tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82984314771388468622024-03-12T19:07:07.184-04:00Your ability to write is always Present.
A blog devoted to mindful writing and overcoming writing blocks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-83721262576595462232023-10-25T13:41:00.003-04:002023-10-25T13:41:18.951-04:00Two Teen Writing Contests at Under the Madness Magazine <p> <br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWF-u473dc44DOToB3Ty0WSDNFhJI-f9rbkfxK69w9G5rpFdl-ZRQitqAo6z8eZxgfMUxKFQrUcjuqLiaRlvOkY5qXgkOtg0PZ3038PDp5AjsoDxDg8HBBaoEsw4fSD2-Ai9IHB_T0UTenZnlcwVXjm7agdmwESBP9o1aEid85V9Voki4AUlon6l_vHhpC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="468" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWF-u473dc44DOToB3Ty0WSDNFhJI-f9rbkfxK69w9G5rpFdl-ZRQitqAo6z8eZxgfMUxKFQrUcjuqLiaRlvOkY5qXgkOtg0PZ3038PDp5AjsoDxDg8HBBaoEsw4fSD2-Ai9IHB_T0UTenZnlcwVXjm7agdmwESBP9o1aEid85V9Voki4AUlon6l_vHhpC=w580-h800" width="580" /></a></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-23226690770596276472023-10-16T10:42:00.001-04:002023-10-16T10:42:41.642-04:00Online Course in Mindful Writing, January-May 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaIK5vdFs4blg5fPQu4pHk2OSqRUSzfJwjKgfgk9eSicbrx3EpPW5TQLC7JVJSez1LlcT1A35P2gKSxZORS8WOiF0ZFLsd1va7UvsmJ06w03KSajhT6MgPYjN-dGBceYGPUNpP0teHDJRpu5IPQRljCU7XYvdVci73gSWlRwzDcpV8X0r1MpVYS8NQtlp/s500/hands%20with%20writing%20on%20them.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="500" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaIK5vdFs4blg5fPQu4pHk2OSqRUSzfJwjKgfgk9eSicbrx3EpPW5TQLC7JVJSez1LlcT1A35P2gKSxZORS8WOiF0ZFLsd1va7UvsmJ06w03KSajhT6MgPYjN-dGBceYGPUNpP0teHDJRpu5IPQRljCU7XYvdVci73gSWlRwzDcpV8X0r1MpVYS8NQtlp/s320/hands%20with%20writing%20on%20them.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'll be teaching a HyFlex graduate course on Mindful Writing, January-May 2024 at Salem State University. This course meets on <b>Thursdays, 4:30-6:50 pm online and in-person</b>.</p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;">Below you'll find a description of the course and info on how to register as a student outside of Salem State University.</p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>COURSE DESCRIPTION</b></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>ENG 835</b></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;">This course addresses a fundamental flaw in most people’s writing education: how school has trained us to overlook the present moment when we write in favor of dwelling on a future outcome with a future reader or a past outcome with a past reader. Traditional education has taught us to be mindless (to overlook the present) when we write, and the problem is that the majority of writing difficulties can be attributed to mindlessness.</p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ignoring the present, we tend to think of judgmental readers from the past or future, and this blocks us from writing freely and with a focused mind. Ignoring the present, we expect automatic perfection from pieces of writing we haven’t even had time to draft. Ignoring the present means falling under the sway of our monkey minds, believing storylines we tell ourselves about our potential. Finally, ignoring the present means denying ourselves access to a set of powerful resources for our writing—rhetorical factors that are only visible when the present moment is visible.</p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;">ENG 835 offers theoretical grounding and frequent hands-on practice with mindfulness techniques and present-based rhetorical tools. It offers an in-depth mindful exploration of issues of originality, creativity, motivation, community, and resilience geared for students considering careers as creative and academic writers. A present-moment focused writing practice leads to short- and long-term benefits for use in graduate school and beyond. Course concepts include detachment, impermanence, verbal emptiness, preconceptions, ego, embodiment, interbeing, intertextuality, self-care for writers, and audience proximity.</p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;">Through mindful awareness, we delve into process strategies to write on a daily basis; motivation when no longer in school; dealing with rejection; staying open to new genre; and handling thesis, dissertation, or publishing deadlines. Also through mindful awareness, we explore structural matters including narrative and organization; imagery and description; metaphor; and character and/or thesis development. Students have the opportunity to tailor a final project around their personal writing plans.</p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HOW TO REGISTER IF YOU'RE NOT A SALEM STATE STUDENT</b></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space-collapse: preserve;">Registration opens late November/early December. For info on how to register, go <a href="https://www.salemstate.edu/register">here.</a></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p aria-hidden="true" class="x_MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-65310075167671092042023-08-10T13:58:00.004-04:002023-08-10T14:20:02.207-04:00The Mindful Storyteller in You: New Program Fall 2023<p> </p><table bgcolor="#d0ecf2" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_20006416755901619layout" style="background-color: #d0ecf2; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; text-align: right; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="m_20006416755901619column m_20006416755901619scale m_20006416755901619stack" style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; width: 610px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_20006416755901619text" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="m_20006416755901619text_content-cell m_20006416755901619content-padding-horizontal" style="color: #403f42; display: block; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 20px; text-align: left;" valign="top"><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #2b94ab; font-size: 26px; font-weight: bold;">The Mindful Storyteller in You</span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #37477b; font-size: 30px; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #37477b; font-size: 28px; font-weight: bold;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">Presented by Alexandria Peary </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">What stories connect you to the Granite State?</span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;"> In this workshop led by New Hampshire State Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary, we'll focus on jumpstarting your most important place-based stories. You'll practice mindful writing techniques that offer a fresh way to start a story you may have contemplated telling for a while, and in the process, could discover unexpected stories that have been waiting to be told. Developing an openness to the present moment, you'll free yourself from thinking there are stories you "should" write. Learn how to practice "moment tracking" to develop a path your story may take. The session will close with strategies to continue the creative momentum at home and give you more tools to finish your story. We'll also talk about how to remain receptive to changes in the draft, keeping an open mind about its final form through genres like flash nonfiction, the personal essay, and prose poetry.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b94ab; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Choose your date and location:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">Wednesday, September 20 at 5:00 pm</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;">Wayfarer Roasters Downtown Café, 626 Main Street, Laconia</span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4auBWUVqNjr_UC6lo98WxXcCZP0PrlCBnVmQbHaDVO10-fnf-e6ut0rRLTZtCnFCgsSpsEI3f0mCXbD48R6y4FvTFCrPoHFoah9WgTWv2XJ6-O_rvqt8klp1lMjUBTwUq8hdZLjPPePG6CJyMvuw6q6o%3D%26c%3DVsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA%3D%3D%26ch%3DZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg%3D%3D&source=gmail&ust=1691775462407000&usg=AOvVaw2_WJmKdzYtwrgRLDOVP8UK" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4auBWUVqNjr_UC6lo98WxXcCZP0PrlCBnVmQbHaDVO10-fnf-e6ut0rRLTZtCnFCgsSpsEI3f0mCXbD48R6y4FvTFCrPoHFoah9WgTWv2XJ6-O_rvqt8klp1lMjUBTwUq8hdZLjPPePG6CJyMvuw6q6o=&c=VsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA==&ch=ZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg==" style="color: #2b94ab; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">RSVP</a></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">Friday, October 6 at 2:30 pm</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;">AVA Gallery, 11 Bank Street, Lebanon</span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4auBWUVqNjr_UY4DNkHrFN2zHHlC9rQFpCEyh8duMgRkwWjBHb9DR2kieZ1r6sgppJrWfIFqJqlyaHPbGLWpqi2J5iBjes0dBlzkXiWNWQJ3teILkt37pIZpMVOfVVykfybpAgadM3z324xzg3ozBj9A%3D%26c%3DVsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA%3D%3D%26ch%3DZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg%3D%3D&source=gmail&ust=1691775462407000&usg=AOvVaw1uA5-ntfB1LjYIQvJLuXXD" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4auBWUVqNjr_UY4DNkHrFN2zHHlC9rQFpCEyh8duMgRkwWjBHb9DR2kieZ1r6sgppJrWfIFqJqlyaHPbGLWpqi2J5iBjes0dBlzkXiWNWQJ3teILkt37pIZpMVOfVVykfybpAgadM3z324xzg3ozBj9A=&c=VsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA==&ch=ZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg==" style="color: #2b94ab; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">RSVP</a></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">Saturday, October 21 at 10:30 am</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;">Historical Society of Cheshire County, 246 Main Street, Keene</span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4auBWUVqNjr_Uog2KtqpaXWDPV4nDWTMvdHWIAxbjl5j7wQfMfT5hLBJn_o-7kAf6kgP0OzhxcRKrOr6B-Qm5kGeFNJN5joO7csF3XIhy9d0d1Evblp8RQRkxCnzido-KZEly8C6dJOpbcogGn5yVB9c%3D%26c%3DVsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA%3D%3D%26ch%3DZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg%3D%3D&source=gmail&ust=1691775462407000&usg=AOvVaw2s3-cJXzADLztV78alcrkw" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4auBWUVqNjr_Uog2KtqpaXWDPV4nDWTMvdHWIAxbjl5j7wQfMfT5hLBJn_o-7kAf6kgP0OzhxcRKrOr6B-Qm5kGeFNJN5joO7csF3XIhy9d0d1Evblp8RQRkxCnzido-KZEly8C6dJOpbcogGn5yVB9c=&c=VsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA==&ch=ZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg==" style="color: #2b94ab; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">RSVP</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table bgcolor="#d0ecf2" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_20006416755901619layout" style="background-color: #d0ecf2; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; text-align: right; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="m_20006416755901619column m_20006416755901619scale m_20006416755901619stack" style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; width: 610px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_20006416755901619text" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="m_20006416755901619text_content-cell m_20006416755901619content-padding-horizontal" style="color: #403f42; display: block; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 20px; text-align: left;" valign="top"><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;">As part of our multi-year initiative, </span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">Becoming New Hampshire</span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;">, these workshops will culminate in a heartfelt and lively on-stage conversation between </span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">New York Times</span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;"> bestselling author Jodi Picoult and New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary in </span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Jodi Picoult and the Writing Life: More Than a Good Story</span><span style="color: #37477b; font-size: 14px;"> at the New Hampshire Humanities Annual Celebration on Wednesday, November 8 at 5 pm at The Palace Theatre. </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4akii1nlTqxdPeje_keuxHxF8PH_GYdwlycm4pbo-w8Xrh8xlKcz0nbAteixgJKYB8pLa-c_itgw3JVYoh_xXFYxI1vbTHCRDeTH1-j1fPRhF%26c%3DVsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA%3D%3D%26ch%3DZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg%3D%3D&source=gmail&ust=1691775462407000&usg=AOvVaw0JylZy5_ifubgXx4_9txyJ" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hYq8z6yfYtZ4JKFd2L3TPdkDh8wkkRGHm0RmyjqAHYwyifhQpDt4akii1nlTqxdPeje_keuxHxF8PH_GYdwlycm4pbo-w8Xrh8xlKcz0nbAteixgJKYB8pLa-c_itgw3JVYoh_xXFYxI1vbTHCRDeTH1-j1fPRhF&c=VsdDR53p2SbEw-X0aB0IkvSaFQUSJ6S79L7eIp0TOpGFhyC62MMiVA==&ch=ZDwKYbTFAH0aliDqQQIPlUNtY0h7aD_Zsguole75lI07F0baVFgvtg==" style="color: #2b94ab; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">DETAILS</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-17529149233811795202023-04-27T08:37:00.003-04:002023-04-27T08:37:22.416-04:00Essay on Creative Emptiness for National Poetry Month<p> </p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've published a piece at WBUR's Cognoscenti on mindful writing to celebrate National Poetry Month. It's about how I handle creative emptiness and also about how poetry started in my life because of a medication and birth defects. </span></span></span></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">You can find the article <a href="https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2023/04/27/national-poetry-month-mindful-writing-alexandria-peary">here. </a></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAbIs311m-agS1axuRqtKj6gPoS3q0zddnpdbmfVJ5C5HxYfJgPw0wEQndX4sc5wgEdec9lHiR_NmSXqk0-kQhwJwMtTmhvG5xg2YT8QSdvEvbDkjSOIM3DMUcpwZjlAB3-E4kqStDd7kK5snlwVto64YlZHoXrMUxDLWhnRjuc3hIUsFOLI7U-a1Zg/s1871/IMG_5422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1871" data-original-width="1242" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAbIs311m-agS1axuRqtKj6gPoS3q0zddnpdbmfVJ5C5HxYfJgPw0wEQndX4sc5wgEdec9lHiR_NmSXqk0-kQhwJwMtTmhvG5xg2YT8QSdvEvbDkjSOIM3DMUcpwZjlAB3-E4kqStDd7kK5snlwVto64YlZHoXrMUxDLWhnRjuc3hIUsFOLI7U-a1Zg/w264-h398/IMG_5422.jpg" width="264" /></a></span></div><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-74706382384018555742023-04-05T14:03:00.005-04:002023-04-05T14:04:00.740-04:00Online Talk on Mindful Writing (April 14, 2023)<p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>I'll be giving a Mindful Writing presentation for NH Humanities on April 14, 2023, 5 PM EST. This talk is sponsored by NH Humanities and is online & free to the public. </i></b></p><p><span style="color: #6f6f6f; font-family: benton-sans, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: benton-sans, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #6f6f6f; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiOlf-7yJID0G5_GcI_uOEJNPSP1AUV8NTlz8ZpTeAGXH9yl9QzVc4JzrBNhj53-mCYWqmWp4jPGpG6RGcyo34Pdsa5rCycMZrTCqPkxOfofgeTGZtKq1GXqKbmvROgXfTS5UdD9dlLWmI-dbfAbcdN9CY0iEQ9H0ZhVPJ71SBZYHBBRYvjuS6rFHMg/s439/download.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="439" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiOlf-7yJID0G5_GcI_uOEJNPSP1AUV8NTlz8ZpTeAGXH9yl9QzVc4JzrBNhj53-mCYWqmWp4jPGpG6RGcyo34Pdsa5rCycMZrTCqPkxOfofgeTGZtKq1GXqKbmvROgXfTS5UdD9dlLWmI-dbfAbcdN9CY0iEQ9H0ZhVPJ71SBZYHBBRYvjuS6rFHMg/s320/download.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #6f6f6f; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><br />This Very Moment is Perfect for Writing<br /></b><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: benton-sans, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Mindful writing is the nonjudgmental observation of the ever-changing present to gain a healthy perspective on our internalized critics, better manage our preconceptions, and enjoy access to continuously arising wording and ideas. Mindfulness at the desk leads to increased self-confidence in our creativity and stronger connection with others. This session provides an overview of mindful writing as well as hands-on practice with techniques easily replicated later at home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Registration required:</b><br /><br /><a class="x1fey0fg xmper1u x1edh9d7" href="https://www.nhhumanities.org/programs/1564/this-very-moment-is-perfect-for-writing">https://www.nhhumanities.org/programs/1564/this-very-moment-is-perfect-for-writing</a></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-48869153598489031042022-10-15T10:55:00.003-04:002022-10-15T11:04:07.483-04:00Panel at the University of New Hampshire Deep Time Lab<p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="3qbld" data-offset-key="fm0ai-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="fm0ai-0-0" style="direction: ltr; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="fm0ai-0-0"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OWFJEJStosrL0s2sZWlsujbGB8c8NrSceEyga17bjsZ1jplruIfVTpm-0xy3UQj89iCiz6xJc03y57Ynf2IgsYTc7g3JmrFh3OIUzjPyQd6AsQp49kFWAO7yxoEkosQCba3lfYc4rq-ciGI80ecN7_y6HdxvCli6vtbGaLfpuNF94oh_rne35vZspQ/s561/download.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="561" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OWFJEJStosrL0s2sZWlsujbGB8c8NrSceEyga17bjsZ1jplruIfVTpm-0xy3UQj89iCiz6xJc03y57Ynf2IgsYTc7g3JmrFh3OIUzjPyQd6AsQp49kFWAO7yxoEkosQCba3lfYc4rq-ciGI80ecN7_y6HdxvCli6vtbGaLfpuNF94oh_rne35vZspQ/w422-h67/download.png" width="422" /></a></div><span face="TwitterChirp, -apple-system, system-ui, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="fm0ai-0-0" style="direction: ltr; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="fm0ai-0-0"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll be talking about mindful writing as a panelist at the University of New Hampshire's Deep Time Lab this Tuesday. 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM.</span></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="3qbld" data-offset-key="p4fd-0-0" style="background-color: white;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="p4fd-0-0" style="color: #0f1419; direction: ltr; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="p4fd-0-0"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="3qbld" data-offset-key="7odt3-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="7odt3-0-0" style="direction: ltr; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="7odt3-0-0"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px 0px 20px; white-space: normal;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Deep Time Lab: The Present </b>is the first in a three-part series of community conversations exploring how we situate ourselves within Time. The series explores new connections between past, present, and potential futures through the research of UNH faculty and community scholars. The conversation is a compliment to the Solastalgic Archive and Deep Time Lab exhibition at the Museum of Art. The exhibition asks viewers to consider living in our current age of accelerated change, which reveals that there is not a single, predictable future. Panelists will explore the idea that history is a story that can be retold and revised: What will be is being scripted right now.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px 0px 20px; white-space: normal;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Deep Time Lab: The Present </b>features a conversation between Dr. Cristina Faiver-Serna, UNH Department of Geography and Women's and Gender Studies, Dr. Alexandria Peary, Salem State University and New Hampshire Poet Laureate, and Dr. Tu Lan, UNH Department of Geography. Join us to explore time as a language, a measure, loss, abundance, a social context, a scientific principle, a spiritual space, and a cultural expression.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px 0px 20px; white-space: normal;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px 0px 20px; white-space: normal;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This event is a hybrid in-person and Zoom event. Location: room A218 in the Paul Creative Arts Center. Registration is required to attend the program via Zoom.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px 0px 20px; white-space: normal;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Register to attend via Zoom <a href="https://unh.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwucO6hqjsiGt1WMWqnk3348mCwCNoponCk">here.</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px 0px 20px; white-space: normal;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Joins us for all events in this series, Deep Time Lab: The Past on October 27th and Deep Time Lab: The Future, on November 3rd.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; margin: 0px 0px 20px; white-space: normal;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deep Time Lab: The Present compliments the exhibition the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Solastalgic Archive and Deep Time Lab</em> on view at the Museum of Art through December 3, 2022.<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </span></em></span></span></p><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></em></span></div></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="3qbld" data-offset-key="2313i-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="2313i-0-0" style="direction: ltr; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px; position: relative;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-17008485748379015792022-09-29T07:58:00.004-04:002022-09-29T07:58:36.248-04:00Free Mindful Writing Event for Students <p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-size: inherit; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-size: inherit; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br /></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeVqUg6PZ4dstMxiKTZZ0enB463OMNgV88eLSsnFjNPDLoPcI5Uq7nzZg3UKWHsIcM6MK1zQNM7AZvOV__-t6xbOwcikrLhnXhnX1oYzU2-1NHqC_05XisS6S4JuuVc9RGP3Tq6Xnfb6Ln68NlZWENptf9t0_PwP3l8xSDH3nx8KA6vH3UFaM8coiIQ/s894/NCTE-logo-green.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="894" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeVqUg6PZ4dstMxiKTZZ0enB463OMNgV88eLSsnFjNPDLoPcI5Uq7nzZg3UKWHsIcM6MK1zQNM7AZvOV__-t6xbOwcikrLhnXhnX1oYzU2-1NHqC_05XisS6S4JuuVc9RGP3Tq6Xnfb6Ln68NlZWENptf9t0_PwP3l8xSDH3nx8KA6vH3UFaM8coiIQ/s320/NCTE-logo-green.