Thursday, 6 January 2011

It's NEVER too late to join us in the river


(Read the rest of this post then go here if you're new!)

Well, I'm still rather in love with the stones at the odd inkwell, all using text found in an 1800 children's school reader. I'm not quite sure what a reader is though - somebody help the Brit out...

A handful of people are still joining the river every day, as the ripples spread outwards (thanks to you already-in-the-river folks). A lot of them have been saying to me 'we'd love to join if it's ok with you, it's late?  

As I said on Twitter this morning, late schmate. 

I'm still very happy to add you to our blogroll. And anyone who writes a small stone before mid-February will be free to submit it to our 'river of stones' book (which we're very excited about). Write in your notebook, write online, we don't care. Just write. (And email me if you want to receive my occasional updates.)

Johannes suggested today that we have a river in different seasons. We're thinking about something in July... something different... so the river won't be stopping at the end of January. I don't think we could stop it if we wanted to.

I do hope you're enjoying the observing and the writing. Do let us know how you're getting on - what are the best bits? The worst bits? Which are your favourite stones? Feel free to re-post them here or in our Facebook group or on your fridge or on your mum's fridge.

Happy weekend! I'll leave you with one of my favourite creativity poems...

*


Muse

for E.T.

“Write something every day, she said”,
“even if it’s only a line,
it will protect you”.

How should this be?
Poetry opens no cell,
heals no hurt body,

brings back no lover,
altogether, poetry is
powerless as grass.

How then should it defend us?
Only by strengthening
our fierce and obstinate centres.

Elaine Feinstein
Elaine Feinstein

12 comments:

  1. Hi Fiona,

    A reader would have been a book which the children practiced their reading from in school.

    m

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  2. Greeting Fiona,
    This may help.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGuffey_Readers
    All the books I use are in wretched condition, water damage, mouse nibblings, etc. They are full of tales of morality in early America and I find it quite enjoyable to remove bits of text to distort the original, intended meaning in any way my devious and wicked little mind can think of.
    Affectionately yours,
    the odd inkwell

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  3. I am truly enjoying this little dip in the river- and I am NOT a writer I say... I am a photographer... right? Write-

    Glad it is going swimmingly- teri

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  4. Thanks Margo. And thanks theoddinkwell - it sounds like such a rich resource. And how wonderful to recycle those words into new poetry...
    Teri - hurray!

    ReplyDelete
  5. He calls once again
    Vocal chords reverberate of sadness
    yet the words expressed
    give no hint of repression

    Learned from his partner in life
    from words posted in a social site
    his eyes had rolled back
    barely a hint of the breath of life

    Once again he had entered
    into that eternal sleep
    Without her calling his name
    or the medics external stimuli
    he would have left us

    Ten years now
    he’s walked with stolen keys
    to the gates of that journey
    into that unknown abyss

    His lover, his wife,
    was able to once again
    speak life into him
    calling his name

    Soon, I must accept,
    ‘Tuesday’s with Maurie’
    will be the script
    my brother and I
    will be, tearfully, reading

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I love this poem too (and all Elaine Feinstein's work)! I discovered it back last April while I was doing the 'poem a day' challenge.

    I'm very happy that I decided to join in the River of Stones. As I wrote on my blog today, "This first week back at work after the long Christmas holiday has been pretty relentless and tiring. Several times I've had the thought that I absolutely don't have the time or mental space or energy to stop and notice something outside my driven daily preoccupations, to compose even this tiny 'small stone' of words. But I keep finding that it doesn't eat up time or mental space; on the contrary, time stops and new space is created".

    ReplyDelete
  7. I hope I have the right idea. I just posted my first small stone on my blog. I put aros as a tag. Is there anything else I should do? Here's the post.

    http://www.fatchomper.com/2011/01/small-stone-friday.html

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  8. Hi!

    i have written 7 stones so far and enjoying every one of them. it surprises me that i can have such stamina (though i did survive an edition of NaPoWriMo once). Thanks for this great idea.:)

    i am posting the stones at one of my blogs :

    http://dsnake6.blogspot.com/

    comments are always welcome. :P

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  9. I'm loving being introduced to new bloggers and reading everyone's small stones.

    A river in July sounds a fabulous idea. I'd be in. Johannes had a great idea about rivers in different seasons because it will make for new ideas inspired by the season's individual traits.

    Wishing you all a happy weekend full of wonderful small stone moments.

    Kat X

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  10. I am confused as to where to post my stones or links to them. I have written every day, as is my wont, and most of them are on my blog. Today's was inspired by a note in a late arrival Christmas card from an old friend: "Indolence is too strenuous"
    and the poem is an attempt to write a serious limerick. http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/a-serious-limerick/

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  11. Jean - so glad. Lovely piece.
    Jeremy - yes that's all - 'the river' (top right) is very temperamental at the moment because they're too many of us, so it's hit and miss. We'll rethink for next time.
    dsnake - welcome!
    Kat - watch this space...
    Viv - if you sent me your blog address at some point then you'll already be on our blog roll. Hope you're enjoying the writing...

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  12. I have joined, and am following on FB- better late than never!!!

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