Women Bearing All

January, February & March 2007 Meetings

Just a note to say that although our January and February meetings were small - they were vibrant and beautiful nonetheless. In January, Francine and I got to connect on a level that may have been impossible in a larger group - and for that I am forever grateful. There were poems shared, tears shed, prayers offered, and hearts knit together. In February, Francine and Jennifer and I did the same thing. We read, we laughed, we talked, we tried to unravel unruly family tree limbs, we fretted over situations, we cried, we laughed, and we plotted and planned for my upcoming premiere poetry show at the Rogue Festival.

The reviews from the Rogue Festival are in - and they were so beautifully written, by such true artists, that I have cried over them many times!

As of this moment - our idea to do the THIRD THURSDAY of every month seems to be a little hit and miss. We've had to postpone it again this month because my foster son's Thirteenth Birthday is the same date. I couldn't miss that. We also have several people travelling - so let's stay in touch and find out when and where we can meet again. There is a new cafe opening in Old Town Clovis any day now - and I'm going to instigate that we meet there at least once! It's going to be fabulous!

I am looking forward to hanging out with whomever comes to our March or April gatherings. These things seem to unfold how they want to - no matter what we might have in mind. So I am along for the ride and enjoying this very much!

Take care,

Liesl

photo by Jane M Sawyer - posting as cohdra on Morguefile.com

December 14th Gathering - Review

For the most recent meeting of the Women Bearing All poetry circle - we had a last minute change of meeting place, and ended up at a Carrow's on Shaw, between First and Cedar in Fresno, CA. It was not quite the intimate setting of a quiet tea house, as was our first meeting. Rather, there was a rowdy group of female basketball players from an out of town school, loudly whooping it up at a table close-by. I don't know if it was bravado to rev them up before a bit match, or if they had just beat our Fresno State team, but they were certainly in a good mood. Actually, the entire restaurant was in a lively mood.

Four women braved the crowd - to sit and try to be heard above the din - and belt out poems to one another in a booth in a back alcove . You should have seen us - we were a sight. Valerie, one of our poets that evening, had to take a phone call at one point and couldn't help but snickering at us from across the restaurant - the way we were sitting around in a very Middle America sort of place, not a hob-nobbing with the snobs sort of place, or a high-brow coffee joint, where a poetry gathering might be a common sight - but right in the middle of sprawling families, entire teams of ball-players, and grandpas and grandmas out for their chicken pot pie.

Right in the middle of all that, we found one another and shared our hearts, the way poets will, and discovered common ground, were moved to tears, moved to laughter, challenged to create more, create together, learn together, and meet again. We stayed up late, had more coffee than we should have, and a bigger dessert than normal, and when it was finally time to go, found ourselves journeying out to one another's cars, to see the visual art stowed away in the trunks of two of our poets. It felt very clandestine and underground. I can't wait to see those particular paintings again hanging in a show around town, and remember the first time I saw them - in a dark parking lot, in mid-December with fog swirling in, by street lamp, after a poet's gathering.

What we learn from those we admire!

This is a stamped emblem in the sidewalk at Filbert and Green in San Francisco - just a moments walk from the Cafe Trieste and City Lights Books (of Lawrence Ferlinghetti fame).

My sister lives on this block and I just visited. The whole time I lived in San Francisco, I didn't know this was there. It has no doubt been there since the Beatniks ruled The City. Trust me, I want to know more about this - how many more are there in San Francisco? - is this the only one? It seems to be made of something incredibly sturdy - metal stamped into concrete - saying, "Poets are here to stay!" Don't you love that?

I just got my copy of "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg down off the shelf and noticed a very similar logo for CityLights Publishers - so it was probably commissioned. But honestly, how fun is it to have found this right on the corner of the block where my sister lives?

Sisters Yoga Poetry Yoga Jam!

Sisters Yoga invites you to:

Sisters Yoga Poetry Yoga Jam!