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><h1 style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: x-large;">Mindful Writing Event for Students</span></h1><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;">Next week, I'll be presenting to students (from any school in the country) ways to use mindfulness to become less stressed about writing. This session will last around 50 minutes, is free for students, and is happening online. </span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--color-text); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; font-weight: var(--artdeco-reset-typography-font-weight-normal); line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); white-space: pre-wrap;" /></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;">Registration required: <a href="https://ncte.org/rsvp-mindful-writing-series/">register here.</a></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span></p><p style="--artdeco-reset-typography_getfontsize: 1.6rem; --artdeco-reset-typography_getlineheight: 1.5; background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); counter-reset: list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; cursor: text; line-height: var(--artdeco-reset-typography_getLineHeight); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;">October 3, 2022—Downgrade Doubt & Procrastination: This session is designed for middle school to college-aged students. Teachers are welcome to sit in and observe. If you’ve been slogging through a writing task, a powerful transformation can happen just by switching your attention to the present moment. The battle of self-doubt and procrastination that has been raging in you turns into a temple of self-respect and focused calm. In this session, we’ll walk through a series of quick steps at the desk to reduce writing worry through mindfulness so that, within minutes, you’ll be starting or continuing that writing assignment.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-29136594421468543352022-06-05T08:46:00.011-04:002022-09-12T13:03:18.270-04:00Materials on Mindful Writing<div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc-a3W8pcLiuv5G7SQLILBGLuPiSQKsPu7p-dNu_tDHzY6bZJRt5CLRfk2QLR84fuWiwpI0cmtIq6H9_fKZg_U58HK2vMeAJaj5iaMqZGbh53IM2pNTD7b3KwNoLoHH04su8WIaX-X0u-V6reKK2qVTB6VuxLmuHG0nUuIU3_eqyS4p9kdvT2vjhC6Q/s300/alchemyindesign.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc-a3W8pcLiuv5G7SQLILBGLuPiSQKsPu7p-dNu_tDHzY6bZJRt5CLRfk2QLR84fuWiwpI0cmtIq6H9_fKZg_U58HK2vMeAJaj5iaMqZGbh53IM2pNTD7b3KwNoLoHH04su8WIaX-X0u-V6reKK2qVTB6VuxLmuHG0nUuIU3_eqyS4p9kdvT2vjhC6Q/w245-h137/alchemyindesign.jpg" width="245" /></a></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></b><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Here's a compilation of my recent publications</i></span></span></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>and talks on mindful writing as a</i></span></span></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-size: large;"><span color="windowtext"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>resource for you.</i></span></span></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br /></u></span></o:p></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br /></u></span></o:p></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><u>Book and articles:</u></span></o:p></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br /></u></span></o:p></span><p style="font-family: Times; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prolific Moment: Theory and Practice of Mindfulness for Writing </i>(Routledge 2018). </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #201f1e;">Promo code SS225, when used at checkout at </span><a data-auth="Verified" data-linkindex="6" href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus-east-2.protection.sophos.com%2F%3Fd%3Droutledge.com%26u%3DaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucm91dGxlZGdlLmNvbS8%3D%26i%3DNWUxODhlOTc5MmM3OWUwZGNjZmEyYTA0%26t%3DQ2wwZ1N2Q1hjZHNib0hTOVB3RFEwWTMzRlNua01uQldtMW42Tkh5YkFwbz0%3D%26h%3D46af2da01c364b2b9399acb1c31532a3&data=05%7C01%7Capeary%40salemstate.edu%7Cf578d414f30c4c8ff6ce08da94cce508%7C70d32b73b45749d1950c4f78aeffc21b%7C0%7C0%7C637985905001171104%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eIxkQerNbH%2BUeYEFy4eUb4DtQfBZyyrclTLKK9fTaJ4%3D&reserved=0" originalsrc="https://us-east-2.protection.sophos.com/?d=routledge.com&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucm91dGxlZGdlLmNvbS8=&i=NWUxODhlOTc5MmM3OWUwZGNjZmEyYTA0&t=Q2wwZ1N2Q1hjZHNib0hTOVB3RFEwWTMzRlNua01uQldtMW42Tkh5YkFwbz0=&h=46af2da01c364b2b9399acb1c31532a3" rel="noopener noreferrer" shash="dFxpygTPKY2x5lrldNV2RLc6Np8r6u4hnAmvNrZ6UqdLU1OqPsmdAakzyvse6pzffzK7sBOKYiZKWvFyt49uvUuzuhLIb9Ljoezt0VziXdyT3UqDEqyhM/N6jJRfbS7Vrmocl7i8OGTH0D5pUPHbuHrT1ALbaIb1no6ISHWNM3k=" style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Original URL: https://us-east-2.protection.sophos.com/?d=routledge.com&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucm91dGxlZGdlLmNvbS8=&i=NWUxODhlOTc5MmM3OWUwZGNjZmEyYTA0&t=Q2wwZ1N2Q1hjZHNib0hTOVB3RFEwWTMzRlNua01uQldtMW42Tkh5YkFwbz0=&h=46af2da01c364b2b9399acb1c31532a3. Click or tap if you trust this link.">https://www.routledge.com/</a><span style="color: #201f1e;">, </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #201f1e;">will generate a 25% discount.</span></span></span></p></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">“The Role of Mindfulness in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kairos.</i>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rhetoric Review. </i>35.1 (2016): 22-34.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><br /></span><span>"Mantra of Intention." <i>New Writing: International Journal for the Practic</i></span></span><i>e </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>and </i><span><span><i>T</i></span></span><i>heory of Creative Writing.</i><span> </span><span><span>19.1 (2022): 3-12</span><span>. </span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><br /></div><div>"What Does Mindfulness Offer Teachers?" Interview with NCTE, <i>Council</i></div><div><i>Chronicle, </i>November 2021: <a href="https://library.ncte.org/journals/CC/issues/v30-2/30949"> article here.</a></div></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Desk Meditations: <a href="http://www.prolificmoment.com/">here.</a></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><a href="http://www.prolificmoment.com/"><br /></a></span><span>“Writing in the Company of Ghost Readers.” </span><i>The Writer’s Forum. </i><span>Vol. 205. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nov. 2018.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">“The Ability to Write is Always Present.” Guest Blog Post for National </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Council </span></span>of Teachers of English, May 2018: <a href="http://www2.ncte.org/blog/2018/05/the-ability-to-write-is-always-present/">here.</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">“The Point of Now.” Guest Blog Post for the <i>North American Review, </i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Summer 2018: <a href=" https://northamericanreview.org/point-now">here.</a></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-right: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Presentations available online:</span></u></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">2019
TEDx talk, “How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You </span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Write”: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yxnFac7CNA">video.</a></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>“How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You Write a Novel.” Webcast for 2021 National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo): </span><a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8MvP7oJ41A">video.</a></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">NCTE Mindful Writing Webinar Series at National Council of Teachers</span></span></o:p></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p><span><span>of English. </span></span></o:p>Host and architect of show. (A new series is happening in September/October 2022: more info soon): <a href="https://ncte.org/rsvp-mindful-writing-series/ ">here.</a> <a href="https://vimeo.com/405557069">here.</a> And <a href="https://vimeo.com/415167667">here.</a></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div><span>More of my NCTE videos:</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://vimeo.com/457897847/114abf80b9?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=95026474"><span>September 12, 2020 NCTE Mindful Writing Webinar</span></a></div><div><span><a href="https://vimeo.com/460716282/15f9322264?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=95026474">September 19, 2020 NCTE Mindful Writing Webinar</a><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://vimeo.com/463081163/5466669093?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=95026474">September 26, 2020 NCTE Mindful Writing Webinar</a><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></span></o:p></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Mindful Writing: A Conversation. Featured speaker at <i>What a Word </i></span></o:p></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p><span><i>is Worth </i></span></o:p><i>Podcast: Conversations with Creative People on Collective</i></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Healing Using </i><i>Innovative Means. </i>Host: Dr. Marianela Medrano. </span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">December 5, 2021: <a href="https://anchor.fm/marianela-medrano/episodes/Mindful-Writing-a-conversation-with-Alexandria-Peary-e1b9ol7/a-a71l46h">podcast.</a></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">“Why Writing Goes Better in College if You’re Mindful”: Academic Speaker Series</span></span></o:p></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lecture at Landmark College, Putney, VT. February 23, 2022: <a href=" https://www.landmark.edu/calendar/event/why-writing-in-college-goes-better-if-youre-mindful-alexandria-peary">video.</a></span></span></o:p></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span> </span><br /></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><u>Additional presentations:</u></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"Present Moment, Prolific Moment: Using Mindfulness to Write." Workshop I </span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">offer through New Hampshire Humanities: <a href="https://www.nhhumanities.org/programs/teacher/59/alexandria-peary">here</a></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p><span>Keynote Address on Mindful Writing for Secondary Schools Writing Centers</span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> Association (SSWCA) Conference. March 2021. </span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: rgb(236, 236, 236);">“</span>This Very Moment is Perfect for Writing.” Presenter. <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">2nd Annual
Conference </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">on Writing and Well-Being</span> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Crossings:
Exploring Shared Work in Writing. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">University
of </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nevada,
Reno</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">. </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">January 2021.</span></div></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="background: white;">Presentation
on Mindful Writing for Southern New Hampshire University. </span></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="background: white;">April 20,
2020. </span></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="background: white;"><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-right: -0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-66907778924889901202022-04-10T12:20:00.003-04:002022-04-10T12:22:24.788-04:00Groundlessness: A Compilation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="Normal1"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Kz50ka2FoXtQOJGuGHSjYJxJnR5r09Yht9b9jxAEUsmOav6FNH2lR314okfr3Z_idaePzMZC4ElVmu5Bpr1RJ3V2BHQHHYiDjwwILSPmY09tC2r7e3jW5bWoUKj28Ht8b9gp6wAT6XbOSsGOqGsYx_qAMY9WOTJJu_bnAgGbFze1TnVdePrscPl5-A/s500/Meditation%20Bell%20image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Kz50ka2FoXtQOJGuGHSjYJxJnR5r09Yht9b9jxAEUsmOav6FNH2lR314okfr3Z_idaePzMZC4ElVmu5Bpr1RJ3V2BHQHHYiDjwwILSPmY09tC2r7e3jW5bWoUKj28Ht8b9gp6wAT6XbOSsGOqGsYx_qAMY9WOTJJu_bnAgGbFze1TnVdePrscPl5-A/w145-h145/Meditation%20Bell%20image.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="Normal1"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>I invited the students in my ENL 221: Mindful Writing course to share their thoughts on groundlessness with you.</b></i></span></span></p><p class="Normal1"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Authors: Dasia
Dobbs, Meghan Miraglia, <span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; mso-highlight: white;">J. G. Bova</span>, camryn rose, Bailey Hughes, J.P, Gabrielle
Vitiello, Sofia Ciriello, Iliana De Peña, R. LeBlanc Lutts, Casey Saraceno, Joseph Tadesse, Matthew Lydon, and
Phoebe Leo.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </b></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>QUESTION 1: How would you explain
groundlessness to a friend or family member?<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN">I would explain groundlessness as </span><span lang="EN">a form of recognition without preconceptions, being open to
what is already happening but not too fixated on it.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is letting go of all control, all preconceptions,
ideas, opinions, etc.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>I would explain groundlessness as letting go of your
preconceptions and start looking at everything around you with a benign
indifference. The world is what it is and you are just floating in it. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Groundlessness is the acceptance that
there is no ultimate answer or destination or reason for being. It is the
ability to accept everything and nothing simultaneously.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is being
more open minded to the ideas of things in question, it is a question with the
answer being more willing to listen to more ideas.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is a state
of knowing and unknowing in which people simultaneously find comfort and
discomfort all at once; the notion that our existence simply is.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is the
complete release of depending on things that keep you numb. You may think
you're secure, but groundlessness pushes you to a space of deep discomfort and
lack of control.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is just
being okay with the fact that nothing stays the same.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is not
holding onto your teachings as the rule because there is more to everything
than what you were taught and you should be open to experiencing more.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is a being
open minded to things going on in your mind.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Realizing that nothing is
permanent and just accepting that everything is constantly changing. Just like
our breath is constantly changing so is everything else, nothing will stay the
same. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is the state
of letting go of preconceptions and other thoughts.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is the idea of truly
understanding and being able to accept change. Everything changes all the time
everyday, every second. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>The way that I would explain
groundlessness is that it's an idea where you would not hold on to things and
make room for other things without clinging to one idea.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>I would explain this as a
way of letting go of all other perceptions so that they do not reflect and
cause me to hold onto preconceived thoughts. This can cause you to lose your
own wisdom. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b> </b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN">QUESTION 2: Why<i> </i></span></b><b><span lang="EN">should we be interested
in groundlessness? <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN"><br /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">You should be interested because it gives
us the freedom to simply be and to exist without fear—since whatever you're
doing is enough.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Doing this will not hold you back to new experiences, ideas,
opinions, etc. if you cling on to something or don’t challenge yourself, you
are vulnerable. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">We should be interested in
groundlessness because anything that keeps us dependent keeps us unreal. These
things we over-rely on make us unknowable, even to ourselves. Groundlessness
helps us accept change and accept the fact that the things we cling to are
already decaying.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">You should be interested
due to the fact it is a way to enlighten your mind, a way to develop and keep
growing as an individual. A way to become a better person.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">You should be interested in
groundlessness because your habits might not be you. They may be because of
someone else and in that case you should try and let go of them to discover
more.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>We should be interested in groundlessness
because by detaching from our worldly
concerns or responsibilities, even those that give us feelings of security, we
can see what comes to us in our state of emptiness without the influences of
other things.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>You should be interested in it because
Pema Chodron mentioned it allows you to connect with the mind that knows no
fear. Accepting that things are constantly changing and you shouldn't hold onto
the concept of anything. This allows for no suffering and to really connect
deeper with your mind. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>The way that groundlessness can be
applied is that it could be helpful when trying to learn something new and the
topic is always changing so it would be not a good idea to cling to one.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>This is something to take interest in
because without this idea we can easily fall behind or become “vulnerable” to
multiple things surrounding us like: ideas, definitions, topics, beliefs, etc.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>If you’re not noticing and accepting
groundlessness, you allow fear to get in the way of your being.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is interesting because it
detaches one from everything and nothing at the same time. It is a state in
which people can delve deeper into the connections that lie all around them.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Groundlessness is the opposite of being
grounded, because if you find something to ground yourself with that
"something" could change and throw you off your course again. So you
can't root yourself in anything and be completely safe. Hence, accepting
groundlessness. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>It allows us to be open minded and let things go.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b> </b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><span lang="EN">QUESTION 3: How s</span></b><b><span lang="EN">hould a person
practice groundlessness? <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b> </b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Start by realizing that emptiness is a
form. If you pull away from it and get rid of it, you are able to start the
process. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>We can practice this by letting thoughts
go as they come in and releasing our preconceptions. Not just things that
trouble or worry us, but also those that we typically love or enjoy. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>How you should practice groundlessness is
really hard for me to explain. I feel like learning the term and what it really
means is a start; once your mind can wrap around the idea of groundlessness,
your mindset may be able to slowly be altered to try and fulfill a kind of
groundlessness, even if it isn’t all at once. Yeah.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>We can practice groundlessness by understanding that there is nothing to
hold onto, including the teaching that there is nothing to hold onto. We should
also question and experiment with things our "teachers" tell us: we
should accept nothing without thoughtful inquisition.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>To practice </b><b>groundlessness,</b><b> I believe you have to remind yourself
constantly about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Are you doing it
because you are curious and are trying to learn from all different sources so
you can gain your own thoughts or are you doing it because that is exactly what
you were taught to do so it is comfortable?</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Learn to question but actually listen and absorb.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>I would say that groundlessness is a state, it simply is. I think that
it is unwise to call it something to achieve. I think it would be possible to
practice it by doing and not attaching yourself to the idea of it.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>You can practice by challenging your thoughts and asking yourself “why”
when you are doing things. Maybe the “why” is because that is what the teacher
is asking us to do to complete the assignment. But that is all it is, it is not
a fundamental, universal reason for doing it.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>The way that you can apply this is to not accept things the way they are
but make sure to keep an open mind.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Practice it by just accepting what is there and don't judge, perceive,
or hold onto it. Just let it be, whatever happens, happens. Maybe just take
everything that you believe and accept that it is not real or permanent. It is
not going to be there forever.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Find comfort in things but don't get too comfortable so that when things
change it won't be as detrimental or surprising.</b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans";"> </b></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>How to practice this? Is never holding too hard onto anything.
