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Reconnecting with people and place

17 August, 2012

A short summer post today.

Over the past few weeks, I refreshed the look of this site with some new photos by Victoria's Will Winter. I hope you like the look. Those of you who subscribe to the newsletter (email) version of this blog are reminded to check the blog site for the real deal - the formatting there is more attractive than we can manage in an email.

We also added the Facebook feed to the home page, so you can check recent Facebook posts on this Writing:Place site. You can 'Like' the Facebook page at Lorne Daniel / Writer.

And yesterday I posted an article (with photos) on my consulting site, 'Rethink Urban,' that may be of interest to you. It's about paying attention to place - in this case urban places - and how a neighbourhood walking tour can help you see your city differently. Here's the link.

That's all! Best wishes for the remainder of the summer (assuming you are a northern hemisphere reader). 

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On the ground in Canada's west

24 July, 2012

More meanderings in the muck of western Alberta.

As I noted in other posts on Lodgepole country, the soil out here is typically deep beds of clay, topped by a thin turf of moss, needles, short grasses and (where sunlight gets through) sporadic wildflowers. Here's a slumped bank that shows the structure.

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From the ashes: looking down to discover the forest

20 July, 2012

lodgepole1.jpg

Back in my old haunts last week, in the boggy bush around Lodgepole, Alberta, I passed through a swath of recently burned timber.

In exploring natural areas, I am trying to train my eye to look down. My gaze naturally goes to the horizons, the distant vistas and the large drama of mountains, hills, and treescapes. So much of what is important in nature happens, though, at the less photogenic and easily overlooked perspective from the knees down - the small growth, the form of the ground itself - even what is under my feet and lower, the substrata.

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Runners' Blessing

19 June, 2012

Here is a lovely and inspiring blessing to runners and running, written and delivered by Doug Koop at the start of the 2012 Manitoba Marathon. I wasn't at the race - but am fortunate to have Doug as a brother-in-law. I hope you runners enjoy this as much as I did.

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Inside the Run: 90 minutes or one moment?

12 June, 2012

Here is an essay/meditation I wrote a few summers ago, trying to capture the 'flow' of a long distance run. It's a longish piece as a result and likely only of interest to fellow runners.

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Writing Manifesto

27 May, 2012

most writers need a little prod now and then - here's one I jotted to myself while attending two writing conferences this week:

You are a writer.

When you write, it matters that you put words down
and work with them. Again and again.
What will come of that is, simply, written work.
Words work.
 
You think ahead, you think back
but the work of a writer is here, now,
on this page. This word - and the next.
 
Don’t stop to look both ways.
 
Pick up the words where last you left them.
 
A writer is the architect, engineer, construction manager,
electrician, labourer and finishing carpenter of the document.
Most of the hours are labour.
 
Work. Now.
 
 
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A cheer, magnified

18 May, 2012

Aren’t cheerleaders great?

I’m not thinking of high school and college cheer teams – though they may also be great. I haven’t been around those much in recent years.
 
I am thinking of the individuals and small clusters of people who turn out at events to cheer on the participants.
 
As a runner, I have long appreciated the clapping, cheering, singing, instrument-playing or sometimes wackily dressed bystanders who show up to add some energy to runners. Lord knows we need all the energy we can get.
 
What I have discovered is the power of magnification. Those cheers are easily amplified.
 
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Book spine poetry with poetry books

14 May, 2012

Google the term "book spine poetry" and you find a wealth of creative, funny and engaging images of found poems - poems created by stacking books so their titles become a new work.

This meme, which has apparently been around for a few years but of course only discovered by yours truly in the past few months, is one that strikes a chord with me.

Many book titles are so evocative on their own. Stack and link them and they become even more so.

It's also interesting, of course, to see what books are sitting on a person's shelf - each book spine in a book spine poem says something about its author / owner.

bookspine1.JPGMy twist on this is to create a book spine poem based on poetry books (with a few books on poetics in the mix). Here's my first attempt.

Fun, no?

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Poets know failure

12 May, 2012

Another month, another list of failures. Such is the life of a poet.

Fail.jpegRejections from literary publications, misses in contest submissions, “no room at the inn” messages from retreats.
 
A poet sure doesn’t write for any kind of commercial success or broad readership. To do so would be beyond crazy – we all know that readership for poetry is pretty much limited to fellow poets, a handful of literary enthusiasts, and a grab bag of friends and family.
 
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Quonley's corner then and now

22 April, 2012

Even those of you who know my work are unlikely to recognize this place. It is on the cover of one of my books.

Quonleys corner 2012.jpgThis is Quonley's Market at the entrance to Chinatown in Victoria, BC, Canada. I have only lived in Victoria since 2011 but for many years I have been meaning to go back to this corner and capture the image.

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