On the Spaces We Inhabit: Meet #Writer Mary Lewis

Yesterday’s social media explosion on the Badlands National Park twitter account gone rogue reminds us about the value of the spaces we inhabit and the places we take for granted. Our sense of place, and the attention we give it, defines who we were and gives insight into who we are. Whether you think of the world on a large or small scale, place–and our relationship to it–is paramount.

For the past few months, I have been compiling and editing a fourth anthology of work by the writers at Harwood Place on exactly this theme. Entitled Inside | Outside, this year’s collection of stories and poems honors the idea of place both inside and outside, from the shelves of a room called “the den” to temporary living quarters in the barn, from a camping excursion as seen through tiny eyes to the fauna and flora dressings on a patio. While the anthology isn’t available to purchase in bookstores, we share it among friends, family, and fellow Harwood Place residents at a special Reading. The contributors for Inside | Outside will showcase their work from the podium this Saturday, January 28th, at 2pm.

To give you a taste of what you will hear if you attend, I welcome Mary Lewis to the blog. Mary has been a regular in the writing group for several years now, and her work always delights me. A former children’s librarian, she knows the power of words, and her pieces often hint at the playful side of a good story. Here, she writes about the intricacies of a treasured room.


My Favorite “Then” and “Now” Room

By Mary Lewis

Currently my favorite room is a diminished version of my favorite room in the home where we lived for fifty-six years. We called that space “the den,” a curious word, as defined by Webster: “the lair of a wild animal, a comfortable, usually secluded room, a subdivision of a cub scout pack.” Harwood’s floor plan calls it the second bedroom. I declare it a Den, happily opening its hide-a-bed to welcome guests when they arrive.

Expanded by a mirrored wall, which is opposite the windows, this small room on the sixth floor is always filled with sky wonders–storms and colors and mist and darkness and changing moon shapes. I can add music to the environment or just keep it absolutely quiet. It’s the right place for a pen and a clipboard to journal or to follow a writing group prompt. There’s a globe to spin and speculate and a modest TV screen tucked on its own shelf on the bookshelves along the wall. Books which were boxed for the Harwood move are survivors, culled for another read. More recent titles pop up in other rooms.

Ledges and corners in the den call out “these are a few of my favorite things!” Many of them are carved pieces. A parade of guinea hens marches across a shelved collection of books from Zimbabwe and Namibia. Two small human figures make eye contact in conversation. She was carved in Quebec, and he in Central America. I like the profile of their faces. Another carver had shaped a large tagua nut until it became a parrot in simulated ivory. There’s a gourd from Peru with a carved border of llamas, and a plump Baboushka doll hiding her children until a squeaky twist will set them free for their line-up. The paintings on the walls were brushed by artist friends, and the wide window valence was cut from the Batik fabric of a tablecloth.

The Den–it still says heart and warmth, comfort and contemplation. Creativity. And I like it because it’s small and takes you by surprise, down the hall and to the left.


Come hear Mary and the other Harwood Place Writers read on Saturday, January 28th, at 2pm: 8220 Harwood Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI. You’ll leave feeling lifted and inspired.

Designs for the New Year: Writing Opportunities in 2017

“The writing career is not a romantic one. The writer’s life may be colorful, but his work itself is rather drab.” ~ Mary Roberts Rinehart

img_0012Hey now, come on, Mary. Writing may not be romantic (though when I type with fingerless gloves I feel very “Jane Austen”), but drab is a little strong. Let’s say painful, gut-wrenching, #ThisPenHatesMe, sure. “Woman found sobbing over red ink and word counts,” yes. But drab? Nope.

If you find yourself in the bla-bla-bla’s of a blank page, you may be in need of a boost in morale, a prompt for inspiration, a bit of camaraderie–a workshop, a course, or an official writers’ huddle.


The Workshop
Join me face-to-face for FLASH MEMOIR.

pexels-photo-204511Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, 9:30am-noon at the Red Oak Writing tables (11709 W. Cleveland Ave., West Allis, WI). We will define the purpose of memoir and the memoir essay (there is a difference!), look at traditional and nontraditional forms, and talk about strategies for turning a personal experience or story into flash (1,000 words or fewer). We’ll also put pen to paper–because we learn best when we engage with the page! $50. REGISTER via Red Oak HERE.


The Course
Join me ONLINE for in-depth learning on FLASH NONFICTION.

Drawing of online connectionThis 4-week course runs from February 5-March 4, 2017. We will tap into books, videos, podcasts, and samples of great flash nonfiction. We’ll learn about techniques that make this powerful genre work, then put these techniques into practice through writing exercises and peer critique. At the end of the course, you’ll leave with a better understanding of flash nonfiction as a whole, a list of resources for further study and submission ideas, and several new pieces of work under your belt. $90. Information on discounted fees & registration HERE.