Understand that these should all be loosely understood in your mind. No matter
how factual it may seem, you don't know if it will change one day. Holding on
and believing everything you think is true will never change can be dangerous.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>By not being attached to anything and keep learning more different
perspectives and ways of thinking. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b> </b></span></o:p></span></p></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-80685298093246105952022-04-02T11:08:00.001-04:002022-04-12T11:18:49.276-04:00Master Class on Mindful Writing [offered in-person and online]<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxJchyduzPt79P8tZnIqG3R5g-WS3R3wvBXFVZR3-U4x9iDlmovQyZxTAWU1Mfy9_BZBDw3C-5KgH7hO8ey2NXou1XkScYP4rSEpMV1HoPmaGUxxJ0eGqMfOkuWUVdthaYi8jCZy2xin1UUxlaoBBl11WUJP_jl00c4iRGBYH7UaGOWlebzfzetGC2Q/s1024/Purple%20buddha.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxJchyduzPt79P8tZnIqG3R5g-WS3R3wvBXFVZR3-U4x9iDlmovQyZxTAWU1Mfy9_BZBDw3C-5KgH7hO8ey2NXou1XkScYP4rSEpMV1HoPmaGUxxJ0eGqMfOkuWUVdthaYi8jCZy2xin1UUxlaoBBl11WUJP_jl00c4iRGBYH7UaGOWlebzfzetGC2Q/s320/Purple%20buddha.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Lato;">Master Class on Mindful Writing: How to Reduce Writing Problems through the Present Moment</span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;">2-4 PM </span><span style="font-family: Lato;">May 6, 2022</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;">[Offered at the 2022 North Country Writers' Day. Info on other events available <a href="https://newhampshirepoetlaureate.blogspot.com/2022/02/2022-north-country-writers-day-register.html">here.</a>]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;">White Mountains Community College<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;"><b style="background-color: #01ffff;">In-Person and Virtual</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;">Writing can become much more fulfilling and joyful if we think of it as happening right Now. Whenever we overlook the present moment, we give up rewarding writing experiences in exchange for stress, procrastination, boredom, and shortchanged creativity. It’s a poor bargain. This interactive session focuses on how to use mindful writing techniques to write with more peace and productivity. We cover the basics of mindful writing, including impermanence, audience ghosts, monkey mind, and preconceptions about our writing ability. Participants gain hands-on practice with several mindful writing techniques. Geared for participants ages 13 and older, this master class is designed for people who occasionally or often struggle with writing, who teach writing, as well as for participants who don’t struggle with a writing block but are interested in picking up skills. The strategies apply to creative, academic, professional, and personal kinds of writing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;">About the Presenter:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;">Alexandria Peary (MFA, MFA, PhD) specializes in mindful writing. She is the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prolific Moment: Theory and Practice of Mindfulness for Writing</i> as well as the architect and host of the mindful writing webinar for the National Council of Teachers of English. Alex is a frequent presenter on mindful writing for New Hampshire Humanities and has also presented on mindful writing for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), NH Children’s Trust, and as the 2021 keynote address for the Secondary School Writing Centers Association Conference. Her <span style="background: white; color: #1d1a1a;">2019 TEDx talk “How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You Write”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can be found on YouTube: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yxnFac7CNA"><span style="background: white;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yxnFac7CNA</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #1d1a1a;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alex is a professor in the English Department at Salem State University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on creative writing and mindful writing.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d1a1a;">Event is free to individuals ages 13 and up. Registration required for either in-person or virtual. Participants will be contacted with room and/or Zoom info in late April.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Lato;">To register by Apri 15:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/master-class-on-mindful-writing-tickets-262683081167">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/master-class-on-mindful-writing-tickets-262683081167</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: Lato;"> </span></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-12186809769467183812022-02-24T15:37:00.003-05:002022-02-25T15:39:31.382-05:00Loving-Kindness Meditations for Writers: Guest Post from Salem State University Mindful Writing Undergraduates<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpZVh_vNrP2NP-rDeTx8_Tlm-17DFEhgOOm07RvfJg33HzoQAVooEfeh2Fevg4bDjHGeTZsKvrckEsEvSqf9Kedv2obeg5dp8KYwutmq1ITXiQaHv7kya5hoT1wEgYrp1rzCqc0TvIZJPDnr5Nj4OZgqH6LsCg4BsPm3g1nlpx_U2xr8oZF1ynGnxi6Q=s262" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="262" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpZVh_vNrP2NP-rDeTx8_Tlm-17DFEhgOOm07RvfJg33HzoQAVooEfeh2Fevg4bDjHGeTZsKvrckEsEvSqf9Kedv2obeg5dp8KYwutmq1ITXiQaHv7kya5hoT1wEgYrp1rzCqc0TvIZJPDnr5Nj4OZgqH6LsCg4BsPm3g1nlpx_U2xr8oZF1ynGnxi6Q" width="262" /></a></div><br /><h1 style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Loving-Kindness Meditations for Writers</span></i></h1><p></p><p><span face="Lato Extended, Lato, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>[Written by students in ENL 221: Mindful Writing, Spring 2022]</b></i></span></p><p><span face="Lato Extended, Lato, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2d3b45;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>May you feel important in your writing. May you fully believe in your writing. May you receive everything you deserve from your writing. May you not second guess yourself. May you feel confident in your writing. May your mind stay present. May your writer's demon go away. </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">-</i><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;">Iliana De Pena</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><span aria-live="assertive" class="screenreader-only" style="border: 0px; clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); height: 1px; margin: -1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; transform: translateZ(0px); width: 1px;">Collapse Subdiscussion</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>For Sahara:</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>May your writing bring you the closure that often evades you in your waking life. May your writing bring you joy and peace. May your writing forever be a space where you find justice, security, and serenity. May your notebook and Notes app forever be bursting with new ideas and fresh lines. May you find inventive rhymes and may you always stumble upon the perfect words to describe your feelings.</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;">-Meghan Miraglia</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i>May my writing be a relief to me. May I sit down at my computer and relax with each breath. May I feel lightened by my own kind words, and free from pressures and expectations. May I be happy and peaceful. May I feel mentally and physically healthy. May my writing bring me happiness and feed my inner child. May I be free to be myself.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;">-Gabrielle Vitiello</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>May every time you find internal peace within yourself, be another moment of blissful writing. May the thought of negativity become a thing of the past and be forgotten. May you be happy and content with yourself as you speak within your thoughts and writing. May you find happiness in the word that come from your fingers. May you be free of stress and worries, instead be grateful.</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;">- V.P. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>May you find that your strokes of pen be so full of feeling and realization. May your worlds be unobstructed by the judgment of society. May your fields of flowers and honey revitalize you and your work in ways that you never could have imagined. May you continue to grow and keep growing, despite all that you may face. May you find that your writing reaches for the stars and grasps them with the might of the universe. May your writing stretch to every nook and cranny of the multiverses in your mind and beyond.</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;">-J. G. Bova</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i>May your writing be powerful. May your writing be authentic. May your writing flow from your brain to the paper. May your writing be imperfect. May your writing give you a sense of happiness and purpose.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;">-Casey Saraceno</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i>May every breath be filled with peace and exhaled with kindness. May you grant the space to be yourself. May you free yourself from the weights of judgement and comparison. May your words flow lightly. May you hold no attachment to the outcome. May you appreciate that your words are yours, may they serve you, and help ease your soul.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;">-Riley LeBlanc</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="TextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0"><i>May your writing be passionate. May your writing be free of sufferings. May your writing instruction manifest wherever you want it to go. May your writing instruction build different levels of creativity. May your writing blossom. May your writing choose to inspire. May your writing be you. </i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="TextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0">-PL</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="TextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="TextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">May your writing always have loving-kindness. May your writing always be as free as a bird. May there be no judgment upon your writing. May your writing be a source of your happiness. May your writing be an escape for you. </i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="TextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">-</i><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;">SC</span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="TextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i><span class="TextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0">May your ideas inspire my writing and let it continue to do so. May your suggestions and critiques help </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0">better my writing.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW117151415 BCX0" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"> May your support motivate me to write. May your guidance give me clarity in my writing. May your thoughts on my writing be an inspiration to me.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"> </span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;">-JT</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>May your writing and creative thoughts always be free and inspired. May your writing journey be strong and may you always find enjoyment in it. May you always know how powerful your words are.</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;">-Bailey Hughes</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW31123258 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>To someone, I once used to call professor, </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i>May you believe in your students' work, and not compromise their comfort. May you find peace within your own work, and then you will be able to find it in others. May you tell your students that you are proud of them, within their work. May you help when it is sought. May you allow them to feel comfortable, vulnerable, and accepted. </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW31123258 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"> -DD</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><i style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><i><span class="TextRun SCXW31123258 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW31123258 BCX0" style="margin-bottom: 0px;">May your writing flow peacefully. May your writing be filled with confidence. May your mind stay calmly in the present. May you feel inspired and special. May you get the recognition you deserve.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW31123258 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"> </span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;">-KC</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="EOP SCXW117151415 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="margin-bottom: 0px;">***</span></p><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #2d3b45; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #2d3b45; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>May you write passionately and with a sense of self. May your edits align with this original passion and sense of self. May you find freedom in your writing path, passing less judgment onto yourself. May you write the detailed thoughts you think rather than locking them up for fear that they are lacking something. May you write simply for the process, and worry not about the finality of your pieces. May you find enjoyment in writing, even when it is for something other than your enjoyment.</i></span></span></p></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">--Camryn Rose</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">***</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><i>May your writing be everything you hope for it to be. May your mind be free of any darkness or demon, holding you back from your full potential. May writing no longer be a chore for you. May your writing become expressive and creative. May you learn to fall in love with writing once again. May you learn to love yourself once again. </i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">-Savannah Hathaway</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Lato Extended", Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-44228336869758246562022-02-20T10:54:00.006-05:002022-02-20T11:05:00.660-05:00Why Writing in College Goes Better If You’re Mindful<p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisEsCkM_JYJEVlCAORslZ3ztL6R1TF55REGoViV7UW3YIAc504d9EixvGVJFc9Ixcc5pRDAgFzdPA4CNVMaPz061S27mQhv3CgGyojvOKwHhgt2UDja-4jesiBqMpbxjDpslV2lFx2D-Y0odTCqS8BlcxNUydjXoRKlU1o7kv1Ye0OTtXXd84NLXhjwA=s180" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="161" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisEsCkM_JYJEVlCAORslZ3ztL6R1TF55REGoViV7UW3YIAc504d9EixvGVJFc9Ixcc5pRDAgFzdPA4CNVMaPz061S27mQhv3CgGyojvOKwHhgt2UDja-4jesiBqMpbxjDpslV2lFx2D-Y0odTCqS8BlcxNUydjXoRKlU1o7kv1Ye0OTtXXd84NLXhjwA=w184-h206" width="184" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Why Writing in College Goes Better If You're Mindful</b></span></span></h2><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll be presenting in-person for the Academic Speaker Series at Landmark College on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 4-5 PM. </span></span><span face="azo-sans-web, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 0.14px;">Location: Brooks M. O'Brien Auditorium/Lewis Academic Building</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.landmark.edu/calendar/why-writing-in-college-goes-better-if-youre-mindful-alexandria-peary">More info here.</a></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">DESCRIPTION: I<span style="letter-spacing: 0.14px;">n this interactive session, Peary will cover the basics of mindful writing and provide hands-on opportunity to work with the technique. You'll learn about mindful writing tools, including impermanence, self-talk, and awareness of the writing body, to reduce stress around writing assignments. You’ll practice ways to manage monkey mind, that pesky inner voice that hands us preconceptions about our writing abilities, and reader ghosts, those inner critics who make us doubt ourselves. With increased attention on the present moment, every writing moment can be a calmer, more prolific moment.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.14px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.14px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.14px;"><br /></span></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-87797433608235385562022-02-17T10:19:00.005-05:002022-02-17T10:19:35.907-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay Excerpt: Guest Post by Salem State Graduate Student<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKLLNByI0SGyurrVoLnTHxWgRRojOZxR18MTC4e8TAWHDEpxsRNFpSYSoe_J7buefw91p-2g7_Osdc5lcfILzFBqdLX-nCipd_RCRDNhqyP7PbdlkA1YyIEGlwmAaSMSxRLPnrXq_Tyvd0uKIEnbjNPyhDptgETUoJnrSs-Qe3JUADxINKAwcGJ_mBHA=s1920" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKLLNByI0SGyurrVoLnTHxWgRRojOZxR18MTC4e8TAWHDEpxsRNFpSYSoe_J7buefw91p-2g7_Osdc5lcfILzFBqdLX-nCipd_RCRDNhqyP7PbdlkA1YyIEGlwmAaSMSxRLPnrXq_Tyvd0uKIEnbjNPyhDptgETUoJnrSs-Qe3JUADxINKAwcGJ_mBHA=w295-h166" width="295" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><h2 style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #073763;">Ground Yourself with Groundlessness</span><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></span></h2><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Chantelle Escobar Leswell</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, system-ui, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, system-ui, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chantelle Escobar-Leswell is a master's in English Literature candidate from Scotland at Salem State University. She enjoys writing projects of all kinds and leans most dedicatedly towards creative non-fiction and research writing. When not hunched over her schoolwork or her personal projects, she enjoys reading too much and dance.</i></div></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grounding oneself in groundlessness comes from
the idea that there is never-ending chaos surrounding us and we have to find
our place in it. To ground, essentially, is to make peace with and to settle
into the space that you are in at any given time. It is necessarily a form of
radical acceptance of the moment you are in and the ground, earth, and
circumstances you have been given. Meanwhile, it allows us to be free-acting
agents in our current situation by altering the element of bodily or mental
discomfort that comes with feelings of dissociation or issues with similar
features.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I love to actively engage in my own
grounding: in my writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> in my
everyday life. Every single time I write is an opportunity to embrace
groundlessness and work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i> it to
enjoy the process. My favorite practice of this theory involves a fuzzy rug, a
cup of tea, and a notepad. The premise is that sensation-based awareness brings
a keener ability to write through embodiment in our practice. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What I do is use
the fuzzy rug to help me ‘feel my feet on the ground’ and really immerse myself
in the sensation. At the same time, I take a sip of tea when I feel my mind
wandering, and note down anything relevant to the experience that came up for
me on the notepad. Through using embodied practice to be attentive to the
writing moment, I most always feel an astoundingly strong awareness and focus
on my project. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My model for approaching virtually
every aspect of my life is with attentiveness to self-compassion. This is
especially pertinent with embodied experiences such as writing. Despite those
who contest this; writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>embodied.
Not only can I state the obvious – that the brain is, in fact, located in the
body – but the brain is also interconnected with embodied experience through
the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which interacts with one’s environment
to ameliorate the apparent disconnect between brain and body. This means that
we have visceral reactions to our writing, and so, self-compassion – it seems
to me – is the only key that fits the lock to our ability to write. We simply
have to unlock it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unlocking the door to our writing
through self-compassion helps us divorce ourselves from audience, from product.
When we put audience and product before our own experience of writing, we
prioritize perfection over self-compassion. Perfection is a myth predicated on
the capitalist and oppressive idea that one must <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finish</i> a work, and be productive at all times, and do their best,
and always be working on something new, etc., as well as balancing all other
aspects of life, rather than simply working towards something greater than
themselves in their writing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With self-compassion comes grounding as a tool for
investigating one’s embodied experience and relationship to self, mental
experience of the world, and writing experience. Connection to the environment,
between the body and the brain, to the collective or community, allows us to
not only practice self-compassion, but to </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">embody
</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">it. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With the ‘feet on the ground’ approach, we can begin to paint a picture
of how connection –- even to the earth itself, as embodied through our feet
pressing into it and grounding us there </span>– creates<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> greater affinity for self and others, making embodiment a
motivating factor, and thus, allowing one to enact self-compassion in embodied
practices.</span><o:p style="font-size: 12pt;"></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-65810743634287543212022-02-13T08:36:00.005-05:002022-02-13T08:36:59.048-05:00Master Class in Mindful Writing<p><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjKq-3oAQr5F7QWK8_h90eRWXLkBlzJPhn_RCnpMnfA_5-iet_z6LE4Hib1kvrCYqR00yi3X6QCdXmsuG606Rh7G4Uk8b08X5CuDQE3Iar6EVOYLoudiDfNO_FNUNdYJ2TKnC4RX9D1S2PemnCD-z0kXkAD2Qd7JUexcgGOuu3fVHC9AwhGXWlPZGUlA=s500" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjKq-3oAQr5F7QWK8_h90eRWXLkBlzJPhn_RCnpMnfA_5-iet_z6LE4Hib1kvrCYqR00yi3X6QCdXmsuG606Rh7G4Uk8b08X5CuDQE3Iar6EVOYLoudiDfNO_FNUNdYJ2TKnC4RX9D1S2PemnCD-z0kXkAD2Qd7JUexcgGOuu3fVHC9AwhGXWlPZGUlA=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;"><br />I'm offering a master class on mindful writing in-person at White Mountains Community College (Berlin, NH campus) on Friday, May 6, 2022. This event is free to the community. Space is limited. </span><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/master-class-on-mindful-writing-tickets-262683081167?fbclid=IwAR0dByekFJxZpHAXBJ5WsvxtfFbA7NaV2j_xWO0FZhI1E6d2EMhOXtHVpF0" style="font-family: Lato; font-size: large;">Register here.</a><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;"><b>Description:</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;">Writing can become much more fulfilling and joyful if we think of it as happening right Now. Whenever we overlook the present moment, we give up rewarding writing experiences in exchange for stress, procrastination, boredom, and shortchanged creativity. It’s a poor bargain. This interactive session focuses on how to use mindful writing techniques to write with more peace and productivity. We cover the basics of mindful writing, including impermanence, audience ghosts, monkey mind, and preconceptions about our writing ability. Participants gain hands-on practice with several mindful writing techniques. Geared for participants ages 13 and older, this master class is designed for people who occasionally or often struggle with writing, who teach writing, as well as for participants who don’t struggle with a writing block but are interested in picking up skills. The strategies apply to creative, academic, professional, and personal kinds of writing.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;">If you're attending this master class, you're also cordially invited to two other events happening that day on campus as part of the 2022 North Country Writers' Day: my book signing and reading of <i>Battle of Silicon Valley at Daybreak </i>and the Release Party for <i>Under the Madness Magazine. </i>More info about these events available <a href="https://newhampshirepoetlaureate.blogspot.com/2022/02/2022-north-country-writers-day-register.html">here.</a></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-52589342119286839692022-01-04T09:59:00.005-05:002022-01-04T14:30:05.920-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay: Guest Post by Salem State University Graduate Student<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh01pXL7wJ2QddzInc7w5gysgLbOhIClWJ_N7anf9c4lDjvnBi6puSfVplSme2B_7eeiMt8WKjbWSYKowJNKFD6iJhRKgnAKRs2jANpcKOsFSQYOSTqqytOrWw7kb7H6K4n_68Cqh8OskuSSDPoXFiMvRectTR69yzXkOfa10s2jJ48cT9b4JH7y3yyAw=s3300" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2528" data-original-width="3300" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh01pXL7wJ2QddzInc7w5gysgLbOhIClWJ_N7anf9c4lDjvnBi6puSfVplSme2B_7eeiMt8WKjbWSYKowJNKFD6iJhRKgnAKRs2jANpcKOsFSQYOSTqqytOrWw7kb7H6K4n_68Cqh8OskuSSDPoXFiMvRectTR69yzXkOfa10s2jJ48cT9b4JH7y3yyAw=w320-h245" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #073763;">Being Formless</span><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></span></h2><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Heather Wright</span></div><div><p><i>Heather Wright is completing an undergraduate double major in Interdisciplinary Studies and English in Spring 2022 while concurrently working toward a MA in English Literature at Salem State University. With a broad array of workplace experience, she returned to academia after 25 years to cultivate a lifetime interest in poetry and poetics.</i></p><p><br /></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont" style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Freedom of form is freedom, </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">just
breathe, the freedom to write without form, folds itself into form. <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont" style="background-color: white;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Being, in
the active state of doing and breathing. Being formless.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Heather
Wright<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This collection of writing is the
active progress of mindfulness, present moment awareness on the exploration of
mantra making, from conception, to construction, to implementation. Italicized
block quotes represent a mindful relationship between theory and awareness of how
theoretical concepts appear in my inner dialogue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are thought bubbles that temporality
directed me outside of the project before returning to the task of mantra
creation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Preface
and Preconception<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">I am
learning to ignore my academic audience. I am learning to question automatic
thinking, quash the inner-critic and defend my writing and choices. I have
become deliberate. I intentionally resist and act contrary to audience
interjections: <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">that is
terrifying, you cannot, you’re not good enough, they don’t really know you</span></em>.
As a matter of alternating the pathways and channels and ruts the audience
carves, I choose to walk right through the thicket. Audience: <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">You cannot possibly be a writing
tutor</span></em> becomes; I will enroll in the Writing Practicum. If my
audience asserts: <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It will be
terrifying to tutor arm to arm with a student,</span></em> I insist on
volunteering to be in the physical space of the Writing Center. When the
audience stresses: <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">you cannot possibly comprehend that theory</span></em>, I choose
to write about it; <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">this syllabus is frightening, you should drop the class,</span></em> prompts
a laugh, I won’t!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A mindful perspective on the tricks of
the intrapersonal, including audience apparitions, calls for an alert but
even-handed approach. Vigilance is required because of the seriousness of the
impact of unobserved monkey-mind. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandria Peary. <i>Prolific Moment.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Practice and awareness developed
in Mindful Writing expose this self-defeating ghost. I can identify it in my
pre-writing, editing, and composition phases, especially academic writing.
