Just at the moment, we are not able to meet many people, to sit around and chat, to share stories, to imagine things together. There are probably people who you are missing. They will be missing you. You may also know of people who live alone and never see anyone, from one day to the … Continue reading A Kindness of Words
In our last post we thought about ways of naming the landscape and parts of the landscape. Here is aa nice frame that you could use to put them to use. Here are some lines from a poem by Ian Macmillan about the walk to school: Down Barking-dog lane past the street with the boat … Continue reading Routes
When we know a place well, we have our own local names for streets and landmarks. In our village, where there is a ‘Front Street’, many people call the parallel street, ‘Back Street’, even though it has a quite different name on the street sign. There is a Mill Road [though the mill no longer … Continue reading Naming the land
All families have lots of stories. Some families are always telling stories. Sometimes you have to ask. My grandfather told me stories of when my dad was a little boy. My favourites were about Jip, the dog. When Jip was a tiny puppy, Grandpa brought him home on the train. He hid him in his … Continue reading Tell me …..
I have been digging up weeds in my garden and I have been learning about worms. They are amazing creatures, moving tons of earth every year, adding nutrients to the soil and making drainage holes that allow minerals to run deep into the ground and feed the plants that grow there. Yet there is very … Continue reading Up close
Today, many people remember those who have been killed in war. We are reminded of the great absences in the lives of families; and of lives cut short in battle. Perhaps we also think about the way our lives are interlinked, the way that war changes the present and the future, and wish for there … Continue reading Benediction
Smell is hard to describe. When we mention a smell, we usually just use the name of the thing that is giving off that smell – lavender, coffee, banana, even, chip shop. Smell is brilliantly evocative. I smell coal tar soap and think of my father; sterilised milk, that is my Great Aunt Addie. Smell … Continue reading The Smell of …..
At the beginning of November, when it is getting chillier and afternoons turn dark, it is good to be inside in the warm. We like to be warm inside and out, so thoughts turn to hot chocolate, pumpkin soup, roasted chestnuts, and buttered toast with … what? Write about making toast: brown or white bread? … Continue reading Toasty
Today it is all about touch: about hot and cold, about rough and smooth; slimy or dry; crispy or silky. Make a list of words that are all about the touch of things, the texture of things, the heat and shape of things. Now let’s freewrite. Here are some sentence starters to get you going: walking … Continue reading In touch
It is nearly November 5th. In England at least, there are usually bonfires and fireworks around that time. Let’s really think about the sound of it all. It is dark when we set off fireworks, so maybe we notice the sounds more. Here is the beginning of a list poem by Mary O’Neill: The sound … Continue reading Sound of fire
Writing Box 