My Literary Life

Those of you who know me fairly well know that I am by no means a poet. That’s the one area of writing where I feel my attempts are utterly juvenile. I freely admit it. Today, however, as I was performing a great purge of papers and writing that I felt just weren’t worth saving any longer, I came across the little gem below. I would consider this piece my best and most valiant attempt at poetry. I hope you enjoy it…

Daydreams…
The hardest part of you leaving
is that you’ll never know.
You won’t know how I lived
for the days I’d spend with you.
The days you’d leave me breathless
with only a smile, speechless with a touch.

I’d watch you move,
and listen to you talk,
at times not hearing,
just watching your lips move.
Imagining and wondering,
what it would be like to feel
those lips touching mine.

In my mind I’d see you and me,
the actors in the scenes that I
created, each with a happy ending.
This isn’t the movies though,
and this isn’t my fantasy either.
Reality is happening to me now,
and there is no happy ending.

You’ll never know that I cried
as I watched you walk away,
fading into the crowd until
you completely disappeared.
It took me a moment
to gather myself and dry my tears.
But I did, telling myself that
it was better this way.

Maybe by the time you return,
if you return,
I might actually believe it.

I recently attended the yearly Literature Festival at Ohio University and was, as always, thoroughly inspired. This was the first time I’d been in several years and it was so great to be back, for the event as well at the locale. I love Athens. It’s such a wonderful, eccentric, little college town and the OU campus in Athens is absolutely beautiful. It was a small group this year, but I think that made it somewhat even more enjoyable.

Opening night we were treated to reading from Marie Howe and Dorothy Alison. While I’m not one for poetry, I did enjoy her reading and was surprised to find that I was actually aware of her work. We’d read one of her more popular poems, “What the Living Do,” in an English class I’d had previously. Dorothy Alison, however, was the treat of the night! I’ve never read anything of hers, but I’d heard of her novel, Bastard Out of Carolina. She read a piece from her current WIP and it was amazing. She completely won me over and I ended up purchasing the above mentioned book.

The next morning we began the day with lectures from Ms. Alison and Charles Johnson. After her reading, I really couldn’t wait to hear what else Ms. Alison had to say. To sum it up, she insists that we be wicked and write for our rage!! Charles Johnson was just as motivating and left me dying to take his writing “boot camp.”

After the events we explored Athens, heading up to the Kennedy Art Museum which is located inside the old Athens Asylum. I’m always blown away by this place and would love to spend a night there ghost hunting. After all, Athens is one of the most haunted places in the world. We visited the asylum’s cemetery and I showed the others where the old tuberculosis unit used to be. Sadly, this historical building was torn down some time ago. Later that night it was time for the next set of readings. Up to bat, Brian Doyle and Robert Pinsky! Pinsky combined his poetry with music and it was really neat to see how it fit together. It was definitely a first for me. Brian Doyle’s reading and presentation was so very emotional. Yes, I shed tears, and it wasn’t the first time his work has made me cry. He truly is a very spiritual, emotional, and amazing human being.

While all of the authors were amazing and very inspiring, I have to say that Brian Doyle and Dorothy Alison were my favorites. But I noticed a common message with all of the writers, and it’s one that I completely agree with. To be any kind of a writer, one MUST READ!!! They all talked about different students who want to be writers, but don’t read, for various reasons. I think my favorite reason was “I want to develop my own voice.” Well, duh, knucklehead. Reading other peoples’ work isn’t going to steal your voice, but it will sure as hell help your craft. You don’t read other authors to be like them. You read them to be inspired, to learn from them, and for the sheer joy and pleasure of it. All I can do is just shake my head at the thought of someone who wants to be a writer not being a reader. The thought is just inconceivable to me.

Anyway, I returned home, totally rejuvenated in a writerly sense and am ready to tackle the beast that is Sunstone Covens 2 and the anthology stories for W3’s next anthology. In the meantime, here are a few more pics from my little trip. Enjoy!!

Let me tell you a story. A story about a young woman who met a boy. She considered him a boy because, while he was twenty-one, he was still several years younger than her. She got to know this boy fairly well and enjoyed every moment they happened to get to spend together, which was actually quite frequent as they worked together. This boy inspired so many stories inside her, one of which she actually sat down and wrote. She never told him this, as a woman is a well of many secrets, and she tucked the story away after perfecting it.

Time passed, the boy moved away, she quit the job. Life went on.

The young woman continued to draw on her muse for inspiration, knowing he was the best muse she’d ever had because he was real. Flesh and blood. One day she was going through her stories and found the one she’d written for him. Feeling a burst of bravery, she submitted it for publication. After a month or so of waiting she received an email. It had been accepted!! She was actually going to get paid a nice amount for it as well. It was the first piece she’d ever written that had been accepted for publication. Later that night she sat alone in her office, remembering her muse and wondering how he’d been.

More time passed and she thought about her muse less and less. He eventually became an occasional thought, triggered by a little reminder here or there. Though she continued to write, she would have creative droughts that lasted for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. Her drive, her inspiration, it really was dissipating.

One night, during a three month walk through an uninspired barren wasteland, he came to her in a dream. They talked of old times in the dream, about what was going on in their lives now, and she even got to meet the child he’d apparently had since they’d last talked. The last thing he said to her before she woke up was, “Don’t forget.”

In honor of the great Martin Luther King Jr. and his day of birth, it seems only fitting that today’s inspiration come from him. He was such a great and wise man, so there was an abundance of quotes to choose from. But this one, by far, is my favorite.

Several days ago I received an email from Hayley about a book discussion series being led by Matt Wolfe, a professor at Ohio University and Marshall. In this series, he will be discussing religion and mysticism in Science Fiction. The group will meet the last Sunday of every month, beginning with this Sunday, January 25th, and run through May 24th. There will be a new book to discuss at each meeting and, while it helps to have read the book prior to the meeting, it’s not required. We are beginning with Margarete Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
I’ve heard great things about Matt Wolfe and his classes, but was never fortunate enough to get to take one. So despite the workload of classes this semester, this was an opportunity I simply couldn’t pass up. I’ve never been a huge Science Fiction fan, but the approach that he is taking does seem like it will be interesting. And besides, a good writer should never stop learning about all facets of the craft, whether you write that genre or not. You never know where you’ll find some helpful information or inspiration.

The following is the information taken from the flyer. I really hope to see all of you there!

Religion and Mysticism in Science Fiction

A Book Discussion Series

Matthew Wolfe, Discussion Leader

Winter/Spring 2015

Margaret Atwood * The Handmaid’s Tale * January 25

Mary Doria Russell * The Sparrow * February 22

Frank Herbert * Dune * March 22

Kurt Vonnegut * Cat’s Cradle * April 26

Ursula K. LeGuin * The Telling * May 24

Additional events TBA

SUNDAYS at 2PM, Cabell County Public Library,

455 9th Street, Huntington, WV 25701 — ROOM 1

F R E E !

Come Explore the Cosmos

For God and Science

Matthew Wolfe holds a PhD in literature and teaches at Marshall U and at Ohio U. For More Information: Wolfem@ohio.edu Also Visit Mystical Wolfe on Facebook & http://mysticalwolfe.weebly.com

This canvas print sits on my desk. I found it when I worked at BAM! and fell in love with the quote. I do my best to live by this everyday.