’s how you make sense of the world.
8. Others associate it with you.
9. You’re jealous of others who do it.
10. You talk yourself out of it.
11. It keeps popping up.
12. It feels worthwhile regardless of the outcome.
Poetry
In the continued spirit of National Poetry Month, I want to share a few favorite poems and thoughts.
E.E.Cummings’ [in Just – ] The poem and my thoughts.
Katie Ferris’ “Why Write Love Poems In A Burning World” The poem and my thoughts.
Ruth Forman’s “Prayers Like Shoes” Forman reading “Prayer’s Like Shoes” at Busboys and Poets. My thoughts on Prayers Like Shoes.
As our week gets underway, consider celebrating life, defining mission, and exploring poetry. Write and think. Connect and grow. Walk and learn.
From the heart of the comma,
Katie
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About Katie
From Louisville. Live in Atlanta. Curious by nature. Researcher by education. Writer by practice. Grateful heart by desire.
Buy the Book!
The Stage Is On Fire, a memoir about hope and change, reasons for voyaging, and dreams burning down can be purchased on Amazon.
