|
 |
Be
sure to visit the
|
 |
It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with you, and there is much to report: With the completion of my very demanding book tour for Internal Combustion, I decided to give myself a little sabbatical to meditate on what my next project should be, and am just now gearing up to begin. It’s a great feeling, though always a little scary, too. Over the winter, I did some teaching, had a wonderful and inspiring visit to schools in Des Moines and Maine, and a mother-daughter book group here in the Bay area, where I talked with kids about my young adult books. This winter also saw the publication of several collections of essays in which my work appears (Mr. Wrong, edited by Harriet Brown, and The Honeymoon’s Over, edited by Sally Wofford Girand and Andrea Chapin; Searching for Mary Poppins, edited by Gina Hyams). You can also read my story about the two week bicycle trip I took with my son Willy in the new (May?) issue of National Geographic Traveller. Speaking of Willy, he’s off in South Africa at the moment, filming a movie in which he evidently plays a Viet Nam soldier. I gather his character dies in the movie. This will not be easy for me to watch. His brother Charlie, meanwhile, has been touring in Scandinavia, with his band, The Beatards. Their sister, Audrey, is still creating and selling the most wonderful organic sauce ever (available on the east coast only), called Kanghi. But don’t look for it online. Audrey is an old fashioned girl, who believes in the personal touch. You have to get it at a farmers’ market…..or you’re out of luck. As for me: I recently returned home from my winter in Guatemala — always a challenging transition. Life at Lake Atitlan is amazingly simple, compared with the pace of Marin County, California. I miss the lake, and the volcano out my window, and my daily morning swim. Still, it feels good to be back in my house here on Mt. Tamalpais, where I can pick up the phone and dial a friend’s number, or read the New York Times, and zip down to the supermarket when I want an ingredient, or drop in to the library for a book. Life in the so called third world has made me pay attention to things I might once have taken for granted: hot water, a car, the US Mail service. And the ability to communicate in English. (Though it’s humbling, too, communicating in a language that is not one’s own. My Spanish is simple, and very rough. I have to work very hard, often, to get my ideas across. There’s just no way of being glib. And in some odd ways, I think my limitations in that language make for a certain blunt authenticity. ) For those of you who have ever considered joining me at my Guatemalan writing workshop, this feels like a good moment to encourage you to think about coming to the next one. We had a wonderful group at the lake, last month — twenty-six students in all, joined by me and my dear friend, Bob Bausch, a fiction writer and teacher of writing from Virginia. It was a wonderfully diverse group that included a couple of paralegals, an artist, a number of teachers, a guitarist, a couple of poet/lawyers, an American nun, a public relations specialist, a retired Marine officer, and many others — age range twenty to sixty-nine. What we all shared was rich and complex life experience, and the courage to explore our stories, on the page. And for seven wonderful days, we did that — in one of the most beautiful and unspoiled settings you could dream up. It was, for many, a work-and-life-changing experience, I think. The week was demanding, emotional, inspiring, exhausting, exhilarating — beginning as early as six a.m. for some of us, with a morning swim off my dock, followed by a wood fired sauna, followed by yoga, breakfast, and group workshops. Afternoons, some of the group spent writing, while others had massages, took hikes, swam, kayaked, made friends, spent precious time in thought. Evenings, we shared wonderful meals together, then gathered around the fire at Casa Azul — our lovely, flower-filled place — for readings around the fire. By the time we had our final-night party at my house, it was hard to believe we’d only known each other for a single week. (Look for photographs soon.) Based on the success of this workshop, I made the decision to hold one this November, as well as next February. I’ll be posting more detailed information about that on my website soon, but for now, I want to give you the dates: November 9-17, and February 8-16. (One change I decided to make, for the next workshops, is to include a day and night in the lovely colonial town of Antigua, at the start of the workshop. Those who prefer not to sign up for the Antigua leg can still join us, of course, but I think this will be a terrific addition to the trip.) The November workshop will probably be with me alone, but next February the faculty will include Bob Bausch, for fiction, and