Until this assignment, I did not recognize negative inner-dialog also
intervenes and judges my class assignments—particularly those that work to
detain the inner dialogue. Is there fear of taking back ownership and control
of the intrapersonal rhetoric or the self? I recognize and sense the monkey
mind jumping to prejudge class lessons. Mindful eating, for example, and even
this mantra design process. The voice wind-chiming in the storm, <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">how does this apply;</span></em> <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">it cannot change the process;
what can this achieve</span></em>? Yet now that I can stop and observe the
mental gymnastics, I recognize the pattern. I give it a sharp elbow, tell it to
settle down, and trust my ability to accomplish demanding assignments and
produce satisfying writing. Most importantly, awareness of the monkey mind
cultivates trust in new pathways. The looping monkey-mind is not an act of
intuition or a non-verbal construction propelling me forward; it is the mind
weeds that strangle invention.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All emotions are welcome, none
discarded. It’s the more momentary and more subtle emotions of mind weeds and
waves that put a student and the teacher’s pedagogy at the crossroads.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandria Peary. <i>Prolific Moment</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">The mantra project produced a
similar effect. The monkey mind is un-trusting and prefers usual patterns even
when those patterns are dysfunctional, painful, or even just tiring; the
habitual is always more accessible than incorporating what is new. The habitual
voice: <em><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">How can I
narrow down the learning from the entire semester to a single phrase? And how
can I possibly write 4500 words about a simple phrase? How can I stop writing
to create an ensō? How will I have the time to produce something
artistic? </span></em></span><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hitsuzendō (</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "MS Gothic"; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic"; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia;">筆禅道</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, "way of Zen through brush")
is believed by Zen Buddhists to be a method of achieving samādhi (Japanese: </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "MS Gothic"; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic"; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia;">三昧</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> sanmai), which is a unification with
the highest reality. Hitsuzendo refers specifically to a school of Japanese Zen
calligraphy to which the rating system of modern calligraphy (well-proportioned
and pleasing to the eye) is foreign. Instead, the calligraphy of Hitsuzendo
must breathe with the vitality of eternal experience.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hitsuzendō. Wiki</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Gratefully, the hush of this
voice arrives with consciousness, and this awareness reinforces writing
revelations. When I regain control of the mind and pursue the academic goal in
good faith, trusting the process, it is rewarding. The Mantra project process
was equally satisfying. My first revelation in the mantra design process
resulted from the repetition of the moment writing process. The monkey mind
performed the usual tricks; this is <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">not
worth it, what is this, why, I’m so busy, how many times; answer the same
questions? </span></em> Again, I recognize the inner voice, recognize
the dialogue is fear-based, let it go, and proceeded. I sat each day reading
and answering the prompt questions. Although not every answer was
groundbreaking or new, I discovered the process was like panning for gold. I
sift for treasure, trusting the process! The act of repetition is
revolutionary! Writing ideas are sharp, the debris is gone, leaving only
specific details. I can see the skeleton of my mantra and know the vital
aspects. It will be an unbroken circle, universal rather than personal,
encompassing misinterpretation of the moment, and waves of impermanence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We cultivate a simple, direct
relationship with our being— no philosophizing, no moralizing, no judgments. Whatever
arises in our mind is workable. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pema Chodron.<i> "</i>Groundlessness"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Material
Creation<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
enjoy making art. I would not call myself an artist; crafty is more suitable.
My primary creative venture is an annual holiday window display at my shop. I
collect images and inspiration throughout the year and attempt the near-impossible,
cut construct, paint, and assemble elaborate displays to fill dualling seven by
nine-foot windows— the entirety of two walls in my little salon. It is a joy,
but also one east to set aside. Last year, to the disappointment of many
clients, I did not create a display. I was busy, so I recycled former
decorations. Overwhelmed with finals and papers, I was too stressed and could
not spare the time. This year, however, I discovered something new. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">With a
broadening understanding of contemplative pedagogy, I decided that the joy of
the creative process is still productive to my academic output. I ascribe to
the overall umbrella of mindfulness pedagogy and specifically to the article
“Pre-Writing: The Sage of Discovery in the Writing Process” by D. Gordon
Rohman. I discovered that creativity is imperative to composition. Rohman
posits that stages of creation allow us to recognize the likenesses and
connections more perceptively than when we grope for those connections (Rohman
111). I made a personal connection between Rohman's theory and the pre-writing
stages of composition. In art, there remains time to cultivate cognitive work
for school. I understand that the writing moment is more expansive than I had
considered. I am happy to report I successfully cut and crafted my shop windows
and completed my academic requirements.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Art that is, represents reality.</span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">D. Gordon Rohman. "Pre-Writing: The
Stage of Discovery"</span><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
personal connection of the academic and creative is the critical point of
balance for my work at the university, but it overwhelmingly applies to my life
in general. How I evaluate the moment forces me to reassess the value and
potential of each moment. If I compose and do not fix ideas in ink, pencil, or
text, do those ideas still exist? What if creativity allows me to expand ideas
so when I arrive at a keyboard, or piece of paper I am prepared and productive?
If this is possible, and I assert that it is, then, until now, I have entirely
misperceived the writing moment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
writer has to accept the writer’s own ridiculousness of working, by not
working.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Donald Murray,<i> "</i>The Essential
Delay"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: Georgia, serif;">I do not discredit the labor that writers invest in their work
and do not suddenly believe that I can save time; I only feel composition time
not only be restricted to the screen or page. The moments I use to build and
develop ideas and opinions are more fluid and flexible. The misperception is
that formerly, I believed 10 hours of struggling was the writing process. I now
understand that forcing ideas does not necessarily produce good writing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By reassessing the
credibility of each moment and unifying art with the writing process, I was
ready to create my ensō. After reading the conceptual elements of the ensō, I
decided I would attempt to stay true to form and paint the shape. Could I find
truth in the philosophy that the ensō reflects the creator? If so, what might
this “expressive stroke” say? (ensō). What a fun opportunity!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I negotiated with
myself over the tools to use, which brush. I have a favorite paintbrush. It is
at least double in size of most paintbrushes, has a long-handled giving a
mock-air of professionalism, and beautifully molded bristles. I could have
selected a straight edge brush with a specific production form and accurate
design stroke mimicking calligraphy, but I didn’t. I chose to stick with my
favorite. I have thick cardstock paper and black paint. As I set about
collecting these materials, mixing paint in a speckled aluminum camping bowl,
and washing my brush, I noticed self-inquiry at every step. I sought meaning in
each act and item. The paint has a subtle metallic undertone: <i>How does
this change the meaning of my ensō, or my mantra? What might a rust sheen add
or denote this soon-to-be circle?</i> Other oddities like a slower pace to
the mind while watching the paint turn around as it saturated the brush became
near meditative. Here, like meditation, there is less judgment and a more
peaceful state of productivity, made obvious because the space for art has been
near impossible to find. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Art reminds me of meditation and even
of tutoring. It is an investment of time in the <span> </span>self. Sadly, the monkey-mind
invades with pre-convinced habits and stress convincing us that we cannot take
the time to create for pleasure or rest in the moment. Tutoring is similar, the
hour you invest provides reward on the other side of creation, yet it becomes
so difficult to commit to that hour. We would rather sit tangled in our mind
weeds.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The writing perfectionist appeared at
the table as I organized to paint. As I contemplated the act of making a
circle, I became uncomfortable in the certainty that it is impossible to paint
a perfect circle. Long ago, I was was told a fable about a circle. It included
the creation of the circle as a test for creative ability, a sign and proof of
the artist’s genius, and in ancient times, a test for hiring the artist
(Smithsonian). In decades of doodling, I always attempt to produce the perfect
circle. But, those circles are tiny and with a small, controlled ballpoint pen.
The ensō circle is one consistent and fluid motion of the brush. In all of
these thoughts, I recognize what is occurring. This reaction is another ode to
the Monkey Mind. Like writing, I am overwhelmed by the self-imposed expectation
to achieve perfection. So I chisel away at this hierarchal perfectionist, “It
doesn’t have to be perfect! It is not intended to be perfect!” I practice the
swipes of paint across a page, take a deep breath, and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Cambria Math";">⃝</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> or at least that was the goal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Internal rhetoric points us toward a
more nuanced understanding of how rhetorical intent and effect are discernable
at entry level of language use.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jean Nienkamp. <i>Internal
Rhetorics</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was not happy with the
ensō; if this is a “reflection of the creator,” I am misaligned, half-faded,
broken and, a bit disconnected. It took mental jousting to restrain myself from
searching for more paper. Instead, I decided, it will mean something, even if
that something is broken and misaligned. If not love it, I chose to accept
it. Acceptance applies to mindfulness and my writing experience. I am
beginning to allow cracks in the veneer. I am allowing myself to submit work of
voice rather than perfection: in the ensō creation, in my writing but more
broadly in my life. Perfectionism is a barrier.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don’t let perfect get in
the way of good. </span></i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 200%; text-align: right;">Donald Murray</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Evidence of my progress:
my Christmas tree is crooked and the star waving to the side, straight out of
Whoville. It is the first year I did not have the final say in which tree we
chose. My family always jokes that I pretend so, but this was never a democratic
process. Prior years, we paced the aisles of the tree farm, every voice
ringing, “how about this one? Mom. Look I found one!” In a quick evaluation, I
replied, “No, no, no, not that one. It's crooked, it’s too thin, too fat, too
tall, etc.” This year, prepared for the usual routine, we marched out into the
field. Wolfgang was the first to call out. “How about this one?”. Unexpectedly,
this time I said, “Great!” My family was stunned silent. I relinquished control
and was consequently let free. It was a lovely stress-free day. The habit and
preconception of what is perfect can take precedence over happiness, not a
lesson or the example I want to teach my family.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Verbal
Creation<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My ensō was painted,
dried, and on a visible shelf in my office. For several days I walk past, only
glancing at the shape from the corner of my eye. Oddly, in my peripheral view,
the circle was perfect, its half-faded design even appealing. It was abandoned
there with the hope inspiration would finally distill my mantra. The mantra was
non-verbal for at least a week, almost two... </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The discernment of emptiness is a distinct metacognitive skill
that involves seeking out rather than avoiding the nonconceptual—which in turn
establishes a mindset sufficiently vacated of preconceptions and evaluation to
perceive other possibilities. </span></i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandria Peary. <i>Prolific
Moment</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While I continue to
practice the moment-writing process, words and phrases that summarized my
self-discovery during course work float to the surface on a current, just
before sinking again. However, no diluted mantra-worthy words remain. I resolve
to abandon concerns and move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Among the influential
concepts discovered in mindfulness practice, non-writing and the
misinterpretation of the moment always arise. They are poignant because they
directly address barriers in my writing, but I hope to create a mantra
universal rather than personal. Waiting patiently for the mantra I consider the
sedimentation of the theories and practices of Mindful Writing. I try to imagine
a goal: fluency and ease in all aspects of the writing process. How does that
look? I visualize myself in my workspace, at my writing desk, and perfectly
centered in the writing moment. <i>How does that feel? What might that
produce? What words of encouragement and centering might I say to myself to
propagate fluency within the self? </i>Tumbling through ideas, I list and
repeat, “I picture myself being calm, I imagine myself being aware, I wish for
an ease of being.” Then I made an unexpected connection the word <i>being</i> was
the connection point of my verbalization. Being is the connective tissue and
still a thing unto itself; it is both physical and entirely abstract. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May
each moment of your breathing<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be a
field of asterisk-words, word-flowers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May
your writing<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be free
of suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May
your writing<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be the
cessation of suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May
your writing instruction<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be free
of suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May
your writing instruction<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be the
cessation of suffering<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandria Peary<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Literal Mantra<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">being in be, v.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I. Without required complement: to
have or take place in the world of fact, to exist, occur, happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>1. a. To have place in the objective universe or realm of fact, to
exist; (spec. of God, etc.) to exist independently of other beings. Also: to
exist in life, to live.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>b. With existential there as subject: to exist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2. To come into existence, come about,
happen, occur, take place, be carried out or done; to take its due course,
have the appointed period of time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3. To be the case or the fact. Chiefly in so
be (that), be it (that): if it be the case that, suppose that<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">II. With adverb or adverb phrase,
indicating the relationship of the subject in place, state, time, etc., to
another thing or person.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. a. Expressing the general relationship
of a thing to its place: to have or occupy a given <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>position (the posture not being specified or regarded); to have one's
personality, substance,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or presence (in, at, or near a place, with an object, at an occasion,
etc.). Also: expressing the relationship of an event to a point or period of
time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>b. With existential there as subject, esp. when the complement denotes
something not previously mentioned or had in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. To have one's existence in a
certain state or condition; to sit, stand, remain, etc., in stated
circumstances. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 200%; text-align: right;">(Oxford
Dictionary)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">being, n.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. a. Existence in relationship to
some place or condition<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>b. Condition; state. Obsolete.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>c. Livelihood, living, subsistence<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>d. Position, standing (in the world); (good) status. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>e. A home, a dwelling; a place of abode.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. a. Existence, the fact of
belonging to the universe of things material or immaterial. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>b. Occurrence, happening. Obsolete.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>c. Life, physical existence<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. a. Existence viewed as a property
possessed by anything; substance, constitution, nature.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>b. Essential substance, essence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. a. Something that exists or is
conceived as existing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>b. With defining word or phrase: God. Esp. in Supreme Being.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>c. A living creature, either corporeal or spiritual; esp. a human
being, a person (frequently<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>used
with either contemptuous or idealistic overtones). Also: a person from another
world, an alien. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: right;">(Oxford
Dictionary)</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
</td>
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</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet with all the detailed
definitions and personal sentiments, <i>being </i>is more than a
complex verb or noun. In language, it expands out of fixed spellings. It is a
conjunction /<i>It being the case/ </i>and even rarely an adjective,
"a being and regenerative death” (Oxford). It is a verb with intention and
action<i> </i>/to be/<i>. Being </i>is the intentional act to
become. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thus, <i>being</i> becomes a mantra by reappearance
and occurrence. It appears frequently, centers my presence with its ease in
assembling personal directives— <i>be present</i>— and offers leanings to
a future tense of becoming. The practices of mindful writing are acts of
becoming: we become fluent, we become present, and we become proficient. <i>Being</i> is
my mantra because it is the vehicle to becoming.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Figurative Mantra<o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Being: The inner-being, a still being, a
breathing being, a human being. I am being still, being calm, being here, being
grateful, being honest, being present, being in the moment, being aware. Inside
if being, is /be/ and /in/. Be in the present moment, be in yourself, be in the
writing experience.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">The beauty I find in this mantra relates to the simplicity of
the word combined with its vast complexities of definition. It is far from
simple. It is multiplicitous and reflects the dramatic contrast between the
permanent and impermanent. The waring ideologies that one must simultaneously
embrace the awareness that every construction, ideology, and belief is an
illusion while also understanding that resting on that belief is grasping that
illusion. The groundlessness of that argument supports the first greeting of
the mantra </span><i style="color: #0e101a; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">being</i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"> while simultaneously developing an awareness
that to be, or to become, is far from simple, it is a spiraling opportunity for
verbal construction and simultaneously at its base, a simple two-letter text
that indicates a state of the present being, to be in the moment. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Form is emptiness, emptiness is also
form. Emptiness is no other than form, form is no other than emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pema Chodron.<i> </i><o:p></o:p></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">"</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Groundlessness"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am working on numerous final papers
and projects for finals. I am actively incorporating the mantra “being” into my
day-to-day academic work, and even recognize that it appears when I am not
writing, either at work or with my family. The unique and wonderful aspect of
the grammatical word being, it that it is ever-present in the text world and
appears frequently across genres. I am cognizant of it appearing in beginning,
becoming, and the past-tense of been. Even appearing in before and besides, it
is like popcorn in my reading assignments. Being has become the tiny bell, like
my post-it note to sit up straight. I have frequent reasons to awaken to the
moment when I would not otherwise recognize it. I have even translated being
because it is also the most common verb in the German language /sein/ or /bin/
/ich bin/ or I am. While my German is terrible, the tiny familiar being, be,
bin is a pleasant reminder of awareness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The single most
incredible aspect of the mantra development is its continual reappearance. The
most recent jaw-dropping experience was the simultaneously mysterious
entanglement of composition theorist Robert Yagelski and scholar Paula Gunn
Allen. Awestruck by discovering that Yagleski describes, in detail, what he
refers to as “a state of being,” or the writer's experience of being. Yagelski
defines this as a precious creative zone for writing but connects the writing
moment to global communication.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Writing has the potential to shape our ways of being together on
the planet.</span></i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Robert P. Yagelski. <i>Writing as a Way of Being</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> On the same day, in
a graduate studies class, I discovered the "tribal-feminist" writings
of Paula Gunn Allen in “Kochinnenako in Academe”. In supporting her theory of
feminist perspective, tribal perspective, and western perspectives as distinct
interpretations, she explains the unified ideology of the indigenous Keres
tribe. She explains that from Keres's perspective, highly influential to the
writing narrative, there are no binary forces, no good and evil, no hero and
villain, and no winner or loser. In tribal ideology, she constructs an
interwoven connectedness to all beings. I saw a meeting point with Yagelski in—
"To shape and reflect our sense of who we are in relationship to the world
(Yagelski 3). Gunn Allen asserts that the western mindset is fixed and that
western ideology focuses on the individual rather than the collective. These
thinkers both express the significance of mutual relationships and
connectedness in all their varying degrees. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">The
interconnectedness of humanity addressed by Yagelski and Gunn Allen reminds me
of the local sensory connections that occur with mindfulness and particularly
mindful walking. As was experienced many times in my desk meditations and the
mindful eating practices, the sensory world becomes vastly more apparent. Most
remarkable is the sensory environment doesn’t change awareness and
interactivity with the sensory world change. While experiencing mindful
walking, I was in tune with the collective experience of the living natural
world, the plants, the animals, and the rot of fall, all environmental and
biological cycles that are constantly evolving in the present, and yet there is
a perceptual tuning required to see it. It exists irrelevant to my perceptual
tuning. Gunn Allen proposes that in indigenous or “tribal” philosophy, the
interactivity between these elements of nature, biology, decay, are relevant in
day-to-day life. Thus, they always interact and acknowledge this presence. Grasping
at this ideology combined with the lessons from mindful walking forces me to
consider that my mantra also exists in this state of being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be a part of the larger composition of the
world, being interconnected with all things sensory, interconnected with being,
or beings that form the web and fabric of composing. The interconnectedness of
Yagalski and Gunn Allen is a vast resource for the conscious writer the mantra
being is my reminder. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">I believe that beneath the immediate experiences exists an encompassing
view that connects me to the expressions of other writers. The ability to
document experiences as a writer stretches the world beyond a small, wooded lot
or a singular perspective. I think mindful walking like meditation allows us to
embrace and record our connections to forces outside of ourselves. In that
presence, we better understand the unique perspectives of others. For me,
seated meditation is the experience of the world moving through me, while
mindful walking is me moving through the world.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Heather Wright, Mindful Walking Exercise<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Now my
mantra structure is quite small, and yet this is a big idea, shifting
ideologies may even be a questionable proposition, but one that might be useful
in practice, at least expansively. Most apparent is the implementation of being
in my composing process. I am currently in the final two weeks of the fall
semester. I have over-committed myself this semester as consequently have seven
papers due, constituting more than 75 pages, in six separate themes, not including
a final essay in German. Only being at the mid-way point of completing this
writing, it is clear that mindfulness and mantra use produce a notable change.
I know I should be overwhelmed and stressed. I even know that the task is too
much when weighted with family and near full-time work, but I feel a shift; I
am not stressed; I am actively practicing a lesson from Boice and our
moment-writing practice. I am sitting down daily without a fixed expectation of
the process. I am choosing a task and, I am trying to enjoy the way that the
information flows and changes. And right now, I am even reaching a limit and
need a break.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Paus[e]
to ensure comfort, relaxation and moderate pacing.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Robert Boice.
“Control”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Utilizing
my mantra during academic composing, I discovered something miraculous! Being
is an inhalation /be/ and an exhalation /ing/. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Be---ing---,
Be---ing---<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">This technique has cultivated a
new utility to the mantra returning me to the simple core of mindfulness, a
slow aware breath. When practicing this, I sense the tempo of my pace changing.
