From 14 to 16 August I attended a creative writing workshop at the ABC Treehouse. One day of fiction with Amal Chatterjee and another of poetry with Jane Draycott culminated in a group reading. My bag of tricks is fatter than ever! See the “Read more” section for a smattering of my prompted writes.
A special thanks to Ruth Hopkins for giving fellow workshoppers the Am’dam experience. Especially for inviting Rashid Novaire to read in English from his Dutch books, and for giving a tour of the Red Light District based on her own research.
Bits o’ prose ‘n’ poetry from Am’dam…
Character
…..Face: One blue eye, one brown. Long wet nose. Perky ears. Needy face. Tall and stout. Fills the length of the couch. Thick paws that drag.
…..Likes: Affection. Long walks. Ample meals. Fresh water. Sunshine. Consistency. Play. Exploration.
…..Dislikes: Harshness. Stress. Starvation. Cigarettes. Isolation.
…..Description: She greeted me with enthusiasm. Her voice carried the joy of a child opening birthday gifts. No matter the bags in my hands, Tia intended to be hugged. And despite her large stature, her eyes grabbed my attention – one blue, the other brown. Her eyes gave and wanted love.
…..
Place
Like an oasis, the bog is a surprise between cities. Ducks float undisturbed, accustomed to trains. The railroad is a ladder dividing cows, who lounge on firm patches.
…..
Plot
She sat on the terrace because the sun shone. She closed her eyes to absorb the heat and still her restlessness. Nonetheless her mind ran in many directions, hopped between continents . . . backpacking the Mediterranean, giving workshops in sub-Saharan Africa, returning to the US Midwest for comfortable predictability. She opened her eyes because the heat had passed. A cloud covered the sun and more patches were to come.
…..
it’s too big she said
she wondered why she walked here
where cracks loom large
where monsters wait
but the fairies shared secrets without words
and she no longer feared
…..
water in the wristwatch
there is a time to
bathe in digits
to drink gifts of solid circles
when the broken body
floats in ice
released from proofs
…..
The Necklace
hands have passed
this length of string
to shape its sound
from mined metal
from tanned hide
to artist’s design
fingers clasp
leather binds
and slender tubes chime
between strands of silence
