{"id":25790,"date":"2017-09-15T03:50:16","date_gmt":"2017-09-15T10:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=25790"},"modified":"2017-09-14T22:26:58","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T05:26:58","slug":"writers-inspire-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2017\/09\/15\/writers-inspire-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Writers inspire, support"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carol Weinstock (photo by Olga Livshin)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Carol Weinstock only started delving into poetry a few years ago, around the time she joined a writing group. \u201cI was a journalist before I retired,\u201d she told the Independent<\/em>. The group has motivated her try other forms of writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe core is about five or six people,\u201d Weinstock explained. \u201cThey come to almost every meeting. Others come and go. There are men and women, mostly retired. They write in different genres. Some write poetry, like me. Others write memoirs or short stories. One is writing a novel. One woman is a professional artist, but she wants to expand her creative output, to add writing to her range of expressions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diane Darch, another member, recalled how it all started. \u201cSometime in 2012, people in the programming committee of False Creek Community Centre discussed the need for more programs for seniors, the 55+ group. Several possible programs were considered, including bowling and mahjong, but they finally settled on a writing group, a self-directed program. It officially began in January 2014 with a handful of enthusiastic people, each with an interest in writing for fun, for growth and for sharing a part of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darch has been with the group from the beginning. \u201cI personally joined because I was interested in writing,\u201d she said. \u201cI learned from others\u2019 types of writing and from critiques. It did put some pressure to write either at home or during the sessions. Sometimes, we arranged our own sessions, when the community centre was not available. Friendships were formed because we shared our personal writings. It is a fun group, non-threatening, and gives lots of encouragement to all levels. The group validated my writing.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year ago, she moved to Victoria. \u201cI saw the group grow to a healthy dozen, change because of various commitments, then sadly go back to too few,\u201d said Darch. \u201cI\u2019m no longer a regular member and I miss it. I do drop in when I\u2019m back in Vancouver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weinstock is one of the group\u2019s first members, joining in its first year, and she\u2019s been a steady participant since. \u201cOur meetings usually have a structure. It\u2019s flexible, not rigid, but it forces us all to write. First, we talk, share what\u2019s happening in our lives, the books we read. Then someone brings a prompt, and we write for about an hour. Then anyone who wants can share their writing, and we all discuss it. It\u2019s a very supportive environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weinstock attributes her writing of poetry to the group\u2019s influence. \u201cPoetry is a new form for me,\u201d she said. \u201cBefore I retired, I worked as a freelance journalist for various California papers. I also taught journalism at a community college. I never wrote poetry or fiction. After I retired, I returned home to Canada. Then I joined this writing group and I wanted to try something different. And the group helps. It provides me with a scheduled time and place to write and the prompts. I might not have written so much if not for the group. I\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t only write to the group prompts. \u201cSometimes, I would read a news article and a political or social problem would catch my attention. I would write a poem,\u201d said Weinstock, whose journalistic inclinations frequently push her towards controversial or humanitarian issues, concerning some obscure corners of the world. She recalled one such occasion: \u201cI read this story about the plight of the shrimp farms in Asia, and it touched me deeply. I wrote a poem. Other times, I would write something more personal but, in general, I don\u2019t like writing about my personal stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poetry is a way for Weinstock to express herself, her thoughts, emotions and ideas in a concise and organized way. A few months ago, the writing group came up with the prompt to write about what Canada means to each of the members, in celebration of Canada\u2019s 150th birthday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started with something different, but it didn\u2019t work,\u201d said Weinstock of the poem she wrote for the occasion. \u201cThen I decided to go with concrete things: what we eat, what we wear, where we live, and the poem unfolded…. I showed it to my friends, and they liked it. One of my friends, Debby Altow, is active in the Jewish community in Vancouver. She regularly reads the Jewish Independent<\/em>, and she asked if I would mind sending my poem to the paper. I read the paper sometimes, too. Of course, I said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each group member participated in the exercise. Some wrote poetry. Others wrote essays. Now, all those pieces of Canada-inspired writing are on display at False Creek Community Centre. Everyone coming into the centre passes by them as they walk down the hallway leading to the reception desk. Some people even stop and read a few.<\/p>\n

Olga Livshin<\/strong> is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We are Canadian<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beret, turban, skullcap,
\nBabushka, hijab, headband.
\nNo matter what hat we wear,
\nWe are Canadian.<\/p>\n

Fry bread, falafel, poutine,
\nPizza, curry, Kraft dinner.
\nNo matter what food we eat,
\nWe are Canadian.<\/p>\n

France, Britain, India,
\nUkraine, China, Jamaica.
\nNo matter where we come from
\nWe are Canadian.<\/p>\n

Ucluelet, Cape Breton, Moose Jaw,
\nAttawapiskat, Yellowknife, Flin Flon.
\nNo matter where we live,
\nWe are Canadian.<\/p>\n

Teacher, nurse, farmer,
\nReporter, welder, programmer.
\nNo matter what work we do,
\nWe are Canadian.<\/p>\n

Blending, fusing,
\nReconciling, adapting.
\nWe work, sweat, dream together
\nTo create one Canada.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Carol Weinstock, June 2017<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carol Weinstock (photo by Olga Livshin) Carol Weinstock only started delving into poetry a few years ago, around the time she joined a writing group. \u201cI was a journalist before I retired,\u201d she told the Independent. The group has motivated her try other forms of writing. \u201cThe core is about five or six people,\u201d Weinstock […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[7382,387,3714,7381],"class_list":["post-25790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","tag-carol-weinstock","tag-poetry","tag-seniors","tag-writing"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}