I recognize the expansiveness that is so elusive and the simplistic that is
not. I am reminded that even with all the new techniques and knowledge, all of
the complex contemplative theories, we return to the foundation of breathing to
write. It is the simplicity of the student, sitting for the first time finding
the exit door in the breath, in the moment, in impermanence and trust. All the
collective knowledge of academia and theory for a simple moment of being just
breathing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Breath is
a phenomenon common to all living things. A true experiential understanding of
the process moves you closer to other living beings. It shows you your inherent
connectedness with all of life….breathing is present moment process.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Bhante </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Gunaratana</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">.</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> Mindfulness in Plain English</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">In this
place, I feel both grateful and humbled, more connected to the pleasures of
knowledge imparted by passionate people, critical thinkers, brilliant writers’
theorists and poets, and the balance of their absence. Collectively words can
be oppressive, cause harm, be blinding and absorbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While globally, language separates us,
alienates us, and often reduces our ability to connect, language also allows us
to. Language is a vast gamut of possibilities. Although I choose my side, in
the world of verse and lyric, or empathic scenery and prose, of granules of
dirt and grass blades, it is simultaneously a tool of thoughtlessness,
mindlessness, and at the worst evil intention. Such intensities of the world,
do not enter the non-verbal moment, that great cause both large and small,
humble and wicked, does not invade the simple moment of breathing and
be---ing---<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Writing
is a way of being in the world. Whatever else it may be (and it is many other
things, too) writing is an ontological act. When we write, we enact ourselves
as beings in the world. In this regard, writing both shapes and reflects our
sense of who we are in relation to the world around us. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">Robert P. Yagelski, <i>Writing as a Way of Being</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;">With
gratitude (and a curtsey,) I thank you for accepting this broken form. Or
perhaps a form as broken as I can allow it. I recognize self-imposed boundaries
slowing crumbling, but I admit, there is still so much work to do. Form
guidelines, examples, and samples have been a safety net. The idea of
harnessing form and structure, understanding the rules, and playing by those
was a critical component of why I returned to college. I assumed everyone
understood something that I did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beyond a degree, I needed to know what everyone else knows, what are the
expectations? How should I be writing? How do I frame this? Say this? Explain
this? While I still have some of these ghosts at the writing desk in my
academic writing, my creative writing is unconstrained and expressive. Even if
I chose form or example, I sense a bold ability to break the rules based on my
agency and no other.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></p><i></i></span><p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-5339324884787784842022-01-03T17:21:00.000-05:002022-01-03T17:21:00.335-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay [Excerpt]: Guest Post by Salem State University Student<p> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhIIrsgMHxrYPMp4gjTQWDIqMCcFGceU5ZQdoDiEWw-OQX1zhjtGovgmFjoUjqGxewFP_yKNndtELKtZdzzNBG1PNr1LH2ASZXbFCCBzw9Dmna0E9gzzSgIlwchACZlx95IjQW14ieNwPGa5v9D8nETgT-FG38qSQqJULazAyAma8ioxei0rqde3SxGw=s467" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="467" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhIIrsgMHxrYPMp4gjTQWDIqMCcFGceU5ZQdoDiEWw-OQX1zhjtGovgmFjoUjqGxewFP_yKNndtELKtZdzzNBG1PNr1LH2ASZXbFCCBzw9Dmna0E9gzzSgIlwchACZlx95IjQW14ieNwPGa5v9D8nETgT-FG38qSQqJULazAyAma8ioxei0rqde3SxGw=w200-h185" width="200" /></a></div><h2 style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;"><i>Delay in Writing is Confidence in Writing</i></span></h2><h2 style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></h2><h2 style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Emily Gummer</span></span></h2><div><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><i>Emily Gummer is a junior at Salem State University studying Psychology.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">...As I picture my mantra, the enśo is broken; this leaves room for growth. Even
the best writers always need room for growth. The enśo is covered with flowers
to further represent growth. I used flowers because they are one of my favorite
things in the world. They are beautiful and peaceful--even the ones that aren’t.
Flowers are all shaped differently: even the ugliest ones hold beautiful
scents. By adding flowers, my writing is able to be ugly sometimes, but the
scent is just as beautiful as the prettiest pieces of writing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Using my mindful
writing mantra, I will take some time delaying this assignment so that maybe I
will get some new ideas about what I’d like to add. Doing so will add
confidence to my piece and my overall writing experience. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">For my mindful
writing mantra, one would take an inhale while saying, “Delay in writing,” hold
that breath, “is,” and exhale with, “Confidence in writing.” Thinking of my mantra
as a breathing exercise will help me to write my paper. Breathing
exercises are a great tool to use to ground yourself in the present moment: doing this while writing will clear any distractions you may be experiencing as
you complete your written piece. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I will continue to think of this mantra as a
powerful gust of wind that will push away the fogginess surrounding my ideas
and creativity. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">M</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">y writing mantra will guide and aid me, specifically during
the prewriting phase because the majority of the time I procrastinate and find
difficulty in beginning. My mantra may also help me during the
revising or editing phase because if I need to add anything delay may occur, which is fine to experience. I’m going to bring up ghost readers and audience
demons, mindlessness as misperceiving and Invention methods. About my draft of this project--I really enjoy my
examples and descriptions of audience demons in which I describe them as actual
demons... I also
really enjoy my style of writing and the content I have added, especially with
those examples.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">...Reciting a mantra
over and over even before you start writing may remove any preconceptions
that you have about your piece. Preconceptions are the beginning thoughts that
come to your mind. Thinking and saying your mantra might help you think about the
moment; in turn, thinking about the moment might put the preconceptions to ease. Saying
your mantra over and over while in this stage can help you go past that. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Many of my preconceptions include not writing something that will
capture my reader's attention, but as you write you must let go of all the
preconceptions as well as the opinion of the audience. The preconceptions you
may have started out with become smaller and smaller until they have
disappeared. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Producing new ideas can be very difficult for people who
don’t believe they are as creative as they’d like to be. By creating a mantra
to help you in these specific situations, you will be able to come up
with those ideas and become more creative throughout your piece of writing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-22095462266511533912021-12-29T09:21:00.001-05:002021-12-29T09:23:40.143-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay [Excerpt]: Guest Post by Salem State University Student<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3uoEuCVkmwqMR4Q2uUtJykhBqFnei3etYwEGoY0qN6AvqG6GpgcmDQZKzdmHgtTcC28UWXBLqI_9N_i50fMbwnMBhAv2KxRADzJVCua6RKqy2WRecJbvojFKy1l-G1eolvNj_ID3lMH9k1f1tKHPJ9Ut9_SiMW9ZteX3RdqFwuAPujoolML89IsgSGg=s225" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3uoEuCVkmwqMR4Q2uUtJykhBqFnei3etYwEGoY0qN6AvqG6GpgcmDQZKzdmHgtTcC28UWXBLqI_9N_i50fMbwnMBhAv2KxRADzJVCua6RKqy2WRecJbvojFKy1l-G1eolvNj_ID3lMH9k1f1tKHPJ9Ut9_SiMW9ZteX3RdqFwuAPujoolML89IsgSGg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h2 style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Letting Go Releases Ego</b></span></span></h2><h2 style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i>Ashley Sliva</i></b></span></span></h2><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Ashley Sliva is a student in the Bertolon School of Business at Salem State University. </i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sit and imagine what it would feel like if everything you
knew about yourself was false. Imagine yourself as a newborn, with no ability
to judge yourself self and just be. No knowledge of what's “right” in this
world nor otherwise. Take a few deep breathes and picture this. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe it's
comforting or even a bit scary. Sometimes we must have a mindset of letting go
of what we know to be true to free ourselves from our inner self-judgment and
critic. This is something I must remind myself of during the writing process. I
created the writing mantra “letting go releases ego” to help my writing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">...The main topic of my mantra is impermanence. The letting
goes aspect of my mantra relates to the fact that everything is impermanent and
ever-changing. Writing will never be stagnant, and changes will occur and are
acceptable. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Accepting the changes involved with writing is essential to the
process. Letting go of the thought we need to be perfect on our first try will
block ego from being set free. Allowing ourselves to write with no motive but
words on the page helps release our inner judgment. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Too much judgment of our
own ideas and work causes stalling and makes it difficult to continue and produce ideas. Accepting change is needed will produce a non-egotistical
mindset, therefore, releasing misguided opinions of ourselves and writing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mantras are a good reminder that in writing and life we must accept and embrace
the change around us. This is something I find overly important in my life. Remembering
that nothing is ever stagnant will allow ideas to flow. We may feel writing is
bad, but we must remember it can only get better from here. If we see our
writing love it, we’ll eventually find something we don't like. Nothing will
stay one way forever: so there's no reason to become stuck on one or the other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">...Repeating
words while focusing on our body will ground us to the moment at hand.
Releasing our mind from interfering thoughts allows a deeper sense of
concentration on the present moment and continuous changes occurring. When we
focus on changes going on in our body or environment the mind clears itself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mindful writing mantras relate to mindlessness and writing
problems since the goal of a mantra is to become more present, which in return
benefits one’s writing. We are all mindless for a majority of our day, so a
reminder to stay mindful is extremely beneficial. Mantras can act as these
reminders and specifically help us with our writing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Writing problems can vary
tremendously; similarly, mantras vary with different words and meanings.
Common writing problems include fear of judgment, fear of getting a bad grade,
anticipated criticism, impatience with the process, feeling alone, and feeling
as if you must be perfect the first time around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone who has a hard time with
procrastination with writing can use a mantra reminding themselves they are a
confident writer and they do possess wisdom. Because writing mantras vary,
anyone can create their own to best help their anxieties and difficulties with
writing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My writing mantra “letting go releases ego” is helping me
through this very project. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have to remind myself while I begin to write that
there's no judgment. My thoughts are valid regardless of what my ego is telling
me. I may like the writing I put out now or feel the need to add more later.
Accepting this fact ignites my writing and more words to be produced. Letting
go of any expectation or outcome produces an empty clear mindset for me.
Allowing myself to not correct my word directly after it's on the page feels
refreshing and freeing. I know I’m able to add more anytime I’d like. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Being
nonevaluative towards my writing allows me to write more than I would’ve ever
thought I could before. I’m used to writing, then reading over my work and
fixing what I don't like. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My mantra is teaching me I can just continue. Accepting the uncertainty of my writing allows more ideas
to come to me. Letting go of my personal judgment of myself lessons my ego
until it is fully released. A released ego results in me writing without an
outcome. I can write for my enjoyment and not a grade. I can already envision
how my writing mantra will help me with anything I’ll need to write in the
future.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In my past writing experiences, the starting point is almost
dreadful. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think back to high school and freshman year of college where I had
to write about topics I didn’t care about. The emphasis was always on
structure, grammar and length. It was never about the enjoyment aspect of writing
or even teaching us how to enjoy it. This learning situation only placed a perfectionist mindset
inside of me with my writing because I was just looking for a good grade as my
outcome. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was never passionate about the topics of my writing, so I almost
didn’t care. If I reached the number of pages and covered the main topics, I hardly wanted to
reread my work because I just wasn’t that confident yet would judge every sentence. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I trusted auto correct to perfect my grammar and punctuation because that’s
what I was told was most important. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If I had the education on the writing
process that I do now, it would’ve made the world of difference. It was always
a rushed process to me, not a mind-clearing relaxing process. Meditating and
writing at first glance don’t seem to be related, but they truly go hand and
hand. Having a writing mantra to help me write continues to remind me not to
allow myself to think negatively about writing but enjoy the process.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If someone reads my writing mantra, initially, they might have
many questions. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I put an emphasis on accepting change to release one’s ego, but
why let go? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">There are so many good things in life we’d never want to let go of.
The point of letting go is so we never clutch. That positive feeling we clutch will never stay that positive. There's no way for the feeling to
go but the opposite. It makes more sense to embrace letting go of the negatives
in our life because no one wants to hold on to that. But just like how nothing
stays perfect, nothing stays bad. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is closely related to writing because we
all have good writing sessions and also bad. Embracing the bad helps us in the
future learn from it and appreciate the good days but never clutch. The goal is
to release our egos. Our egos can be strong and overly </span>judgmental<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of whatever
we do. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When we learn to release the self-</span>judgement,<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> we accept the truths
and present moment. Our ego produces many anxieties that result in suffering.
When we remember these anxieties of the past and future really don't </span>exist,<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> we
can </span>focus<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> on what's important, the present. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We must accept what happens
around us involving writing and life. Releasing negative thoughts about
ourselves and others and being grateful every day are small steps to getting
away from our self-judgment.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-spacerun: yes; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">*</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-34018549335764149462021-12-28T08:20:00.002-05:002021-12-28T08:22:52.820-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay [Excerpt]: Guest Post by Salem State University Student<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwDxL96l28jKgxAOn0hAkrC0lHQhdyFgpbabAGMulbvfIkAfaZZTU_5j0MYO1AH_ct4cXmThfQgBwkNTOVTrAe-HQRo_LpsHX5mvG-btqI0TJZrlnWFsrcgUBZ0nwux5StAk2ZdTF3sSuY8UYz8hgPAf5bHVOMF3kl3_U7krdJTxDCsek8lEPRLdyaow=s2048" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwDxL96l28jKgxAOn0hAkrC0lHQhdyFgpbabAGMulbvfIkAfaZZTU_5j0MYO1AH_ct4cXmThfQgBwkNTOVTrAe-HQRo_LpsHX5mvG-btqI0TJZrlnWFsrcgUBZ0nwux5StAk2ZdTF3sSuY8UYz8hgPAf5bHVOMF3kl3_U7krdJTxDCsek8lEPRLdyaow=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></div><p align="center" class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 137%; text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p align="center" class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 137%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 137%;">Let go of your fears, everything fades with time</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 137%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 137%; text-align: center;"><span lang="DE" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 137%;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Izzy Welch</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 137%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 137%; text-align: center;"><span lang="DE" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 137%;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></span></p><p align="center" class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 137%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Izzy (Isabel) Welch is a Political Science major and an English minor at Salem State University. Her writing has been published in </i>Soundings East <i>and elsewhere.</i></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Both as a writer and a person, the idea of leaving behind
a legacy is one that is burdensome but one that I have been pushed to embrace.
With expectations of remaining a continuous over-achiever and earning the title of
a gifted student, there is pressure to succeed in our performances. Although
many of us, including myself, have fallen victim to these expectations, it is harmful to
limit the work you produce to something that aims for perfection. Even still, the
creations that itch to come forth within you shouldn</span><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’t have
to be products meant for the rest of the world to see. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Simply put, you should
produce for the sake of your own happiness or other personal reasons.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Many of
us feel the limitations that are self-imposed from the judgments about our own
prose to the fears that others will mock our amateur writing skills. It’s
easier said than done, but we must ignore those crippling thoughts as they keep
us from actually growing as writers. Seriously, why should we waste our
precious, limited time on this earth letting the voices of critics fill our
heads and prevent us from exploring the wonderful medium of writing? </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">None of
this is permanent, from our works to our worries. Now, saying that everything
goes away with time isn’t to say that your efforts are pointless, that would be
equally harmful. With nihilistic beliefs like that comes the condemnation of
existence, and this mantra is meant to dissuade this line of thought, not
encourage it.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What is impermanence? How does impermanence manifest
itself in your life? </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Impermanence refers to the state or fact of lasting for
only a limited period of time, but it goes much deeper than that simple
definition. It deals with everything changing. In order to approach impermanence
from a perspective of mindfulness, one must partake in </span><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">non-judgmental
observation of the ever-changing present moment. In recognizing that change is
the </span><i><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">only </span></i><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">constant, one may
overcome their fears. The leaves that make inviting canopies, buried in the
trees, will undergo transfigurations in the transitionary seasons and turn into
fiery hues that slowly litter the ground. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Even that change is short-lived, the
insects and creatures that make their nests and take their nutrients from the
leaves will use them for their own renewal. Those insects may meet their fate
at the hands of such creatures they unwittingly run into, leaving behind their
present form. Those creatures may be scooped up by larger prey or they may
greet death through natural causes, fueling the earth with their organic
matter. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Many of us may mourn the inevitably of change and seek the autumn
colors once the snow begins to descend and coat the ground. However, we mustn’t
look back at what once was; instead, we must look at the ongoing changes around
us. Everything that comes from the earth is capable of producing something
meaningful and beautiful. Although that sentiment may sound daunting, it is a
much simpler concept to grasp than one may initially think.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Leftovers from last week's Taco Tuesday, the love letters
that were written to you by your first boyfriend who you can</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">’t
quite remember the name of, an Irish wool sweater your mom gave you several
birthdays ago but became worn out with time, vegetables from the garden that
have been sitting in the fridge for far too long, that thesis you stayed up all
night to write (with bloodshot eyes, swollen from rubbing away the tears of
frustration) for your senior year capstone class, that free cotton t-shirt you
were given for running that 5k in college, an empty soda bottle you sipped on
eagerly during last Fourth of July as the fireworks ignited above you, that
pair of leather boots you bought yourself as a treat after you got your first
adult job whose soles are now irreparably battered, a lab report you wrote for
chemistry in tenth grade, your birth certificate, the first pair of clothes
your grandmother knit for you, orange peels from when you tried (and
subsequently failed) to try soccer out, the carton of spoiled milk you
accidentally used for today’s cereal, a crumbled up bus ticket tucked away at the bottom of your purse under the rest of its contents, you.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nothing
stays the same, and nothing, including what was mentioned, is eternal--or else
not in the way that one may initially think. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Oftentimes, people worry about the
pages they fill with their words, but they don’t have to serve the sole purpose
of nourishing the mind (of course, they can if you want them to). Instead, you
can rip out any unwanted work from the notebook they’re bound in and use it as
fuel for a summer bonfire; you can watch the letters blow away with the embers
along with the unwanted sentiments your writing captured. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Even still, you can
mix it in with your compost blend that will nurture new life that manifests in
next spring’s garden. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Whatever you decide to do with your writing or with your
life, know that your contributions do have meaning, but the consequences won’t
be as permanent as one may fear. If your heart aches, urging you to write, it
is your duty to respect its wishes. Take whatever writing materials you have
handy: a pen, a pencil, a pile of sticky notes, a few spare sheets of paper,
and let your thoughts pour out heartily. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">After you complete the writing
process, you have an abundance of options. You may try for publication, share
it in hushed whispers with your closest friends, keep it for your own enjoyment
and read it nightly by candlelight, crumble and discard it into the nearest
waste bin, email it to an old professor you see as a valued mentor…. The
possibilities are endless.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Your
words may flow effortlessly through your fingers and onto the spiral notebook
you use to capture your stories. Some days, you may find challenges in your
craft and may scribble out sections you’d rather not revisit. Other times, you
let your writing take numerous routes that leave plenty of room for
possibility. You may write tales of spellbound love or heroic tales of woe.
Such stories have the ability to remain private, and you may seal that notebook
away to discourage prying eyes. On the other hand, you may endeavor to take the
fearless leap to publish your work and face the lows of rejection or the
ecstasy of publication. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Either way, all work faces the same inescapable fate.
