Thursdays are always exhausting-good exhausting: A virtual guitar lesson at 11 with Jonathan, my amazing teacher for almost 20 years. Then there’s time for walking and listening to music and audio books- lately I’m obsessed with NY Times essays on Modern Love. But the excitement builds until 4PM when I can open a Zoom session and prep with our Hudson Valley Writing Project’s facilitator team for our weekly community forum where we invite writing project community and interested educators, writers and pre-service teachers to join us for an 1 hour and 15 minutes of writing to prompts and sharing in breakout groups.
In fact, if you’re reading this now and you’d like to join us, let me know. We begin officially at 4:30 and finish by 5:45.
For the month of April we focused on poetry- perfect timing given that it was National Poetry Month. This month we are moving to the power of music as inspiration for writing. In fact I’ll be leading the group with the music video below.
Yes, today will be exciting. We usually average 35-40+ HVWP teachers and visitors many are now regulars. What is really exciting though is the preparation. We meet for a few minutes right after the session with interested participants to reflect and chat and consider next steps for the following week. Monday we meet together to plan for the Thursday session with a small group that can join us. We map out a plan and a small group returns the next day for tightening. As the agenda is crafted it’s open to the team to return and revise. By Thursday we have a plan that has been created and crafted with care.
I’m so excited and proud to still be working with this organization. My 20 year anniversary with the HVWP to be celebrated this July. WOW!
Digital Bonnie 
Reading your post made me smile. I love the excitement that this post radiates. “Good exhausting” – I like the term.
I was sooo nervous… would people enjoy writing to this piece… yes, they did! Great workshop!!!! Better becuase I was part of a team.
This is the power of connection, which I am finding to be so important during this time. I really need to look into the writing project – I know so many people who speak so highly of it. Hope you enjoy your session today!
It was great. Sadly the National Writing Project has been drained of its money sources and the network- the local sites are forced to fend more for themselves so moving virtual has hit them very hard .
So it depends where you are although virtual might help that. Anyway I’m off for a morning walk in the sunshine 😊
20 years – wow! That is a wonderful community to be a part of. Your excitement is contagious.
I know, right? I was turing 50 as my first summer institute ended and I hosted a big 50th birthday party in early August. Since them the community continues… every teacher’s dream… but I have our blogging community as well. How fortunate can one woman be ?
Your Thursdays sound amazing. So much goodness!
Perfect for now… yes !
Your Thursday sounds delightful – a lot of creativity and connecting with others. So important right now.
Yes it was amazing…and yes so important for me and for our community and for this community as well. right?
I am a bit behind in reading and writing from Thursday, so I am glad to read that this piece was a success for you. Wow, 20 years with the writing project! I love the energy that you are now exuding with your writing and creating. So glad to be a part of this world.
So good to be back to this blog. It will take time to get used to writing with it again. How ironic that for years I wrote and posted pics on it every day.
I have never written a poem using a piece of music for inspiration. What a creative way to birth the written word. I listened to this beautiful musical piece and may try (thanks for including it.) How lovely to have had this association and encouragement to write for 20 years.
I wondered how this piece of music would work with our writers and it seemed to be pretty successful. 🙂 I feel very lucky to be part of this amazing local and national community.
Hi Bonnie! I am admiring how much support you have built for creative projects! You are very lucky! PS Every day I scroll by NYT Modern Love. Hm. I may have to start reading!!!
Morning Anne. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I feel very lucky to stay productive and I’m loving the NYT Modern Love Essays as podcasts for great walks.
Hi Bonnie,
Like Terje, I love the phrase, “good exhausting.” I miss your writing this week, but I’m hoping it’s because there’s a load of good exhausting things happening in your corner of the world.
Love & hugs, Ruth