a wonderful poet, Jane Hirshfield. So, if you’ve ever considered joining me at one of these worshops, I hope you’ll take a minute to read the comments of some of those who attended this one. And of course, as always, I’m ready to answer your questions about what to expect. (You can write to me at jmaynard@joycemaynard.com.) For those who can’t make the week-long commitment, but would still like to work with me, I’ll also be offering two workshops -- one half-day, one full-day -- at my home in Mill Valley, California, as I shared with you earlier this week. Visit my Workshops page to read details about them. Of course, I also know that many of you receiving this letter are not planning on attending any writing workshops, and that’s fine too, naturally. Whether or not you write yourselves, you evidently care about writing, and reading. And you believe in the value of shared stories. That’s enough in my book. With that thought in mind, then, I want to steer you to an essay I thought I’d share with you this week. This one concerns the experience of being half-Jewish. It appears in a collection called Half Life, edited by Laurel Snyder. (Though of course, as many of you who are Jewish will know, by Jewish law, anyone with a Jewish mother is Jewish. Meaning, I qualify.) This one went out to subscribers of my mailing list in September 2006, to mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year, Roshashanah, and has just been added to the Columns and Articles section of my website. In honor of Passover, then (and Easter), and for those who may have missed it the first time, click the link below to the read my story. (And for those who are interested, check out the comments of Lake Atitlan Writing workshop participants, at the very bottom of this letter.) Dost
Though Know Who Loves Thee? With friendship, What Participants in the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop said about their experience: I knew the week would be educational, I didn’t know it would be transformational! I came away with many tools to improve my writing but I also brought home new inspiration and a feeling of community that I know will continue long after the workshop ends. I was moved by the support and compassion of the group and the instructors. San marcos was charming, a real adventure. Both Joyce and bob were wonderful, they made each person feel important and welcomed. Ronelle Grier, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan I have felt completely different since I spent time in San Marcos. It seemed like the most magical place and I will never forget it. For me, it turned out that the writing workshop was really the way of getting me to a place I might never have considered or even heard about otherwise. Because of this I am so grateful that Joyce chooses to do this course in Guatemala, and for all of the hard work that you all put into making it so special for us. I was really serious when I said I have never felt so taken care of on a trip before. I really appreciate everything from the organization, to the yummy food, the incredible yoga, to Ed's stories, the show put on by the children for us, the shopping trip and your generosity... I could go on and on. It was unforgettable. Casey Campbell, Ontario, Canada Not everyone in the world gets to experience the nurturing combination of warmth, acceptance, creativity and laughter that Joyce, Bob, Christina, Ed and all the other fabulous people in San Marcos created for us. Pretty amazing stuff... I did not expect to be as affected by it all as I was and am trying hard to hang on to that powerful feeling. Lisa Berg, Minneapolis, Minnesota We are all surprised at how much and how wonderfully we were affected by you, by Joyce and Bob, and by San Marcos, Guatemala. I am so impressed and so inspired. I want to be like both of you -- accomplished writers and inspiring teachers. You two are a perfect team Andrea Askowitz, Miami, Florida This is a welcoming and nurturing place for everyone from the casual writer to aspiring novelists. Everyone is welcome. I am grateful beyond words to experience the rare and cleansing opportunity. A mere thank you is insufficient. I feel empowered like never before. Lynn Buckley, Tampa Florida This trip has changed how I’m seeing things and I want to go home and write. Shannon Fitzgerald, New York, NY Having the two points of view, Joyce and Bob, was good. The format of fiction of course fits well with memoir, finding the narrative story line, etc. Liz Van Ingen, Denver, Colorado I could not think of a single thing you could have done to make it any better for us. Mary Anne and I had a blast. Joe De Young, Virginia My life and writing have been transformed for having met you. Much love and gratitude! Andi Sciacca, New York
|
 |
|||
|
All material
on these pages - Copyright Joyce Maynard - All rights reserved
Design by foxglovetonic |
|||