The works of wordsmiths like William Shakespeare and Sylvia Plath have
persisted for decades, but to say that they are eternal is misleading. Their
works, just like yours and mine will fade. Leather-bound novels, poems written
in messy, chicken-scratch scrawl tucked away on a piece of scrap paper, and
last-minute essays with their recognizable three-hole punch will wither away
with time. In time, these mediums will melt into the ground as they decompose. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Whether it’s something you’re proud of or an incoherent jumble of words, those
pages will litter the earth and eventually transform into something separately
wonderful from the piece you created, which should provide you with a sense of
peace. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The next time you anxiously bite your lips after you hand your professor
an essay you pulled an energy drink-fueled all-nighter to create, try to
consider the impermanence of it all. Writing doesn’t need to be anything
spectacular, it simply is, but I think there’s something spectacular about all
things having the same fate. Nothing remains the same, everything is
transforming all the time- whether we realize that or not.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Even as
I write now, I can feel the judgments and fears seeping into my head, but I let
them flow in and out like waves. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What if I’m doing this assignment wrong? What
if my peers have written something completely unlike this? I’m sure other
students in the class have far more writing experience, will they judge me for
this piece when they read it, even before the final product? Can I even make
the word count on this assignment? I hope I can seamlessly blend in the course
material to this without it sounding clunky. Should I be more clear about what
pieces and materials I’m referencing so the professor knows I’m adhering to the
guidelines of this assignment? Is this piece going to become something worthy
of publication? Do I even want anyone else to read this piece aside from my
professor and peers? Do I even want my professor and peers to read this? I hope
this becomes something I can be proud of. The idea of writing an assignment like
this for a prestigious writer and accomplished professor is a daunting
prospect. Isn’t it presumptuous to say that my works will end up in the same
place as seemingly immortalized literary figures? I don’t know how to make this
piece more cohesive. I think I’m running out of brilliant ideas to include. Am
I being too repetitive or am I just being thorough? Are there too many
metaphors in this piece? Will the readers understand the connections that I’m
attempting to make? I wonder if some students in the class are totally
confident in their writing abilities. Is this project too unorganized? How do
people write things that flow so smoothly?</span></i></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">There
are countless questions I ask myself and thoughts that linger when I begin a
writing piece, including some of the ones I mentioned that are relevant to this
assignment, but I don’t try to restrict them because I know that these feelings
will pass. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">So instead, I simply acknowledge them and let them go. I feel the
urge to write poetry about my surroundings, and lines for each stanza come to
me easily; and it reassures me knowing whatever I write- for this essay, the
poem, or any other future work I produce is impermanent. I can delete words,
sentences, even entire passages from this piece. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">If I want to, after I turn this
paper in, I can let it drown in a sea of computer files on my desktop. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Both in
my creative writing pieces and academic ones, that seems to be a common
occurrence. I’m sure many other writers may relate- even you maybe! But
sometimes, pieces resurface when I browse my computer, and I can look at it
with a totally different lens. New ideas spring from my head, and I think of
new additions and changes I can make.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The
other week, I went to a local tea store, and I picked out an interesting
variety called blooming flower tea, but they’re also commonly known as a
flowering tea. I made some in preparation for writing this piece, and I noticed
that as the hot water warmed the mug, the flower began to open up for an
artificial blossoming, almost as if its dehydrated state was mercilessly
restricting it from entering its final form. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Once the tea was ready for
consumption, the bud, in its burgeoned state, was a lovely shade of fuchsia,
and some of the formerly dried petals drowned at the bottom of the mug. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Even when
I finished the tea, the flower still retained its beauty although its original
purpose had been fulfilled. I thought about impermanence and how life allows
for constant change since the present is ever-changing. With every sip, the tea
no longer was. Once its contents warmed me inside, the flower lay there, aching
to enter a new phase and seek out its new purpose. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Normally, I would have thrown it out, but I was moved by the idea of change from simmering on ideas
related to groundlessness and impermanence all evening. In my mind, the flower
had served </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">a</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> purpose when its intoxicating aroma diffused
into the steamy water in order to fuel my body, but it wasn’t done. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">So, I
scooped it out from the mug, leaves and all, and brought it outside near the
marsh so it could decompose. Perhaps if the weather weren’t so cold, it would’ve
had the potential to grow into a new bloom. From this experience, I reaffirmed
the idea that there are so many unrealized possibilities that mindfulness
allows us to see--both in writing and in all other life undertakings.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Even
the most experienced writers, artists, poets, among other sorts of creators
face difficulties in actualizing their ideas. Oftentimes, I take my own
experiences and apply them to my writing as many authors do as well. I find
that I’m able to produce more authentic pieces when I draw from my own
struggles, mishaps, and adventures. This is most frequently the case in my
poetry. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Regularly when I attempt to produce works of my own, I think of a quote
from the book </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="DA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Jane Eyre </span></i><span lang="DA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">by Charlotte Bront</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">ë, “I imagine things I am powerless to execute.”
In my own experience, I concoct brilliant ideas at random points in my life.
Almost like an epiphany, I’ll be standing at the stovetop- guarding my stovetop
and preventing my food from being overcooked or lying in bed half-awake when
the perfect idea strikes me. I’ll just down the idea quickly in my notebook or
act on the sudden urge to write, and I type out a few words, but I find myself
stumped. I can’t seem to do the idea justice. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Presumably, Brontë may have taken
this idea from her own life in relation to the novel’s protagonist who utters
these words of resignation. Despite this, Brontë went on to produce works that
have lasted centuries. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">This is not to say every attempt one makes will be
successful, but the urge to devise works of your own is not inevitably
fruitless. No attempt is fruitless. Each endeavor bears a bounty of fruits fit
for something, even the so-called rotten ones. One would say that the act of
attempting is a success in and of itself. Although I may find challenges in
writing, you may always change your work as it’s a fluid medium.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">First,
let’s set the scene: </span><span lang="IT" style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">On April 21, 1816, Charlotte Bront</span><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">ë was born, and chance
led her to write her works that would influence countless generations. Notably,
the Brontës were set apart from everyone else, as the children were completely
isolated and had few social interactions with the outside world. The only known
connections they had as children were with their father’s parishioners.
However, all of the children, including Charlotte herself, were given free rein
of the moors that existed beyond their home in Haworth, located in the United
Kingdom. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Now, envision Charlotte, adorned in typical Victorian-era garb,
slumped over a desk, trying to place her thoughts on the parchment that sat in
front of her. Much like ourselves, she must have dealt with limitations in her
writing, albeit different ones. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">What sort of pressures do you think she must
have wrestled with considering her unique circumstances? </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">What thoughts plagued
her and kept her from embracing her true potential? </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Do you believe she was able
to overcome them by eventually getting published? </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Do our life experiences form
preconceptions and fears that limit our ability to write? </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">If you answered ‘yes’
to the last question, do you believe this applied to Charlotte? What do you
think distinguishes success between writers?</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Oftentimes, as writers
and human beings, we get caught up in the past. Addressing this on a more basic
level, we may think about past experiences in writing, and that keeps us from
writing mindfully. Ellen Langer’s “Creative Uncertainty” illustrates that
change is constant. Noting an example of a brook, she mentions that even if two
people decided to return to the “same” brook at a later point, it would be
impossible. One may retrace their steps to the same point, but the waters may
run more rapidly or the stream may be less steady. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">With this lesson, I find
that we may use it to look inwardly as writers. Even if one has been published
previously, it doesn’t guarantee that in future publication endeavors;
likewise, if you had been denied, it doesn’t mean that your future prospects
are hopeless. We are changing as writers constantly! What you produced
yesterday is not exactly the same style, format, or content as what will result
from your hard work in the future. Even if your brook runs dry today, begging
to end its thirst, you need not worry. Some days may consist of seemingly
eternal emptiness, and just when you feel like you’ll never get your reprieve,
one day, the brook becomes satiated once again. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sometimes, however, the water
only relieves you slightly, with little crumbs just barely getting you along.
If you aren’t feeling fulfilled with the current state of your writing brook,
you must remember the dynamic nature it carries. Although the steady and easy
times you have creating content may not be permanent, neither are the
challenges you face. It is simply a matter of accepting that the creative flow
is uncertain and may change at any moment.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">In writing this piece
about my mantra, I have found uncertainty and change to be the only reliable
constant. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">At the beginning of writing this assignment, I conjured up an
abundance of ideas (which came easily to me), and they translated onto the page
with ease. In fact, I found that I had a challenging time stopping myself from
writing, even when I had hit the necessary word counts. With these past
successes, I have felt ongoing pressures to have the same sort of rapid flow, but
I know that the time isn’t right for this. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For now, I have found success in
writing when the right ideas strike me and putting my work aside when I can
feel myself waning. I have to remind myself that I am not the same writer I was
yesterday- or even five minutes ago. There is always room for growth, and I
shouldn’t set impossible expectations for myself. It is so easy to get
overwhelmed with constant reminders of the success of others, but even the
greatest of writers endure the same challenges. Often in works of literature,
the struggles of the writers themselves are reflected between the pages of the
books we’re holding right now. Just know, you’re not alone in these
difficulties.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Buddhist monks who have
studied concepts relating to mindfulness and meditation have a deep
understanding of what causes suffering. Coincidentally, the roots of suffering
are deeply intertwined with factors that limit our true potential as writers.
Speaking from experience, I find that I’m limited by grasping at straws and fixating
on (what should be) irrelevant; but as humans, we crave security, and we hold
onto the false illusion that reality isn’t constantly changing in order to make
us feel safe. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Obviously, from everything that has been said before, embracing
groundlessness is a necessary step in achieving enlightenment in every sense of
the word. We must not hold onto anything, even if the ground underneath our
feet feels steady, we mustn’t rely on it. The security it gives us must be seen
as an illusion, at any moment, it could give way, revealing that it had always
been a trap door. Better yet, it became one when we weren’t paying attention to
the changes going on around us and within us. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Really, we shouldn’t be taking
anything on in blind faith or relying on our perceived realities. Acceptance is
crucial in unlocking untapped writing abilities as it allows us to embrace
uncertainty and ambiguity. Speaking from experience, being aware of constant
change is terrifying, but one may view it as an opportunity to grow.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">My preferred method of
creative expression is poetry. In writing poetry, I find that I’m able to
express my thoughts and life experiences concisely. Usually, when I’m having a
challenging time getting over my preconceptions in writing, I’ll dump my
current ideas onto a page and watch it slowly morph into numerous lines and
stanzas. I also find it comforting knowing that I can conceal some of my
deeper, more personal thoughts within the metaphors interlaced between the
lines. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">With every poem I create, I notice that while the messages may be
similar, everything else may vary. Even in trying to recreate lost work, I’ve
never been able to get back the </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">exact </span></i><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">same poem, but I found that’s worked in my favor. I am able to
recall the parts that I liked, as they stuck in my memory, while my least
favorite sections remain lost. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">With every creation of mine, I find new examples
of alliteration to incorporate, or new metaphors that take the theme a step
farther, or the shape and sizes of the poem completely change into something unrecognizable
from my past work. I recognize that I may not be satisfied with everything I
produce, but that’s okay. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Even though I can find it frustrating, spending time
agonizing over a piece, just to find it inadequate, just being able to lay my
fears aside and write will help me become a better writer. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">To whoever reads
this: take these metaphors, my internal dialogue, the work of mindful
individuals, amongst the other information in this piece as a lesson to follow--both in your writing and personal life. </span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is important not to strive for
perfection as impermanence will allow for all things to transform and
eventually become something wonderful. Next time you encounter such fears,
breathe in and out and repeat to yourself: </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Let go of your fears,
everything fades with time</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></p><p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #2d3b45; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Enso created by Izzy Welch</span></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-75133715778310517322021-12-27T09:08:00.006-05:002021-12-27T09:08:53.970-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay [Excerpt]: Guest Post by Salem State University Student<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #2d3b45; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUSUXjggbwDUBlahj-92bX4Y2CTVus1grlxg740O-DTHXEc_spt-SWzyw6uMCt_J4tpP55-KA_o98XoTBJt19o5IaqWTcUi7SVFAN3xZcrjL96Sv-tw6tRZBD2zLTPCDFNfBJlFj9J8h05eita9sURjj6fW52FhhWeGNSvrpUt2qna4s3dHn9hcI8yLQ=s1650" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1650" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUSUXjggbwDUBlahj-92bX4Y2CTVus1grlxg740O-DTHXEc_spt-SWzyw6uMCt_J4tpP55-KA_o98XoTBJt19o5IaqWTcUi7SVFAN3xZcrjL96Sv-tw6tRZBD2zLTPCDFNfBJlFj9J8h05eita9sURjj6fW52FhhWeGNSvrpUt2qna4s3dHn9hcI8yLQ=w320-h247" width="320" /></b></a></div><h2 style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b><i>Breathing is Writing</i><br /></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>Dakota Coutu</b></span></span></h2><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #2d3b45;"><i>Dakota Coutu is a junior at
Salem State University majoring in psychology with a minor in
criminal justice. While she not an English major, she finds writing to be a great
way to express herself.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #2d3b45;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>Breathing
is writing. Breathing is fulfilling. Breathing is nourishment. Breathing is
making room for new words. Every breathe allows for new words to escape from
your body and onto the page in front of you. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>When you inhale, you coat your
thoughts and lungs with new thoughts and ideas. Those thoughts and ideas enter
your blood stream and throughout your body. Creating new words to put onto
paper. When you exhale your breathe leaves your body and is blown against the
page in front of you coating it with the words from your inhale.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>Mindfulness
is “non-judgmental observation of the everchanging present moment”- John Kabat
Zinn. Mindfulness is awareness. When one becomes mindful, they become
non-judgmental. Mindfulness takes a lot of practice, and it is easy to forget
to be mindful. When writers experience mindfulness, they may
find that it is easier to write. This is because we take control over our
monkey mind. The monkey mind is what causes us to become distracted and what
causes writing suffering. The monkey mind makes judgments about us, and those
judgments can positively or negatively influence our writing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;">What
exactly is the monkey mind?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"> Our monkey mind is our self-talk. It is the voice
inside of our head. Our monkey mind can help us write but it can also be a big
distraction for writing. Our monkey mind is responsible for our audience ghosts
and our preconceptions. Our monkey mind takes us through mind weeds and mind
waves. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>According to Shunryu Suzuki, mind waves are thoughts that come and go.
You notice them but you let them pass without judgment. Suzuki says that if you
can be aware of your mind waves and let them go without bothering you, you will
become calmer and feel more peaceful. This calmness can help tame the monkey
mind and keep you on track for what you want to write about. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>Mind weeds are when you do not let the mind wave simply pass. You
attach yourself to the wave and you allow it to take you somewhere. You plant a
seed that is nourished by the wave: this is when your monkey mind enters into
storylines. Storylines can be extremely helpful for writers, but they can also be distracting. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>It can be helpful for writers when it is a storyline of the topic
that you are writing. It can give you new ideas and content to write about.
However, if the monkey mind takes you on a mind weed that is not about your topic, it can be detrimental in your writing because it
is a distraction. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>Audience
ghosts are not real, but they plague many writers. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>Even writers who have
written their entire lives and are professional writers have audience ghosts.
Audience ghosts make writing very difficult for many writers and can even
prevent writing in some cases. Audience ghosts are usually the person who you
are writing for; however, a ghost can also be someone that you have written for in the
past. This person has a lot of influence over your writing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>When you host an audience ghost, you will find that you are writing for them instead of yourself.
Your audience ghost expects perfection, but it takes time to get to perfection. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>This is why so many writers find it hard to write. They are expecting
perfection before even writing any drafts because their audience ghost expects
perfection. </span><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 22.6667px;">When you start to think about your audience ghost, you are no longer in the present, and that can hurt your writing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; mso-spacerun: yes; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span> </span><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;">If you can focus on just your breathing, your
audience ghost goes away. You are no longer thinking about the future reader.
Or maybe even a past reader who has given you a bad experience with writing.
Your thoughts become focused on the here and now. When your monkey mind starts
to think about your audience ghost you start to question your writing and it
slows you down, maybe even stopping you. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span> </span>The mantra </span><i style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;">Breathing Is Writing </i><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;">reminds
you to focus on your own breathing. We are always breathing and when we focus
on our breathing we are always in the present. The present is constantly changing
meaning there are always things that you can write about. Each breath is like a
clean slate making room for new words. You let your fears and
insecurities go about your audience ghosts and you are able to focus on the
present moment. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #2d3b45; text-indent: 17pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Enso created by Dakota Coutu.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-6064552914747682332021-12-24T09:13:00.003-05:002021-12-24T09:14:06.207-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay [Excerpt]: Guest Post by Salem State University Student<p><b style="text-align: center;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinUFoeq0qFNYhCigaEUBphg6pjMLDv9x3XkPfc63oz-rT7CEp2FEmsm5zm4zWsfp0qhILi8M88YoesA14Th8EWOhJ8hXkGNCDtzSKA7ZGY1MmxzaaB4H4gFeheUKBsMjSJZJe9LfUWHfGkvSMllGaqYoz3UMr4vWD0ziVGjnYqBSYu3909FskUbOxT_Q=s225" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinUFoeq0qFNYhCigaEUBphg6pjMLDv9x3XkPfc63oz-rT7CEp2FEmsm5zm4zWsfp0qhILi8M88YoesA14Th8EWOhJ8hXkGNCDtzSKA7ZGY1MmxzaaB4H4gFeheUKBsMjSJZJe9LfUWHfGkvSMllGaqYoz3UMr4vWD0ziVGjnYqBSYu3909FskUbOxT_Q=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></b></div><b style="text-align: center;"><br /> </b><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #134f5c; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Writing is.</span></i></b></h2><div><b style="color: #134f5c; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #134f5c; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Mae Fraser</span></b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><i style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Macy (Mae) Fraser is an English major and History minor with a Concentration in Creative Writing at Salem State University. Mae serves as Poetry Reader for </i><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Soundings East, </span><i style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social Media Editor for </i><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Under the Madness Magazine, Co-Vice President for the Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society, and a tutor at the university Writing Center. Mae created her mantra, "Writing is.," as part of her capstone project for ENL 221: Mindful Writing this semester.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Fill in the blank: writing is _____.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Don’t worry about getting it right or wrong; there is no
right or wrong answer. Just answer with what feels right to <i>you</i> and only
you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">What does it mean to write? What is writing? What is your
definition of it? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Oxford says it’s “The activity or skill of marking coherent
words on paper and composing text.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Dictionary.com calls it “the written form”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Merriam-Webster defines it as “the act or process of one who
writes”.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">But what do you say about it? What is writing to you?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i>Writing is…<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i>Writing is…<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i>Writing is…</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is…</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is something to everyone, yet writing does not have
one, true meaning. It has a dictionary definition, but that’s not the extent of
the meaning of writing. Writing is what you make it, not what it makes you.
Mindfully writing means you control the narrative (literally). Writing is a
language we all are fluent in.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the whisper of the wind as you walk the length of
the beach, the beige concrete wall that’s stood a protector, for all your life
and beyond, separating you from the cold, foaming seas yards of sand away from solid
ground. Writing is the hum of your refrigerator late at night when you’re
trying to sleep, but the sounds of the late night and early morning keep you up
with it’s symphony of mechanical whirring and electrical currents buzzing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the screaming and crying of long past memories that
come crawling back into your psyche, but instead of losing yourself to the
overwhelming dread, pain, and suffering, you bend it to your will and make it
art. Writing is the voyage home after years of being away. Writing is marching,
protesting, and fighting for your values.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is your lions cry, your freedom speech, your ode to
your ancestors. Writing is your soliloquy: <i>to write or not to write, that is
the question.</i> Writing is the ask and the answer. Writing is <i>the thing
with feathers. </i>Writing is yours to take and master or to take and shatter.
It is up to you what you do with it. Writing is the dragon you must slay.
Writing is the world, absolutely filled to the brim with opportunity.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is our experience, our process, our legacy.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is… prewriting, waiting, and creating.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is creation. Our minds are the expansive universe,
not an end in sight. We pull from our everyday lives in order to make something
out of nothing, a magician pulling a rabbit out of an empty hat. We must leave
our bodies behind and become groundless, accept the things that come and use
them for our art. Everything changes, everything can become brand new in the
eyes of the beholder, so we must watch it, but not interact. Watch for the
inevitable change; watch it, and let it grow, a strong rose appearing from the
snow atop it. Let the carpet be pulled from beneath our feet; the fall could
reveal more than the standing could. A fall from grace holds so much power.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is waiting, whether it is to wait to write, to wait
for the bus, or to wait for omens. It takes time to get the writing out—but you
should never let that stop you. Writing is waiting to be ready <i>to</i> write.
