Maria Marchese offered a session on May 15.
Maria Marchese is an AWA certified facilitator and workshop leader. The workshop she hosted for the Write Around The World Fundraiser was an opportunity for writers to learn about the AWA method and write in community.
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Crying for the Moon
by Vicki Pinkerton
We told the neighbors first, on the wolf moon, first full moon in January, ignore any sounds you hear in the night till about 2:30. The moon is up full by 11:00 PM and my crone friends and I will be out there.
Jim is a man’s man. He rolled his eyes and laughed. “What? Howling at the moon? He chuckled.” Dana nudged him with her elbow.
“Yes of course,” I said, “I just don’t want you to call the police thinking it’s the zombie apocalypse.”
On the way out the door I pulled Dana, aside, “We start at 7:30. Come.”
She side eyed Jim then nodded.
I had goodies and wine. By 8:00 PM my family room had eighteen women laughing in it. Some brought written things to burn away the old year, some had writing to send up in smoke to invite the new year. We had snowshoes and skis lined up by the back door and a fire started melting a hole in the icy night.
By 9:30 we were outside, bundled, and warm. The moon had crested the horizon and silver bathed the land. We burned our manuscripts to the goddess’s present and then started toward the back gate. There was a no hush about us. We were loud and brash and wicked in our language. I led them to a valley and we stopped. We could hear coyotes yipping not far away. We stood in a circle. All watched me, nervous and shy. I raised my face to the moon and howled with all the joy and pain I could muster. One by one the women joined me raising their voices. Some yipped, some screamed and then there was quiet. We joined arms and walked back to the fire, our hearts quiet and full.
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Turning
by Rasma Haidri
I made from my body a circle
circumscribed
by four points
a cartwheel
they called it
but I knew cart wheels
were stuck
to covered wagons
crossing prairies
on TV
whereas I
opened my arms like wings
to fly sideways
touching earth
just one point at a time:
hand—hand, foot—foot
a cartless wheel
one part girl
three parts sky.
Thank you for joining us to Write Around the World!
For the rest of the summer, watch our blog! We are sharing writing from AWA’s yearly marathon fundraiser, which happened this year all-online throughout the month of May.
We offer this series in appreciation for the incredible community of writers and workshop leaders that sustain us. If you’re inspired and would like to be part of the fundraiser, please donate!