MONDAYS ARE FREE EXERCISES 161—165

[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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MONDAYS ARE FREE EXERCISES 161—165

Cherish. Puzzle. Curiosity. Inquiry.

EXERCISE 161: BASK IN THE UNKNOWN

overtly cherish

Write a poem that overtly cherishes what you do not know and maybe never will.

I do not know the substance of faith.

Sometimes an iris in winter or a mustard seed. Sometimes my grandma’s nativity scene or the peaches in Piedmont Park before they are blossoms. Sometimes the sun in January or my niece days after she was born. Sometimes the full moon or a whale singing. Sometimes glacial blue or sunflower yellow. Sometimes spring pink or rose red. Sometimes carrot orange or bean green. Sometimes night black or day white. Sometimes electric purple or earth brown. Sometimes bread starter or rice terrace. Sometimes fine wine or bourbon. Sometimes “I love you” or a steamboat calliope.

EXERCISE 162: PUZZLE OUT A CONVERSATION

seventy percent

Write a poem seventy percent of which is the very accurate dialogue of a truly puzzling conversation you’ve had.

Our healthcare system in the United States is broken. I am, by far, not the only person who lives this reality. Medical debt is the largest cause of bankruptcy. (That seems cruel to me in so many ways.) Here is a puzzling conversation I recently had with a healthcare company.

“Hello, this is Kathlyn Steedly Curling. I have a question about the charges on my account. Am I speaking with the right person.”/ “Date of birth”/ “10.1.71”/ “Your address”/ “XXXXXXXXX”/ “I will connect you with the right department. Hold please.”/ Wait ensues. I listen to soothing music on my phone and scroll./ “Hello, this is Kathlyn Steedly Curling.”/ “Date of birth”/ “10.1.71”/ “Thank you. How can I help you.”/“We had new coverage starting January 1st. I have changed my coverage on line — including uploading a new pdf of my current insurance card, face-to-face at three offices, on the phone in similar calls with all three companies, and via email — including a PDF of all relevant information to all three companies. There seems to be confusion as to who covers what charges. I am at a loss and being given different advice by each company, which I follow, and nothing happens.”/ “I am not seeing any history. Would you like to pay your balance today?”/ “Is there some other office that might be better to connect with? I am at a loss. We had new coverage starting January 1st. I have changed my coverage in multiple places. There seems to be confusion as to who covers what charges.”/ “I will submit your information to our review panel and the will be in touch in 7 to 10 days.”/ “Are there direct contacts with whom I can follow up?”/ “The review panel will be in touch.”/ “What do I do if I do not hear from the review panel?”/ “You will hear from the review panel. Do you have any others questions?”/ “Not right now.”/ “Have a good afternoon.”/ Our call ends and I am asked to complete a brief customer service survey.

EXERCISE 163: RETELL WITH CURIOSITY

told and re-told and re-told again

Many families seem to have stories that get told and re-told and re-told again. Re-tell one of your family’s re-told stories but in this iteration fill it with questions, at least ten questions. These questions could be for the story. But maybe they’re for the teller, whoever that is.

How did our family get Derby tickets back in the day? What is a book? Was that person part of Uncle Sam’s book? What do you call someone who is part of your book? Was Uncle Sam Nana’s uncle? How many times did Uncle Sam get married? How old was he when he got married the last time? Were his wives much younger? How many times did Uncle Sam wind up in jail? How old was Uncle Sam when he passed away?

EXERCISE 164: SELF-INQUIRE

your older self

Write 25 questions for your older self.

What would you tell your 15-year old self? What would you tell your 30-year old self? What would you tell your 50-year-old self? Is failure really worth it? For what are you most grateful? What is the best advice you have ever been given? Do you believe fortune cookies? What are you still curious about? Are you proud of me? What does ambition look like? What does courage look like? What trip most changed you? What do you wish you spent more time doing? What brought you most joy? What do I not know right now that I should know? In what ways have you left the world a better place? What is your most consistent habit? What does it mean to be gentle? Did you love well? What would you change? What is your favorite memory? Is it worth it to tell the truth? What is your favorite recipe? What the best thing you created? What is your favorite aspect of yourself?

EXERCISE 165: SPEAK TO EVERYONE

exactly nine

Your superpower is that you can say exactly nine sentences in any language spoken on the planet. What are those nine sentences? Five of them must be questions.