We must wait, and our writing will wait right beside us. Inhales and exhales
later will we be truly ready to write. The delay is necessary; if we don’t wait
long enough, we will become ensnared by storylines not interconnected to the
one we wish to write. Our minds will wander, forever lost to the supposed
grandeur of other lands. The essential delay is to ready us for combat, ready
us for prophecies that will become unfolded.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the ebb and flow of our bodies and of time.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is not letting procrastination win. Procrastination
is not inherently a bad thing, but it can cause bad things. Subpar papers,
half-assed poems, or half-written scripts of some unintelligible garbage. Allow
yourself time to be your best self as a writer, but remember to be kind to
yourself as well. Writing is allowing yourself time and the good things that
come with writing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is knowing that you are creative even when the ideas
aren’t there. It’s part of that delay, that waiting period to write. Despite
waiting, you are creative even when you think you are not. Uncertainty always
remains inside of us, sometimes making an appearance, but never should you let
it affect your writing. Take that uncertainty and create something with it when
the time comes to write again. Let it inspire you instead of hindering you. Use
your creative intuition, let it build up inside of you until you feel as if you
are going to burst. Create without boundaries.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is creating something that is uniquely yours.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is… being imperfect, banishing demons, and
getting rid of preconceptions.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is not perfect; it’s not meant to be. Imperfection
is not a thing to be scared of. You are under no obligation to be perfect, nor
are you under any obligation to be like the ones before you. You admire the
writers, the mentors, the teachers, and the ones that inspire you, but you are
you, not them. You are made of bits and pieces of people who have circulated
through your life; some might remain, some might have gone, but you will always
be there.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">You are eternal. You are not the authors you read, but you
are inspired by their weaving of stories like spider webs and their eloquence
that makes metaphors into mountains. You are not your mentors or your teachers,
but you are the product of essential learning and creative excellence. You are
not the ones you love, but you feel their support and love like a warm embrace
after hours of losing your way.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is here when you need it most. When the babble of
everyday worries—<i>did I leave the water running? Where are my keys currently
or did I drop them in the garage again?</i>—comes in waves and turns into
ensnaring weeds when you pay attention to their presence—<i>oh god, did the
door blow open again? Are my animals getting hit on High Street or Lafayette
Road? Which would be worse and why am I thinking about this when I’m trying to
pay attention to a lecture an hour away from home?</i>—your words are there to
comfort you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is your home, a comforting sight in which your
greatest ideas flow. No such anxieties can filter through the wall you have
created for yourself, but there is always a split, allowing the flow of ideas
to infiltrate and inspire. Your haven is your writing, absorbing the blows that
come to you, one by one, by the threat of rejection and perfection. Your
writing is a churning machine that turns your demons to dust and let ideas run
rampant. The ideas flow through your mind, washing over the weeds and the waves
like they never existed. Those who try to stand in your way wash away,
decimated into nothingness, with the strong force of the raging river your
ideas have become. Writing is your sanctuary.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is what you make your worries and your nervous
energies into. Your worries become epic tales of warriors who, too, go through
the trials and tribulations of the typical person, and must gather the strength
to defeat what is hellbent on destroying them. Hellhounds run after you, but
your writing is there to protect you. The doubt you feel becomes the scales of
a dragon protecting a damsel no longer in distress in your twist on the classic
fantasy tale.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Anxiety becomes a contemporary romance where your wildest
dreams are lived out in rose-gold silk and poetry serenades at 3 am. Writing is
your slam poetry dreams come alive on the stage, or at the smoky coffee shop,
or even in front of your friends on the long car ride home from a long journey.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">The warmth of the guiding light from your past is supposed
to help you as your journey continues, not to hinder you or cause you harm. It
scares away the demons and monsters that cause you pain; you can stop the
monsters under your bed and in your closet that have always come out to play. Writing
is the most powerful weapon in your arsenal.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the call to action. When you hear your demons
arrive to take a hold of your mind, summoned from the boiling pits below the
hardwood floors and the concrete base of your sanctuary, may the words you use
protect you and be your soldier. They are meant to be attack the demons, slick
black with ink, who take your artisanship away. They slice at sentences, rip
apart scenes that took you hours to create vivid images of, desecrate the
temple you have made for yourself.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">The notebooks of unfinished poetry and unfathomed fantasy
novels crumble away at the burning touch of the audience you’re embarrassing
yourself in front of. You feel as if a trap door will carry you to your doom in
a moment, where the demons lie in wait once more to feed off the fear and
anguish they themselves have caused you. The demon you hear the most will
appear at your shoulder, whisper the worst words a writer can hear, and try to
persuade you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i>You’re not a writer. You’re just some imposter. Let me
fix that for you, since you can’t obviously write that for yourself, let alone
write it for an audience.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">The words weigh on your shoulders, those troubled thoughts
and whispered wisps of falsehood filling up the bag on your shoulders, and you
just feel like f a l l i n g …</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">But with the light of your words and your positive perceptions,
those demons will turn to ash. Writing is the words that become your sword,
your shield, and your armor. Your words can build cities and tumble armies. You
are the master of your own artistry, not those demons who haunt your mind. Your
demons don’t stand a chance against your lamentations and cavalier rhymes. They
will perish as your radiant luminescence stands up and regards them as nothing
more than annoying flies getting in your way.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Disregard the demons as they come, and you and your writing
shall come forth and remember when you weren’t strong enough to hold them back.
Now, you’re fortified with the knowledge that your writing is yours and no one
else’s. You are your writing, and your writing is you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the sword and shield at your disposal. May you
slay your demons who try to intercept your greatest work.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is… the everchanging present moment, endless
writing, and groundlessness.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is everchanging. Writing is the metamorphosis as
told by Ovid or the becoming of a butterfly. The present moment is vastly
changing minute by minute, second by second, moment by moment. Writing is not
one and done; even the tiniest of edits makes it changed. Another reason to why
writing perfection is never achievable; our work is never finished. Things
change as the seasons do, as the leaves do when fall quickly arrives, leaving
no room for the transition of summer into autumn. Writing is never-ending
revision, spaced out between minutes, months, millennia, until you deem it to
be done.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is a love letter to language, dripping with sweet,
succulent words meant for intermingled lovers or loved ones. Our bones and
flesh become one with the pen; it becomes an extension of our beings, the ink
that flows the embodiment of our souls, of our hearts. With every flick of the
wrist and of the pen, our thoughts flow, unobstructed, into permanency. By
noticing ourselves, we become our writing and our writing becomes us. We fall
into rhythm, a beating of a faraway drum, our writing marching right beside us
as we carry on into our writing, our lives, and our process.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is freedom. Writing is taking the parts we don’t
like and destroying it, ripping it to shreds so no one—not even ourselves—can
read the inner workings of our own psyches. We take the words that don’t work
and the fragmented sentences and the poems we wish we could wash the sin out of
and light it up, red, orange, and yellow flames engulfing the ink, freeing us
from the chains of preconceptions and internal doubt. Doubt in our writing and
in ourselves needs to be razed, burned away without any trace. Our freedom from
our preconceptions and our demons will allow true transformation and
inspiration to begin. Finally.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is typing or writing away the negativities, the
endangering energies we encounter when we overthink. Don’t overthink,
over-write. Write until the pen runs dry and your hand is in on fire. Write
until your computer dies out, a light blinking, blinking, gone. Your light will
never be gone; only the threats that haunt you will be released into the ether,
always at risk for coming back, but far enough away that their presence cannot
be welcomed back in unknowingly. You have the power to banish them forever or
keep them around for inspiration; do what you will with the demons that follow
you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the perception of yourself and those around you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is… the process.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is letting yourself work. Let the words come, even
if they are just fragments or words, the charcoals of a fire not yet lit or the
foundation of a skeleton of a house yet to be built. It takes time, the writing
process, but you write at your own pace, take the time to run through plans
over and over for weeks and weeks, rewrite the same sentence five different
times, and finish when <i>you</i> feel like finishing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the stages of getting ready, doing the thing, and
finishing it. Three stages with multiple substages, a vortex of anxieties just
waiting to happen. If we do it right, by waiting for our inspiration to come
and preparing ourselves, we will come out unscathed. There is no right way to
write, but there are ways to make sure it comes out right for you. Writing is
the manipulation of words and ideas to make it truly, uniquely you. Take your
time, speed-run your poem, trust the process, exert all of your writing
ability. Writing is yours to take a hold of and do what you’d like with it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is your chance to create, inspire, and learn.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is… revising and editing.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is revising with an open mind. Editing and revising
is part of the process, but it all comes later. If you edit and revise while
you right, you will find yourself spiraling into your demons’ pit. You’ll spend
more time editing than writing. Your misfired aim for perfection comes with a
price. Revising is the last step; for now, focus on the writing and give
yourself time to focus on the revising later. Revising only gets in your way;
it is a dangerous method to give in to the process of editing too early. You’ll
spiral until fear and worry is all that’s left.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is not getting caught up in the weeds of editing. If
we let go of the revising, forget what comes later and get everything down on
the page right <i>now</i>, then we will grow. Our skills will flourish and our minds
will be at ease because we took our time, paced our writing. There is no such
thing as tidying up your writing as you go. Release all of the words onto the
page and pick up the things that need to be discarded later. Your writing will
thank you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is letting the ideas come and go as you develop your
writing more and more. Stuff will come and go, but do not tangle yourself up in
the web of deleting, deleting, <i>deleting</i>. Your progress is made by
letting your writing expand until it can’t anymore. Only then can you cut back
the weeds and the other things that grow from your writing. It’s a long process
that is worth the wait.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is… giving feedback and being kind to yourself
and others.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is allowing yourself to give and receiving feedback.
You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings; it’s just human nature, but you have
to give good feedback in order for others to succeed as much as you do. Writing
is taking the feedback and actively using it, combining your observations with
others in order to get the full picture. You stare hard at your writing, day
after day, week after week, and your eyes grow so heavy from staring that you
forget the extra comma here or the messed-up sentence over there. New
perspectives enhance your writing and enhance your world view of language and
all of its intricacies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: left;">Writing is not falling into old
habits. Once you learn how to do something, keep at it. Don’t let yourself fall
back into the old ‘truths’ that you once knew. Refresh your writing with
something new, and don’t rely on the dangerous methods you are trying to shake.
They might feel like a comfort, but something sinister lies underneath. With
each passing moment, there is more to learn and expand from; evaluate, make it
a habit, and stick with it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is being kind to yourself. You are not a failure for
not being published yet or writing differently than others. Your writing is a
beautiful landscape, unique to you and only you. Writing is remembering that we
are not machines programmed to pumping out papers and poems and journals every
few months. We are human; a combination of flesh, blood, and words. Do not beat
yourself up over the smallest things in your writing. Your writing will only
grow when you do.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is not discouraging others. While we want to work on
ourselves, we also have to help others when they ask for it. Give them the same
kindness—while being constructively critical—that you would expect from them. Kindness
pushes out the demons—for you and other writers. Keeping the demons out and
letting the words take their place is the main goal for all. Love and kindness
go far in the world of writing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is reminding yourself you are not less of a writer
for receiving constructive feedback. Some things don’t vibe well, and that’s
okay. Fix that stanza or rewrite that scene with the confidence that people
love what you do, but remember that everything needs a little bit of fixing up
once in a while. Progress is what we should aim for, not perfection. Writing is
embracing that ideal and taking or leaving the feedback as we please. We write
for us, but it doesn’t hurt to know what goes on in others’ minds.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is the perception of yourself and those around you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is… avoiding mindlessness and embracing
mindfulness.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is not being mindless. Writing is the constant
reminder that you are here and now and not anywhere else. You are in the
present moment which ticks by second by second, yet you still remain in it. You
aren’t your worries and you are going to be worrying. Embrace the moment and
write. Don’t overthink the words, or the demons may make their return, but do
not forget to consider the impact of your words. Each word weighs something as
soon as it is written or typed; consider your words as they come.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">If you are mindless when writing, you will forget the
importance of writing. You are forgetting the very thing you are doing if you
are not present with your writing. The act of writing itself is in the present
moment. Write from your heart and remember to be mindful of your writing. Write
until you need to wait to write again. Everything about writing is on your
terms, so write fearlessly and write unconditionally.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is yours to control.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Writing is…</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing has not one true definition. Writing is the ebb and
flow of time, noticing the things around you more vividly, and seeing the world
in a new light. Your perspective may or may not change, but be mindful of the
things around you and see what kind of difference it may make in your world
view. Remember to see, learn, and grow with every passing mindful moment.
Remember, too, that writing is what you make it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is personalized. It is yours to take and use to your
wildest imaginations. We all have writing, and we all have our personal
definitions of what writing is. Writing is yours, mine, ours. Writing is what
we believe it to be. Writing is waiting; writing is the process; writing is
imperfection; writing is finishing or never finishing; writing is knowing that
your writing is everchanging and that you are, too.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Writing is… writing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">*calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-58144557338678036642021-12-23T05:49:00.000-05:002021-12-23T05:49:05.214-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay [Excerpt]: Guest Post by Salem State University Student<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXKdFHJ3geDHLsixDhU0ic_TPCNjT9GWqcEwateuNkqTDcGbzUNP3bpngNkJaCiAPcEaiUwSx96nNrKUlBYwC8hKb5xZoeVN346szeaXaWYlAg2ulUmK7-LVVfZqaiL7MfVpUk-KRoDctTaRscOYHJE7ZnRaF3gZeQMirJpxiAU6DWkx7pyZ2oeDouOg=s225" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXKdFHJ3geDHLsixDhU0ic_TPCNjT9GWqcEwateuNkqTDcGbzUNP3bpngNkJaCiAPcEaiUwSx96nNrKUlBYwC8hKb5xZoeVN346szeaXaWYlAg2ulUmK7-LVVfZqaiL7MfVpUk-KRoDctTaRscOYHJE7ZnRaF3gZeQMirJpxiAU6DWkx7pyZ2oeDouOg=w200-h200" width="200" /></b></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;">Do Not Worry as You Wait</span></span></i></h2><div><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;"><b>Rachel Pullino</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rachel Pullino is studying English with a focus in creative writing at Salem State University. Writing has always been her greatest passion. This is her first time publicly sharing her work outside of a classroom. </i><i style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This excerpt is from a longer piece for Mindful Writing, in which she created a writing mantra to aid in preventing mindless delay.</i><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><br aria-hidden="true" /></i></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"'</span><span color="inherit" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waiting is checking both ways before you cross the street. Standing in line at your favorite ice cream shop because it is hot and sweaty, and you deserve a treat. Staring into the beams of the microwave as you heat up last night's leftovers and loathing the green numbers ticking down at an inhumanly slow pace. Waiting is knowing that it is okay to give yourself a break and let what may, come.</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">Waiting is the worst nightmare of many neurotic writers. We all want to be the best we can be at this very moment and no more or less. Success needs to bleed out of us like life does with each passing moment and if we run out of blood along the way, hook us up on an IV. However, it is okay to not worry while you wait. It is okay to acknowledge that time is necessary for greatness, and we are not mechanical. Do not worry as you wait. Greatness will come as it must and you will be you now and forevermore.'</div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">-- Rachel Pullino, December 2, 2021, halfway through this project.</div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><3</div><div style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This particular thought process is what led me to the development of my mantra: Do not worry as you wait. Alongside the masterful work of Don Murray in “The Essential Delay,” my personal writing troubles were essential in the development of this mantra. Waiting has always felt torturous to me. It was not until I read “The Essential Delay” that I saw the pleasure in waiting for things. I am notoriously impatient and like everything to come immediately, yet something about Don Murray’s words spoke to me in a life-changing way. </div><div dir="ltr" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As a writer, like the majority of them, I have been plagued by the idea of writer’s block. There has always been an internal pressure on me to continually write great things of even greater quality, and I have drowned in it for the past 6 years. In these past 3 to 4 months, I have written more and written better than I ever have in my life. </div><div dir="ltr" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What I believe the cause of that is, is the fact that I have let myself take space in between projects now. Knowing I can and allowing myself to breathe in between poems, short stories, and essays, has shortened my waiting period by a ridiculous amount. In a way, prior to even creating this mantra, I have been telling it to myself for weeks. Now feels like the perfect time to finally share it.</div><div dir="ltr" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><span color="inherit" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It should not be difficult for writers to be aware of the fact that they are composed of flesh and ideas. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">However, in the writing process, especially with deadlines present, it can feel overwhelming to not be an endless writing machine. The periods between essays and stories and poems can feel lonely, overbearing, and unproductive, but the waiting period is far more beneficial than it seems. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">I have created the mantra, “do not worry as you wait,” to bring some ease to this space in between projects during the pre-writing stage. As writers, sometimes we forget that we are human and need space to take care of our minds as to not over-extend them. Ideas and concepts and full-fledged stories come to us in due time, and it is okay to let them find their way to you instead of seeking them out. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">In Don Murray’s, “The Essential Delay,” he writes in-depth about the waiting period and why it is not only necessary but beneficial. His work in this piece inspired my mantra, which in the short time of its official creation has already been heavily beneficial to me as not only a creative writer but a student during finals.</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-60600233463280876362021-12-22T12:05:00.006-05:002021-12-23T05:30:38.249-05:00Mindful Writing Mantra and Essay [Excerpt]: Guest Post by Salem State University Student<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFwSYQZQgrlbDK-yhxCFwQZBna8-usT9mZYRKQKqeEfX2v2AqCLAhvnDzSPmuW-sSwf-247Pn4Arlo_Jbbo6EjoJIihxnVdoxCMZV4Vup_9FRGHaZVEnx9nRHBj3gU56ud3U-_JAx9fe78kzQmG7_pqXCRJyXIrGaif8x7qxANY3VTQMu6dvCiZAJqHQ=s225" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFwSYQZQgrlbDK-yhxCFwQZBna8-usT9mZYRKQKqeEfX2v2AqCLAhvnDzSPmuW-sSwf-247Pn4Arlo_Jbbo6EjoJIihxnVdoxCMZV4Vup_9FRGHaZVEnx9nRHBj3gU56ud3U-_JAx9fe78kzQmG7_pqXCRJyXIrGaif8x7qxANY3VTQMu6dvCiZAJqHQ=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;"><b>Some Ideas are Fertilizers for Other Ideas</b></span></i></h2><div><i><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;"><b>Billy Reddy</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><i style="color: windowtext; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Billy Reddy is a senior at Salem State University in the Geography Department, graduating this semester. He'd call himself a lifelong learner and hopes to continue the pursuit of knowledge in his post-college life. </span></i></div><div><i style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></i></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{154}" paraid="1833411414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">...Seeing the impermanence and the constant flow from one state to another that I experienced when we practiced moment tracking in this course helped me to realize that some ideas or more, so their half-baked form </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">are</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> part of the process. </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{154}" paraid="1833411414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{154}" paraid="1833411414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">I started to see that these disjointed fragments are like </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">steppingstones</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> in a river and can be used to get from one place to the next. I began to see the writing process as a lot like hiking: for both it is about the journey and the destination. Each small step is important to reach the peak of the mountain, just as all words, even the ones that don't make it to the published draft, are important and make up a greater whole. But for some reason we agonize over the words in front of us. </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{154}" paraid="1833411414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{154}" paraid="1833411414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Imagine, especially if you have ever been on a long hike, if we stopped every step on our way up the mountain, agonizing if it was the exact right step on the path. W</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">e</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> would never get to the top if we hiked that way. So, what is it about writing that makes this method seem like a good idea? </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{154}" paraid="1833411414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{208}" paraid="70699633" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">I'm not sure what it is that causes this problem: maybe it's audience or the monkey mind? Where do we get the idea that first and final form are one in the same? Where does this deep feeling of attachment come from? </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Why</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> does it feel like the words typed out in from of me define who I am? Is each fumble at a word or first pass of a phrase an indicator of my intelligence? </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{208}" paraid="70699633" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{216}" paraid="210971905" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Why does it feel that this rough draft is a representation of who I am? </span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{216}" paraid="210971905" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{220}" paraid="1622323117" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">When we write, it's like Michelangelo releasing </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">David</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> from </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">colossal</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">slab. The difference here is that with writing comes an extra step in the process. The writer must first create the slab out of their words. For this end</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> a mindful writing mantra can be </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">extrem</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">e</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">ly helpful</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">. </span></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{220}" paraid="1622323117" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{220}" paraid="1622323117" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">A writing mantra can be used to guide the mind. We can use it to follow the flow of the never-ending storylines created by the monkey mind. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">the</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">monkey</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> mind once tamed becomes a raging and powerful river of content and ideas. </span></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{220}" paraid="1622323117" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{220}" paraid="1622323117" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">You will notice this any time you try to quiet your mind. The moment you </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">attempt</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> to silence your thoughts many </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">pour </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">in</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">and most of the time these thoughts are quite random and seem to come from nowhere. These new and often random thoughts are great </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">for </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">producing </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">new content</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">. One idea builds off the next, and soon you are down the rabbit hole of a new storyline. It is important to not be too critical of this content or the power of the monkey </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">mind's</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> creation of ideas will be lost.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{85c7677c-6787-45b6-938c-cbf515ad7cdf}{220}" paraid="1622323117" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Jost;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Much of my writing struggles occur at the innovation and production of content phase. I criticize every word, and it is a struggle to put any idea on the page. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">When</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> I am in this headspace, it's not that I </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">don’t</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> have anything to say, but that I </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">don’t</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> think my ideas are good enough or they are not worded beautifully. I spend a lot of time second</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">-</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">guessing and looking for the perfect wording. </span></span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Other times I may have an idea, but I have </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">a challenging </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">time</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> cultivating it to maturity. </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">In these times writing can feel like being lost in a labyrinth. Typically, when I start to </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">feel the walls of the maze </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">rise up</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> around </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">me,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> I freeze not knowing where to turn feeling overwhelmed. I may turn down one corridor and follow it for some time, but then inevitably I run into a dead end. </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Eventually</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> I become discouraged, stop, and give up on the idea. Now I have learned that writing takes time and often wandering around the maze trying to get an idea of where you are and where to go is part of the process. </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Exploration within the twist and turns of the mind can bring us back to the same place from </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">an unfamiliar perspective:</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> we</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> just need to keep our patience and see where the labyrinth or our thoughts may lead us. We </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">have to</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> stay open to what </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">arises</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> in front of us. </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{27}" paraid="185998359" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">It is important to be open and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">accept</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> what comes to us on this journey. Often when people have writer</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">'</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">s block it is because they feel like the ideas that they have are not good enough to work with. T</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">o</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> have brilliant and amazing ideas, you need</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> to</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> entertain some less-than-amazing ones along the way.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: Jost; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{97}" paraid="113751286" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"></span></span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW220039947 BCX8" paraeid="{c64a5e6f-c5de-4b8f-bc85-cb209c715155}{101}" paraid="738692707" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW220039947 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"></span></span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> *</span><span class="EOP SCXW220039947 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh</span></span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-77790557850472451202021-12-18T09:16:00.003-05:002022-06-05T07:37:48.207-04:00Mindful Writing Mantra Assignment <p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8Xi14m8MQhV27Ze9hkHGjwEjH_7Lfno0tWXdKhrXULkjhizdxqGu6W1sB7UGbLTVJl-_dDn_j_ot7obTsZwC5ldI8c_PsSatmGFFz9LLvx4vV8-EOo_qMCS_eW13Rw_dhpWX4bYQU1qq6HwRUBw_mRsABlewbhcGrqnliq0BdzDIj18fMwknxs8OfYg=s225" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8Xi14m8MQhV27Ze9hkHGjwEjH_7Lfno0tWXdKhrXULkjhizdxqGu6W1sB7UGbLTVJl-_dDn_j_ot7obTsZwC5ldI8c_PsSatmGFFz9LLvx4vV8-EOo_qMCS_eW13Rw_dhpWX4bYQU1qq6HwRUBw_mRsABlewbhcGrqnliq0BdzDIj18fMwknxs8OfYg" width="225" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times;">Design a Mindful Writing Mantra </span></b></h3><p><span style="font-family: times;">[Below is the capstone assignment I give to undergraduate and--with modification--graduate students enrolled in Mindful Writing or Mindful Writing: Theory and Practice. In a subsequent post, I'll be sharing, with students' permission, excerpts from this semester's mantra essays. For background, I'd like to suggest my article, "Mantra of Intention," published in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14790726.2021.1925305?journalCode=rmnw20">New Writing: International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing</a>]</span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><b><span style="color: #2d3b45;"><span style="font-family: times;">Overview:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">The
etymology of “mindfulness” is to “remember to remember.” Meditators use a
variety of techniques to remember-to-remember, including meditation bells and
mantra, or a verbal saying that is repeated or becomes the object of
reflection. Ideally, a mantra should be paired with breath-watching, with
mindful breathing encoded in the mantra, for example, “Breathing in, I know I
am here; breathing out, I know I am here now.” Here’s one of my mantras: “Your
Ability to Write is Already Present.” Here’s another, “Present moment,
breathing moment, writing moment.”<u><span style="color: #2d3b45;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">A
mindful writing mantra draws our attention back to the present moment.