The Huddle
Strength in Numbers with THE WRITERS’ COLLECTIVE.

Another great in-person workshop at Red Oak, taught Kim Suhr on Saturday, February 25, 2017, 9:30am-noon. Here’s the description from the website:

Red Oak Writing logoWould you like to increase readership of your book, website or blog? Are you better at singing others’ praises than your own? Are you willing to spread the word about other writers’ work in exchange for expanded exposure?

Spend the morning building a collaborative publicity plan with others who are committed to helping your audience grow. Participants must be willing to promote each other throughout a six-month period. Those who make one “touch” for every member of the group will appear on a “Featured Writers” page at our website with links to their blog, Amazon page, etc. Group limit strictly held at 12 members.

$50. Register for the Writers’ Collective via Red Oak HERE.


And with that, folks, we’re barely into March. Drab is so 2016.
Sign up and get writing in 2017!

New Season, New Studio, New Offer

Change is good. Wait…did I just say that?

FullSizeRender (2)I am a list-maker and a planner and a “tell me the future because I can’t stand not knowing” kind of girl. I hate when folks in charge at the grocery store think it’s a good idea to move the bread where the juice used to be, or stock the sandwich meat in a secret kiosk somewhere in the middle so that I circle and circle and wear a rut into the hard linoleum floor. I took it personal when the city of Milwaukee worked to repair several bridges throughout summer and fall one year and shut down every new route I mapped out to drive from home to work and back. They left me in constant re-route mode, and re-route equals change equals can’t-talk-now-I’m-in-a-panic.

But once in a while, change is good.

New Season

open school doorToday marks the end of our season of summer at home–we are riding the last hours of all-day-discord between siblings, thank you very much. Bright and early in the morning, the kids embark on a new school year and a new schedule, and though we are a mix of nerves and excitement, the first day can’t come soon enough.

Sure, I’ll miss those lazy mornings and days at the pool. I admit, I enjoyed the thrill in planning those last-minute afternoon field trips (okay, I use the word “thrill” with some reserve). But I think we’re all ready for a shift in gears and a change of scenery.

New Studio

And speaking of scenery…. Early this summer, I learned that I would have to move out of a shared creative space where I’d spent many a Friday afternoon writing. At first I was disappointed. I’d grown to love my little corner and those sometimes short but sweet moments of uninterrupted writing time. But throw a wish for something similar out into the Universe and often you discover that change equals something better. By the end of July, I had settled into a new studio closer to home, bigger in size, and ready-made for hosting other writers.

Studio

New Offer

To break in the new space and invite you in for conversation, I’m celebrating with a giveaway of a Personal Editing Package. I know I just ran a giveaway last week, but this one is a little different: 20 pages of developmental and/or line editing (fiction, nonfiction, or novel in progress) plus a 1/2 hour meeting to discuss edits or next steps for two lucky writers.

My hope is that if you enter and win we can meet in person, but as many of you live well beyond the city limits, I want to keep this contest open to anyone hoping to tighten up a short story or an essay or delve into edits on the first few chapters of a novel. Our meeting may be face-to-face or pixel-by-pixel; either way, there’s a chair and a cup of coffee waiting for you.

Enter the contest in one of two ways:

IN-PERSON: My space is housed within Inspiration Studios, which is listed in the upcoming (FREE) event, Doors Open Milwaukee. I’ll  be there Saturday, Sept. 17th,  from 10am-5pm & Sunday, Sept. 18th, from 12-5pm. I’d love to see you!

Inspiration Studios

Originally constructed as a funeral IShome in 1929, this building became home to Inspiration Studios in 2014, where the Village Playhouse and Erico’s Gallery are housed. Visitors will view the “Sweet Emotions” abstract photography exhibit by Milwaukee artist, Rosie Hartman, who will be on hand to discuss her art. Visitors are welcome to self-tour the gallery, performance stage, back stage areas, and the lower level rehearsal and dressing rooms of the Village Playhouse. Visitors will also explore the 2nd floor studios, featuring Dynamic Youth Syndicate and Christi Craig’s Writing Studio. Guided tours will be provided upon request. Light refreshments will be served.

Stop by and pop up to the 2nd floor, check out where I write and where we can meet. Then, pick up a few goodies from the grab basket and sign up for the giveaway with pen and paper.

Do not fear: just like change, revisions can be fun. (If anything, we’ll sweat it out together.)