Friends, if you’re interested in taking a one-day creative writing workshop with me, I’m teaching two of them in Minneapolis next month. May 5: The Freedom of Form. May 6: Writing through Pivotal Points. Click this link for more information and to register. I’d love to see you there!
Long ago I wanted to write a book with an underlying theme of superheroes, but I was stuck. So I asked my son, then a teenager, this question: “What, in your opinion, is the most essential trait of a superhero?” His answer was immediate and clear: “A super villain.”
Forces that oppose each other hold great power in their opposition. Think of our current political nightmare, which pits one force against the other as if those who don’t think like you must be your enemy. But opposition doesn’t have to mean conflict and scorn and hatred. Most oppositional forces in the world, at core, work together to create something bigger than themselves. My grandmother was an incredible cook; my grandfather was an incredible washer of dishes. My friend is a wonderful driver; her wife is a wonderful navigator. My dog needed a long walk every afternoon; I needed to get out of the house. And on and on and it goes. Poem of the Week, by Reiner Kunze.
Two Rowing, by Reiner Kunze, translated by Birgitt Kollmann
Two rowing
a boat
One
knowledgeable about the stars
the other
knowledgeable about the storms.
One
will lead through the stars
the other
will lead through the storms
And at the end
at the very end
the sea will be blue in memory.
For more information on Reiner Kunze, please click here.
For more information on renowned translator Birgitt Kollmann, please read this lovely post about her by one of her English “translatees”.
Alison McGhee 