Resultant changes in our outlook and emotional state can happen within seconds
of repeating a mantra, in part because the mantra steers our internal talk,
which probably up until that moment had been free-ranging, widely discursive,
its self-pathos rhetoric goading us into all sorts of additional mental
formations and storylines about our writing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">This
project involves designing your own mindful writing mantra in the context of an
extended exploration of mindful writing theory and practice. The intent is to
make your mantra something you would actually display on your desk or wherever
you tend to write—as an object, as a sign, possibly as jewelry—and build that
mantra on sound mindful writing concepts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: times;">Stages:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Prewriting: done in class on Thursday 11/18/2021.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Very Rough Draft (minimum 1,000 words) due on Tuesday,
11/30/2021, emailed to <a href="mailto:apeary@salemstate.edu">apeary@salemstate.edu</a> by class time to
receive credit (graded as Complete/Incomplete). No late drafts will be accepted
for credit to discourage procrastination (manage that through mindful
writing!).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">First Draft (minimum 2,000 words) due on Thursday,
12/2/2021. emailed to <a href="mailto:apeary@salemstate.edu">apeary@salemstate.edu</a> by class time to
receive credit (graded as Complete/Incomplete). No late drafts will be accepted
for credit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Second Draft (minimum 3,000 words) due on Tuesday,
12/17/2021 or Thursday, 12/7/2021, depending when your piece is slated for
feedback. emailed to <a href="mailto:apeary@salemstate.edu">apeary@salemstate.edu</a> by class time to
receive credit (graded as Complete/Incomplete). No late drafts will be accepted
for credit.<span style="color: #2d3b45;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: times;">Writing Mantra Project (minimum 3,500 words) due by 9 AM
on Monday, 12/13/2021. Send as Word attachment.<span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span>Doublecheck that I received
your project: if you don’t see an email from me on the evening of December 13
indicating that the document was received, it’s your responsibility to contact
me immediately to prevent grade point deduction. No projects will be accepted
after Tuesday, December 14. Look for emailed feedback and a grade by Friday,
December 17.</span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: times;">Steps:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">1.
Design of a mindful writing mantra:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">§<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Design the
rhetoric of your mantra.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">§<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Design a visual
appearance for your mantra. The examples of mindful calligraphy (from Thich
Nhat Hanh) at the top of this exercise sheet are each inside an almost-closed
circle. It’s called an <i>ensō. </i>Take a picture of
the drawing (or visual elements) or describe how you would design its visual
appearance; if the former, email me the picture along with the project.</span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">2. Create a 3,500+ word exploration of mindful writing,
connecting your mantra to concepts from the course. Write
this in any style that you wish (need not be conventionally academic in tone).
Do connect your mantra to course concepts, citing readings, and cover a
significant portion of the following: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>intrapersonal
rhetoric (</i>role in invention or coming up with new
material; self-pathos: preconceptions, storylines, mind waves and mind weeds;
role in audience proximity—audience demons and ghosts); <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>verbal
emptiness (</i>nonverbal and prewriting); <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>impermanence
</i>(role in invention; groundlessness;
interbeing; role in revision);<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>embodiment
</i>(role in invention; verbal emptiness)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>mindlessness
</i>(non-productive and productive states in your
writing experience).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Additionally, address how you plan to use your
writing mantra to chip away at writing-related mindlessness. Mention specific
phases in a writing process (prewriting, invention, drafting, revising,
feedback, editing, etc.) during which the mantra might be useful and how that
application might unfold.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: times;">Helpful
Hints:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Use multiple examples from your
writing life (brief or extended);<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Use multiple examples from assigned
readings;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Talk about your process of creating
your mantra;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Possibly talk about using the mantra
to complete this final project or another writing assignment at the end of this
semester<i>: show your mantra in action,
whether literally or hypothetically (or both).</i></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="font-family: times; text-indent: -0.25in;">Stages:</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Prewriting: done in class on Thursday 11/18/2021.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Very Rough Draft (minimum 1,000 words) due on Tuesday,
11/30/2021, emailed by class time to
receive credit (graded as Complete/Incomplete). No late drafts will be accepted
for credit to discourage procrastination (manage that through mindful
writing!).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">First Draft (minimum 2,000 words) due on Thursday,
12/2/2021. emailed by class time to
receive credit (graded as Complete/Incomplete). No late drafts will be accepted
for credit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Second Draft (minimum 3,000 words) due on Tuesday,
12/17/2021 or Thursday, 12/7/2021, depending when your piece is slated for
feedback. emailed by class time to
receive credit (graded as Complete/Incomplete). No late drafts will be accepted
for credit.<span style="color: #2d3b45;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: times;">Writing Mantra Project (minimum 3,500 words) due by 9 AM
on Monday, 12/13/2021. Send as Word attachment.<span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span>Double check that I received
your project: if you don’t see an email from me on the evening of December 13
indicating that the document was received, it’s your responsibility to contact
me immediately to prevent grade point deduction. No projects will be accepted
after Tuesday, December 14. Look for emailed feedback and a grade by Friday,
December 17.</span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: times;">Steps:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">1.
Design a mindful writing mantra:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">§<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Design the
rhetoric of your mantra.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">§<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Design a visual
appearance for your mantra. The examples of mindful calligraphy (from Thich
Nhat Hanh) at the top of this exercise sheet are each inside an almost-closed
circle. It’s called an <i>ensō: </i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ens%C5%8D"><i>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ens%C5%8D</i></a> Take a picture of
the drawing (or visual elements) or describe how you would design its visual
appearance; if the former, email me the picture along with the project.</span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">2. Create a 3,500+ word exploration of mindful writing,
connecting your mantra to concepts from the course. Write
this in any style that you wish (need not be conventionally academic in tone).
Do connect your mantra to course concepts, citing readings, and cover a
significant portion of the following: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>intrapersonal
rhetoric (</i>role in invention or coming up with new
material; self-pathos: preconceptions, storylines, mind waves and mind weeds;
role in audience proximity—audience demons and ghosts); <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>verbal
emptiness (</i>nonverbal and prewriting); <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>impermanence
</i>(role in invention; groundlessness;
interbeing; role in revision);<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>embodiment
</i>(role in invention; verbal emptiness)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>mindlessness
</i>(non-productive and productive states in your
writing experience).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Additionally, address how you plan to use your
writing mantra to chip away at writing-related mindlessness. Mention specific
phases in a writing process (prewriting, invention, drafting, revising,
feedback, editing, etc.) during which the mantra might be useful and how that
application might unfold.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: times;">Helpful
Hints:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Use multiple examples from your
writing life (brief or extended);<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Use multiple examples from assigned
readings;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Talk about your process of creating
your mantra;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; margin: 9pt 0in 9pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: times;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Possibly talk about using the mantra
to complete this final project or another writing assignment at the end of this
semester<i>: show your mantra in action,
whether literally or hypothetically (or both).</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-90491442595773352462021-12-06T10:54:00.003-05:002021-12-06T10:54:52.467-05:00Guest Appearance on What a Word is Worth Podcast<p><span face="Maax, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Maax, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhW3At_8PNL8rdCzya97oY1hyzWnSbQlaIgGr083DKV2s3kraAKhcfYtzman-7gJ8_m31eLLda0cDakHQRcdbTGCyDHjr-XEIakBaAJVDzox4lR4OLMBg-vr0I3SkKy4oGg8k3bcUHrG2NjIZbLoZzTiTB1icYf3IiKdPqH5Ld30pEbv5mQZL-5Hqgrgw=s1024" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="681" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhW3At_8PNL8rdCzya97oY1hyzWnSbQlaIgGr083DKV2s3kraAKhcfYtzman-7gJ8_m31eLLda0cDakHQRcdbTGCyDHjr-XEIakBaAJVDzox4lR4OLMBg-vr0I3SkKy4oGg8k3bcUHrG2NjIZbLoZzTiTB1icYf3IiKdPqH5Ld30pEbv5mQZL-5Hqgrgw=w170-h255" width="170" /></span></a><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Nunito; font-size: large;">Mindful Writing: A Conversation with Alexandria Peary </span></h3><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Nunito; font-size: medium;"><b>Host: Dr. Marianela Medrano</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Nunito; font-size: medium;"><b>What a Word is Worth Podcast: <i>Conversations with Creative People on Collective Healing Using Innovative Means </i> </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Nunito; font-size: medium;"><b>Link: <a href="https://anchor.fm/marianela-medrano/episodes/Mindful-Writing-a-conversation-with-Alexandria-Peary-e1b9ol7/a-a71l46h">What a Word is Worth, Dec 5 2021</a></b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nunito; font-size: large;">This episode is a lively conversation with poet and professor Dr. Alexandria Peary. Here is more about our guest: Alexandria Peary (MFA, MFA, PhD) serves as New Hampshire Poet Laureate. She is the author of nine books, including Control Bird Alt Delete, Prolific Moment: Theory and Practice of Mindfulness for Writing, and Battle of Silicon Valley at Daybreak. The recipient of a 2020 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship, her work has received the Iowa Poetry Prize; Best of NH (for inspiring artist); several Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations; and Notable Essay in Best American Nonfiction. She specializes in mindful writing and gives talks and workshops on the topic, including a webcast for National Novel Writing Month; a TEDx talk, “How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You Write”; and the 2021 keynote for the Secondary School Writing Centers Association. Alexandria is the architect and host of the popular webinar on mindful writing for the National Council of Teachers of English.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Nunito; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: black; font-family: Nunito; font-size: x-small;"><a data-v-e1c1f65a="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/71401718@N00/6712571043" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"Happy Martin Luther King Day: Holding a Jewel of meditation looking into one's own mind, Buddha statue in the lotus mudra, snow, Broadview, Seattle, Washington, USA, Saha Planet Earth, 'Tolerable' (Sanskrit Saha, 'Tolerable' as in 'barely tolerable')"</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span data-v-e1c1f65a="" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;">by <a data-v-e1c1f65a="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/71401718@N00" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Wonderlane</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"> is marked with </span><a class="photo_license" data-v-e1c1f65a="" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/?ref=ccsearch&atype=rich" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CC0 1.0</a></span></p><span class="r-18u37iz" face="TwitterChirp, -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: horizontal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); color: #0f1419; flex-direction: row; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298431477138846862.post-28726940263544617292021-11-10T14:00:00.006-05:002021-11-13T17:57:16.880-05:00NaNoWriMo Webcast Materials for November 10, 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-Ryhmu6zWPLAKyCX3-ewLXx_Nc6OwUa5GIw0OLWLa9lRm9H1JC5lhyphenhyphen5REcx9PvqK6ZzBSpqNT3m-SYRrRSAX1LLOd_WFJfgbFIyx607qoR1kn_ydq44N2w0BbgETwA17dD-PRxsQMd5R/s292/download-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="292" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-Ryhmu6zWPLAKyCX3-ewLXx_Nc6OwUa5GIw0OLWLa9lRm9H1JC5lhyphenhyphen5REcx9PvqK6ZzBSpqNT3m-SYRrRSAX1LLOd_WFJfgbFIyx607qoR1kn_ydq44N2w0BbgETwA17dD-PRxsQMd5R/s0/download-1.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: large;">How Mindfulness Can Transform The Way You Write a Novel</span></h4><p><i><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">A webcast for National Novel Writing Month</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">Alexandria Peary, MFA, MFA, PhD</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: x-small;">Below you'll find info on methods covered during the November 10, 2021 webcast on mindful writing. I've compiled the locations on this blog.</span></i></b></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;">Step 1: Grounding yourself in the writing moment</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><u>7 Mindful Breaths: </u> <i>See the July 19, 2020 post on this blog, "20 Mindful Breaths During COVID-19"</i></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">Although this post focuses on mindful breathing to cope with pandemic stress, the same principle applies. Reduce the number of described breaths to as few as seven at the start of your NaNoWriMo writing day.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><u>Yoga for Hands:</u> i<i>For full version of this method, see the blog post, "Yoga for Hands" posted on April 7, 2020, or September 11, 2012.</i></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><b><u>Abbreviated Yoga for Hands</u>: </b>Instead of a full body yoga scan, stick just to hands. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Start with a brief seated meditation for about one minute. With a gently tall posture, hands on your knees, breathing in, think to yourself, “Here.” Breathing out, think to yourself, “Now.” When your mind wanders away from attention to the breath, gently guide it back. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Next, move your hands to your keyboard or to your pen/pencil/notebook and begin to freewrite. </span><i>The topic of this freewrite is the sensation of your fingertips touching the keys or holding the pen/pencil</i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">. Do this for a minute. Try to notice moment-to-moment changes in the sensation of writing or typing, continuing to watch your breathing. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Next, </span><i>make the topic of the freewrite noticing how your bones are moving inside your writing fingers</i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">. Watch the finger bones' complex activity. Perhaps a simile or metaphor occurs for that activity: what does it remind you of? Continue to watch your breathing. Extend your attention to your palm and the back of your hands as you write. Then turn to your novel, asking yourself, "What's on my mind right now about my novel?" Switch the topic of your freewrite to whatever surfaces in response to that question. </span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><u>Summoning Audience Ghosts</u>: <i>See "Make a Caricature of a Tricky Audience," posted on January 18, 2014, on this blog.</i></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><u>Abbreviated Ghost Hunt:</u> </b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">See my TEDx talk for background information on this desk meditation:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/alexandria_peary_how_mindfulness_can_transform_the_way_you_write" style="font-size: 11pt;" target="_blank">How Mindfulness Can Transform the Way You Write</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Wait for a moment when you find yourself procrastinating or even slightly hesitating with a piece of writing. Watching your breath, freewrite 250-300 words to the following questions:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">-Is there anyone “watching” you right now, reading your writing over your shoulder?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">-Who is this person (an audience ghost could be a composite of several people)?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">-What’s the audience ghost’s effect on your writing experience?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">-If the audience ghost is unhelpful, what’s one measure you could take right now to control their proximity?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Purpose: To become less ensnared by mindless self talk. To better see how we talk ourselves into believing our in-progress writing is already visible to a future reader(s). To take measure to notice our actual writing circumstances—its distance from time and space from future readers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: "Libre Franklin"; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Franklin"; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"> Step 2: Observing the Present Moment to Create</span></b></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><u>Start Where You Are: </u></b>(Also called "Moment tracking:) After grounding yourself in the present moment, simply ask yourself, "What's next? What's here now for my novel?" Write down anything that arises, without sorting or judging or editing. Keep asking yourself that until you find yourself in an absorbed state of creating. This method allows writing to be a series of now, writing to occur in the moment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: #d0e0e3;">Step 3: Mindful Writer's Self-Care</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><u>Loving-Kindness Meditation for Writers</u>:<i>For full method, see "Repost of Loving-Kindness Meditation" from June 13, 2015, on this blog.</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><u>Abbreviated Loving-Kindness Meditation</u>:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Libre Franklin";">Just do step #2, turning to yourself as a writer. On the in-breath, ask yourself what would bring you happiness as a novel writer or during this NaNoWriMo. On the in-breath. On the out-breath, visualize yourself receiving whatever is this source of writerly happiness. Repeat the question, see what else arises, or stay with the first happiness, watching it in your mind as you watch your breath.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0