Navigate over to TheGatheringAtKeystone and join in on the fun for 2011 Gathering!
We are launching a group writing exercise. The Gathering, July 14-17, 2011 is coming soon, but perhaps not soon enough for some of us. The theme “Physical and Metaphysical Home: Memory, Grace and Structure” offers much fodder for those with an active imagination.
With the intention of enjoying and connecting with each other prior to those anticipated days in July, let's write a short story together.
How it works:
1. Respond to the prompt below by posting a comment on the Gathering Facebook Fanpage.
2. Read the responses others have posted on Facebook and click on “like” for the ones you like
the best.
3. After a review period we will close for voting and amend the story with the most popular
selection, adding it to the text body (on the Gathering blog)
4. The next prompt for input is posted for commentary. (rinse and repeat and soon our shared
story has emerged!)
Showing posts with label The Gathering at Keystone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Gathering at Keystone. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Monday, July 19, 2010
Falling back to Earth at Spring Hills Farm
A wonderful tradition of the Gathering is to conclude the weekend’s worth of events with a brunch at Spring Hills Farm, a working organic farm that nurtures maple trees, chickens, sheep, Christmas trees and artists.
We all sat together to break bread for the last time. Old and new friends shared their favorite parts of the weekend and speculated about what art might come from the inspiration of the last few days.
The 2011 Gathering will be held from July 14 to 17
Suzanne Fisher Staples shared the exciting line up for speakers next year:
Peter Bohlin - Architect
Witold Rybczynski - Memoir, Architect, Urban Planner
Craig Nova - Novelist
Ted Kooser - 13th Poet Laureate
Susan Cooper - Writer, Filmmaker
When the food was eaten and we came to that reluctant time for goodbyes Thomas Hamilton literally and figuratively blew us away with a closing benediction on his saxophone. Simply sublime.
We all sat together to break bread for the last time. Old and new friends shared their favorite parts of the weekend and speculated about what art might come from the inspiration of the last few days.
The 2011 Gathering will be held from July 14 to 17
Suzanne Fisher Staples shared the exciting line up for speakers next year:
Peter Bohlin - Architect
Witold Rybczynski - Memoir, Architect, Urban Planner
Craig Nova - Novelist
Ted Kooser - 13th Poet Laureate
Susan Cooper - Writer, Filmmaker
When the food was eaten and we came to that reluctant time for goodbyes Thomas Hamilton literally and figuratively blew us away with a closing benediction on his saxophone. Simply sublime.
Dava and Billy talked to eachother and we got to watch!
The morning conversation between Dava Sobel and Billy Collins gave us another dose of their wit and insight.
Top 10 intriguing things I heard this morning in no particular order
1. Billy Collins likes applause.
2. Going to see Tintern Abbey is a requirement if you have ever taught English literature. It is well worth the trip and by the way it is in Wales. (which would make a good Jeopardy question because most people think its in England.)
3. There are only two kinds of fiction stories – they went on a long journey or a stranger came into town.
There are only two kinds of science fiction stories - We went to them or they came to us.
4. Writers envy of other writers is a naturally occurring phenomena and often serves as a motivator for creativity.
5. 83% of modern poetry is not worth reading. The remaining 17% is great.
6. Facebook threatens our ability to construct artful and grammatically correct prose.
7. Poets are not likely to struggle with work life balance because a lot of being a poet requires sitting around and looking out the window.
8. Although poets seem to have the work life balance thing worked out pretty well, they still have it harder than other kinds of writers because they are confronted with the empty page more often. This leads them to having a slightly higher rate of suicide than other writers because they think things like "There is a limited reservoir of creativity doled out to each writer and one day you may wake up and never be able to write anything worthwhile again."
9. A trick to writing poetry or other things is to be quiet and open to the world unfolding around you.
10. Dava Sobel fell into being a science writer backwards.
Top 10 intriguing things I heard this morning in no particular order
1. Billy Collins likes applause.
2. Going to see Tintern Abbey is a requirement if you have ever taught English literature. It is well worth the trip and by the way it is in Wales. (which would make a good Jeopardy question because most people think its in England.)
3. There are only two kinds of fiction stories – they went on a long journey or a stranger came into town.
There are only two kinds of science fiction stories - We went to them or they came to us.
4. Writers envy of other writers is a naturally occurring phenomena and often serves as a motivator for creativity.
5. 83% of modern poetry is not worth reading. The remaining 17% is great.
6. Facebook threatens our ability to construct artful and grammatically correct prose.
7. Poets are not likely to struggle with work life balance because a lot of being a poet requires sitting around and looking out the window.
