Exercise the writing muscle — drew myron
The world is full and I’m always hungry. If we are what we eat, we are also all we absorb: sounds, sights, touch and more. Let’s fill up with good stuff.
Here’s what I’m reading, watching and listening to lately:
WATCH:
Latin History for Morons
I don’t know how I missed this stand-up “comedy” show when it first aired in 2018 — it’s still (or even more) relevant today. Actor John Leguizamo’s special crams 3,000 years of history into a 90-minute one-man show that reveals and corrects the whitewashing of American history. Now playing on Netflix.
LISTEN:
Are you sensing a theme here? I’m (still) learning Spanish and studies show that along with traditional class comprehensible input is an excellent way to further your ability to learn a language. I’m immersing myself in Spanish music, books, and history.
But really, I first heard Edna Vazquez more than five years ago at a Pink Martini concert in Portland, Oregon. Wowza! A powerful voice, full of vigor and passion. I blast her at full emotive volume and try to sing along. Each week I recognize more words, so really I am listening and learning.
And, yes, I am listening to Edna — and all my music — on CDs. Remember those? They’re back! Or, in my case, they never went away. I streamed Spotify for a short while but missed the ability to listen to the arc of a full album. Plus, I am frugal and it pains me to pay for yet another subscription (looking at you, Adobe, Microsoft, Apple TV . . . ). Turns out I’m not alone. I take heart in knowing this guy shares my attachment to 1990s music technology.
READ:
“But the finish or start of a story is often frayed and full of holes, and nothing ever opens or closes where or when we think it does.”
This line, from a short essay by Barbara Hurd, appearing in Brevity, is running through my mind.
Read the brief and beautiful piece here.
Barbara Hurd writes with incredible attention to detail, capturing the turmoil and beauty of both the natural and inner world. My favorite of her many books is Walking the Wrack Line, a collection of essays on what washes ashore. (Her work inspired my own wrack line piece here).
WRITE:
This week I wrote a poem, a letter, and the perpetual grocery list. All because I first wrote with others.
I’m grateful for writing groups, though I’m not really a “team” player. I prefer the solitude of self to the pressure of a crowd, but in a writing group I feel boosted by goodwill. It takes courage to write, to listen, to share. Writing with others is a vulnerable act that requires open heart, open mind, and trust.
And it’s (usually) worth the risk! The more we exercise the muscle, the stronger we get, and the more we want to write. It’s a beautiful circle.
Your turn: What’s filling you up? Books, movies, stories, songs . . . ? I’d love to hear from you. Write to me.