Part 1 When: Thursday, January 11th 2006 Time: 7:00-8:30 PM (may run later depending on # of participants) Fee: $55 for both parts. Poses and Prose: Explore poses that promote mental clarity, increased creativity and self-expression--a tool for your life, your job, your family. Published poet and yogini Chaz will show poses for writer's block and pranic (energy) blocks. Bring your favorite poem and be prepared to share with the group why you enjoy it. We will participate in a writing exercise to explain the differences between an abstract and a concrete image. An assignment will be given for Part 2 that ties in what you just learned with your daily yoga experience. Open your mind and creative heart. All are welcome; no writing experience necessary.

Part 2 When: Thursday, January 18th, 2006 Time: 7:00-8:30 PM (may be later depending on # of participants) Heart openers and hearfelt poetry: Participants will enjoy heart openers to welcome in all contributions and creative spirits. We will share the products of our assignment in a warm and welcoming environment while reaping the benefit of constructive criticism. If desired, poems will be showcased on Sisters Yoga website. Experience the creative light that can be enhanced from our yoga practice.

Reserve your spot! Space is limited. 298-1444 or http://www.sistersyoga.com

Our story begins...

The first meeting of the Women Bearing All group of female poets was a tremendous event. We met at El Tea in Fresno - near Piccadilly Inn off Shaw - and what a wonderfully relaxing place. It is the kind of place where you can feel your heartrate start to slow, your synapses begin to unfurl from being clinched and zinging, you breathe deeply and sigh and realize you haven't done that for a while. Ahhh.

Oh what a lovely hubbub!

This morning I opened my email to find an entry on the beautiful blog of author Patti Digh - in which she receives a personal note from Billy Collins - the poet I most admire. My heart stopped. I read it again slowly - the words from Billy - the magical, lyrical sounds of love and lilacs, the deep admiration from one poet to another. I went rushing through the house to breathlessly announce to my husband my outrageous jealousy, my petty smallness at wanting to snatch the letter from her hand and make it be to me. He was putting his boots on for a day out working in the cold, and try as he might, could not grasp the depth of my hysteria. Just last night I was compiling my submission to a poetry contest that Billy Collins is judging.

Rare privilege

My husband never ceases to shock me. He gave me a tremendous boost yesterday. He read one of my most devastating poems without really meaning to, he happened upon it - one that I still cannot read out loud without crying. This is a poem that is probably 10 years old. No matter how much time has passed, there are still parts of our histories that hurt deeply. I have worked through so much - and feel that today I live mostly in joy. Yet, looking at this poem brings it all back. He is not much of a reader of poetry. He likes car magazines. I completely accept this because if he were to start describing in detail some car part that he was excited about, I would draw a blank and not understand a word he was saying. This is how he generally feels about poetry.

He came to me quietly, and put his arms around me. He said, "I'm one of the people who truly 'gets' you. But now, I think I know you even better." Later, he continued to talk about what he had learned of me through that poem - and how much more protective he feels about me after reading it. I cannot imagine a better gift from my mate than for him to clearly tell me how much something I wrote spoke to him.

A Gathering of Women

Recently I posted an invitation on the Creative Fresno listserv for female poets to join me and start a community - where we can have monthly readings and gatherings - where we can encourage one another to continue producing words on paper!

I had some response - but didn't really have a place for people to post a comment if they wanted - so here it is. This is not a traditonal guest book - because I am not necessarily a web savvy person. Creating a blog was the closest I could get. I hope for the sake of creative interchange - you will overlook my novice stature and just work together to build a community!

Sudden Tangerine

Sudden Tangerine now conjures up the idea of unlikely pairings.

This is a line from a recent poem - it's the middle of the night and tomorrow I will regret that this is my first posting to this new weblog. However, before I could figure out how to design it, I was forced to write a post. I was completely unprepared to be brilliant this evening and so there - that is the first post!

With this community of Women Bearing All - I hope to meet other writers, read their work, encourage artistic expression even if the subject matter is unbearable. I have carried more than I thought I could bear - many of us do.

Let's live to tell the tale and not only tell it but sing it with arms around the women still in the thick of it. By it, I am not meaning to refer to any one particular pain - because there are many. And we live to tell of it, and rise above, and lift our voices and laugh and reach a hand out to those who are struggling.

Oh - I have high hopes for this group!

Liesl Garner