8. Although poets seem to have the work life balance thing worked out pretty well, they still have it harder than other kinds of writers because they are confronted with the empty page more often. This leads them to having a slightly higher rate of suicide than other writers because they think things like "There is a limited reservoir of creativity doled out to each writer and one day you may wake up and never be able to write anything worthwhile again."
9. A trick to writing poetry or other things is to be quiet and open to the world unfolding around you.
10. Dava Sobel fell into being a science writer backwards.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Heaven brought down to Keystone College
It was an amazing afternoon and evening bathing in the words of two absolutely brilliant people!
Dava Sobel brought the heavens down to the campus of Keystone College for us when she described the creation of her book The Planets. I was fascinated with how she came to the notion of providing a rich narrative to acquaint us with our solar system.
Ms. Sobel decided to write the book The Planets because her otherwise intelligent and well informed literary agent asked her a question about the difference between our galaxy and the universe that was so rudimentary to the understanding of the Astronomy she realized there was a grave needed for an informative book on Astronomy for intelligent people who were thoroughly ignorant of the cosmos above their heads.
She mentioned something that I always found true. Information published on Astronomy is generally off putting because it either dives in without introduction to basic concepts so that the Astronomy novice is immediately lost or it presents the basics in such a condescending way as to insult the intelligence of the reader above the age of 10. In The Planets she strives to address the intelligent person bereft of prior knowledge in an engaging way that brings them up to speed in a compelling way. I have not read this book yet, but I am eager to when I return home.
I was not prepared for the sublime Billy Collins. I had read some of his poems and thought they were witty. But to sit in a room and hear him read his own words out loud defies description. But I will try anyways, since I tend to defy things as a hobby.
Suffice to say I laughed harder last night then I recall laughing in some time. The poems he shared with us were as one person defined “his crowd pleasers”. I think that is an apt enough way to define it.
Collectively the people crowded together in that hot auditorium were twirled between deep belly laughs and the kinds of ooohs and aahs generally reserved for firework displays. After an hour and half he stopped reading to us but I know we all would have braved the heat of the auditorium, a fire alarm ringing, an invasion of hostile squirrels and the urgent need to use the bathroom just to hear a few more poems escape from Billy Collins lips.I understand now why the man has groupies.
Here is an incomplete list of what he shared with us:
Forgetfulness
I go back to the house for a book
Nightclub
Japan
The Lanyard
And while these are nice to read for yourself, to hear him say them outloud is something entirely different. Here is a download of the genius poet voice that had us so rapt last night.
Dava Sobel brought the heavens down to the campus of Keystone College for us when she described the creation of her book The Planets. I was fascinated with how she came to the notion of providing a rich narrative to acquaint us with our solar system.
Ms. Sobel decided to write the book The Planets because her otherwise intelligent and well informed literary agent asked her a question about the difference between our galaxy and the universe that was so rudimentary to the understanding of the Astronomy she realized there was a grave needed for an informative book on Astronomy for intelligent people who were thoroughly ignorant of the cosmos above their heads.
She mentioned something that I always found true. Information published on Astronomy is generally off putting because it either dives in without introduction to basic concepts so that the Astronomy novice is immediately lost or it presents the basics in such a condescending way as to insult the intelligence of the reader above the age of 10. In The Planets she strives to address the intelligent person bereft of prior knowledge in an engaging way that brings them up to speed in a compelling way. I have not read this book yet, but I am eager to when I return home.
I was not prepared for the sublime Billy Collins. I had read some of his poems and thought they were witty. But to sit in a room and hear him read his own words out loud defies description. But I will try anyways, since I tend to defy things as a hobby.
Suffice to say I laughed harder last night then I recall laughing in some time. The poems he shared with us were as one person defined “his crowd pleasers”. I think that is an apt enough way to define it.
Collectively the people crowded together in that hot auditorium were twirled between deep belly laughs and the kinds of ooohs and aahs generally reserved for firework displays. After an hour and half he stopped reading to us but I know we all would have braved the heat of the auditorium, a fire alarm ringing, an invasion of hostile squirrels and the urgent need to use the bathroom just to hear a few more poems escape from Billy Collins lips.I understand now why the man has groupies.
Here is an incomplete list of what he shared with us:
Forgetfulness
I go back to the house for a book
Nightclub
Japan
The Lanyard
And while these are nice to read for yourself, to hear him say them outloud is something entirely different. Here is a download of the genius poet voice that had us so rapt last night.
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