Last Days of Summer
Here it is, the last, last day of blowing bubbles, walking barefoot in the grass, idling away a whole afternoon staring at a body of water.
Schedules and emails from old friends, and invitations to fall garden parties, are already arriving like the first winter storm ahead of their time. Tonight, I receive my first batch of student writings, short poems about where they have come from and where they hope to go in their time with me.
We all need to ask these questions from time to time (and sometimes, every day!) and we all need to keep our eyes open for the lingering waterlilies, on nearby walks or in the marvelous imagination of Mssr. Monet.
I’m excited to anticipate the group of creative folks eager for a day-long adventure in writing, collage, and image making, with my talented friend and book artist, Susan Porter. It’s just a few weeks away. Join us if you can!
Here’s the skinny:
Illuminating Our Stories: A Creativity Lab
with Susan Porter and Kathleen Hirsch
In this day-long workshop, we will celebrate the un-mined stories that live in us, using writing prompts and a rich array of visual materials to explore emerging themes and narratives. Our process will combine writing, mark-making, collage, and mixed media. Students will explore story — fiction, poetry and memoir — through prompts, individual creative time, and sharing. By day’s end, participants will have completed a series of illuminations, one written piece, and several working drafts that they can complete at home.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
311 Forest Hills St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
$115 per person (includes materials, pre-payment required)
Space is limited. Contact us to register at
susaneporter33@yahoo.com or khirsch72@comcast.net
Kathleen Hirsch is an essayist, memoirist and columnist. She has published four books, and has taught writing at Harvard, Boston College, and in workshop retreats for adults throughout the Boston area. She writes at KathleenHirsch.com.
Susan Porter’s multi-dimensional art journals blur boundaries between collage, printmaking and book arts. She teaches others how to use color, imagery, and text to create their own one-of-a-kind journals. Her work can be viewed at coloringbooksandjournals.com.
Sue O'Reilly
September 4, 2017at10:23 amMy experience in the woods at the beginning of summer…your post inspired me to recount it:
On my way to my morning walk in the State Park, I saw a turtle crossing the road in the development next to the park. I though “Be safe, little turtle; don’t get squished.” Then at the end of my walk, I saw another turtle by the side of the path along an incline. She had dug herself a shallow hole. Because it is a little unusual to see a turtle, let alone two in one day, I stopped to look. The turtle appeared to be sleeping. Suddenly, she pulled her head inside her body, and began to lay shell less eggs. I knelt on the path to watch. One egg came out after another…..about 6 in all. It was amazing! When she finished, I stood and watched her for the next half hour as she painstakingly buried her eggs using only her back feet. When it was time to leave, I knelt again and blessed her and her young-turtles-to-be.
kathleen.hirsch
September 22, 2017at4:16 pmOh, Sue! I love this story and am so thrilled to have found it, so long after you posted it, during my time of being up to my eyeballs in the start of fall teaching. I have never seen this, though I’ve seen the turtles digging their holes. What a marvel and a miracle. Thank you so very much for sharing!