Late Reactions to Day 3

Subconsciously, I think, I haven't allowed myself to write my reactions to day three because by holding out, in some weird recess of my mind, it extends the time we have left with Writers Week. Crazy, huh?! Unfortunately, we can't still time and WW will eventually have to come to an end...but then, I guess that is just another aspect that makes the event so special. If we had it all the time, we'd have nothing to look forward to next year. Anyway...this is a topic to be discussed later...for I am not ready to remove myself from the warm embrace of Writers Week.

Day 3 had a different feel about it because there were no student presentations. The entire day seemed to move at a slower pace, which was nice for several reasons. I felt like I actually got to spend some time talking to our visiting presenters instead of rushing around, I didn't have to stress out about having enough time for all our students to present, and I felt like I allowed myself to actually sit and listen instead of worrying about what was next.

Seth Jarman blew me away. I was impressed when I heard his music on his Myspace page, but to hear him live...Wow! I thought his presentation of material was great as well. I loved the "Storyteller" feel of his performance. I found his lyrics filled with beautiful lines, lines that touched me deeply. Many of the lines I wrote down have already been featured in other blogs, so I'll try to steer clear of total repetition.

"What if I don't sway next summer?
What if I don't bloom again?"
-Bloom

I love the idea of "blooming"...the idea of "not blooming." There are so many areas of life in which we allow others to "cut us down" and we never allow ourselves to "bloom." Or we just get caught in the routines of life, losing our excitement, and our passions just sit wasting away. I hope WW has helped some people BLOOM.

Dan Begley completely cracked me up. I love that he was still giddy about his novel being published, it was endearing. So many successful people aren't willing to share their secrets or their knowledge with others and I love that he was so willing to share every insight he possessed. I also think it is very cool that he sent an email today with a list of books that he used and found helpful in his writing journey (check out his page on the ning). And, I'll be honest, over lunch he told me, "you have a Hollywood face," so Dan rates really high in my book! :)

Devon Johnston's poetry is amazing. When I first got his book I thought I'd never understand what he was writing about, but the more I read, the more I liked that there could be many different interpretations to his work. I loved that he addressed that too...saying that he liked that sometimes there was no definite answer and that he often tried to write so there wouldn't be one. I also liked his response when asked why he focuses so much on birds. The idea that birds are around us all the time and because of that we often don't take notice of them, therefore, our overlooking them makes them alien to us. It made me stop and think about all the common place things we take for granted daily.

Lastly, I've got to mention the faculty presentations. This has been my only disappointment thus far with WW. My disappointment wasn't with the presenters, but the fact that we ran short on time and Mr. Holmes didn't get to present. (Thankfully, that will be rectified tomorrow during fourth and fifth periods. I can't wait to hear him!) Boelter, Jennings, and Kueschel, such amazing personal stories...wow. Mrs. Boesch had such beautiful descriptions (I literally felt seasick while reading her piece the first time!), Mrs. Clifton...such a cool story and example of family love and support, and Mr. J...is there anything he can't do?! Next year I'm requesting impromptu limericks while standing on his head!