House Swarming in Drayton

It's a good thing! May 23rd from 2-5 pm, you're all invited to a house swarming event at Nadina Mackie Jackson's church house in Drayton. An afternoon filled with great music, storytelling, poetry, art, and food. Free, and not to be missed. RSVP to nadina at www.nadina.ca or call 416-453-7607. Yours truly will be throwing down some poetry on the themes of home and oneness. Cheers.

Meeting Schedule for 2016

As a reminder, and because there have been a few changes, I am posting the meeting schedule with leaders for the remainder of 2016. Meetings take place at 1:30pm at 6 John Street in Orangeville.

The Headwaters Writers' Guild meeting schedule for the remainder of the year:

May 15 - Leader Diane
May 29 - Leader Clare
June 12 - Leader Judy
June 26 - Leader Clare
July 17 - Leader S.J.
August 21 - Leader Marilyn
September 11 - Leader Diane
September 25 - Leader Jayne
October 2 - Leader Judy
October 16 - Leader Clare
October 30 - Leader S.J.
November 13 - Leader Jayne
Saturday, November 26 - Christmas Luncheon

HWG Author Book Release

HWG author Diane Bator has a new book released in her Gilda Wright Mystery series of books.

This is the 3rd book in the Series. You can find all of Diane's books on Amazon.ca.

Call for Submissions - Eden Mills Writers' Festival

2016 Eden Mills Writers’ Festival Literary Contest - Deadline: June 30, 2016.

Open internationally to aspiring or and modestly published writers, over the age of 16.

Contest categories:

Short story (2500 words max.)

Poetry collection (of 5 poems or less), or

Creative Non-Fiction (2500 words max.)

The best entry in each category will win a $250 prize. Winners will be invited to read a short selection from their work at the Eden Mills Writers Festival on Sunday Sept. 18, 2016.

Entry Requirements:

Include four copies of each submission*

On a cover page, include title, with your name, address, phone number, and email. Name and contact info should not appear on the copies of your manuscript.

Email entries will not be accepted.

Manuscripts will not be returned.

Submission Fee:

$15.00 (CDN) per entry. Cheques to be made payable to Eden Mills Writers’ Festival.

*A combination of entries may be sent in one envelope with one payment for each entry (e.g. a short story and a poetry collection, and $30.00).

To submit, mail four copies to:

Laurel Marsolais

39 Bushmills Cres.

Guelph, ON N1K 1T6

Writing Prompt, April 24, 2016 - Perspective

Prompt #4 - Describe an event or scene as an adult might see it, and then re-write it as a child might see it.

I hadn't seen some members of my family for a few years. It's unfortunate that it takes a death of a parent to bring us all together. I think the last time we were all together was Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary. Tommy was an infant then, and Riley didn't even exist.

After the funeral service we all gathered together in the church hall. My siblings had changed quite a bit; as had their children. Everyone was growing up.

I spotted my brother James. With both children in tow I ran over to greet him. I released both their hands as I threw my arms around him.

"James, it's been so long!"

"Hey, Sis." He hugged me tight. "It is so good to see you. It's been far too long."

Tommy, 5, and Riley, 2, squirmed in between us. Tommy pushed at James. "No!" he yelled. "Don't touch Mommy."

Both James and I laughed.

"Tommy," I crouched down beside him, "this is mommy's brother James, your uncle. Say hello to Uncle James."

Tommy put his arms around my neck and clung to me. Riley began smacking at my arm. "Mama, mama, mama..."

I laughed again. "And this is Riley," I said to my brother as I lifted both children into my arms. "Say hello to Uncle James."

James, always the sweetheart, reached out to pat each child on the back. "Hello, Tommy. Hello, Riley. It's good to meet you. It's been a long time since I've seen your mommy - and you. I've missed you all so much. You've grown into two beautiful children.

"Thank you," I smiled.

Tommy clung to me, both arms around my neck, looking the other way. Riley buried her face in my shoulder.

"Tommy is five," I said to James. "And he's mighty heavy." To Tommy, "Can Mommy put you down now?" His arms tightened around my neck. "I guess not," I laughed. "So, James," I twisted my head around despite the grip on my neck, "where is that beautiful family of your's?"
~~~~~
There were so many people in the big room with all the tables and chairs. I held tightly to Mommy's hand; Riley held her other one. It was noisy.

Suddenly Mommy started moving. Riley and me had to run to keep up. Mommy let go of our hands and hugged a strange man. I didn't like that. No one hugs my mommy except Daddy. I pushed my way between their legs; Riley did too.

"No!" I yelled. "Don't touch my mommy."

Mommy came down to our level and looked at me and Riley. I looked at Riley as Mommy said something about Uncle James. I put my arms around Mommy's neck and held her tight still looking at Riley. She got what I was trying to tell her and she began hitting at Mommy.

Mommy lifted us both up and Riley and I smiled at each other.

"Say hello to Uncle James," Mommy said.

The man put his hand on my back. I held Mommy tighter trying to get away from this strange man with no hair.

I just stared at Riley and she stared at me. Neither one of us knew what the heck was going on.

~~~

HWG Meeting April 24, 2016.

S.J. was leading this week. The writing exercise was an exploration in how perspective can change a story. She was inspired by a book she read, "Mooreeffoc" by Tetiana Aleksina (foul language warning), where the story was told from different perspectives, characters you wouldn't expect.

Patricia suggested a movie called "Sympathy Said the Shark", a psychological thriller filmed from different character perspectives.

The book can be purchased at Amazon on E-Kindle. The movie can be rented or purchased through various streaming methods (ie iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, XBox, etc.)

Prompts:

1. Envision a scene or event at which more than one character is present. Write the scene from one character's perspective and then re-write it from another character's perspective.

2. Ever seen the film "A Bug's Life"? Describe a scene as a human would see it and then re-write it from the perspective of something extremely tiny, such as an ant or a fly on the wall.

3. Write a short scene or event from the perspective of how you imagine a tree or plant might see it. When you read it to the group, note their reactions to this perspective. What challenges do writers face when they have to get readers to invest in characters that have perspectives that are very unfamiliar to most people?

4. Describe an event or scene as an adult might see it and then re-write it as a child might see it.

Miscellaneous Prompts (for those who are uninspired by perspective today):

5. Write about the best vacation never had.

6. If you won 2 million dollars in a lottery, what would you do with it?

7. Aliens are landing in your backyard.

8. A mysterious stranger hands you a sealed envelope at a local cafe...

9. The light in your shed keeps turning on at night, apparently all by itself...

10. The phone rings. You answer it, only to discover it's your oldest friend who suddenly went missing a few years ago.

11. Pick a current event in your community and write a newspaper column about it.

12. Write a review of a restaurant you have visited.


All HWG members are encouraged to share their writing on this blog.

The next meeting is Sunday, May 15th. Diane is leading.

Laughable Limericks

Following in Clare's footsteps


There once was a man called Clare
Whose face was covered with hair
He said with a grin, as he scratched at his chin
I'm the ginger-haired son of a bear.

More to come later
Marilyn Kleiber