Welcome to Winter Wonder
Designed by Carol Varsalona
featuring a Community of Reflective Writers
Winter has been the topic of many conversations
and headlines during its season.
From gray, silent skies
to blustery frozen blizzards
to blustery frozen blizzards
and back to muted, pastel sunsets,
Lady Winter dressed the earth
in a range of colors to suit her different moods.
in a range of colors to suit her different moods.
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| Two photos by Devin Hartnett of Virginia & West Virginia |
Some days, Lady Winter quietly unfurled lacy flakes to dance across the skies leaving only a dusting on the land and then, tiptoed out.
Devin Hartnett, West Virginia
At other times, she boldly charged in bringing freezing temperatures and raging storms, causing interesting weather changes across the world.
Cherry blossoms popped only to be frozen the next day.
Crocuses sprouted weeks ahead of time and florals blossomed in southern locales
Amaryllis from Margaret Simon, Louisiana
while the northeast was left at a standstill during bleak, blizzardy days.
During all of these changes, creative individuals
enjoyed the opportunity of capturing winter
in digital and nondigital formats.
Photographers photographed the beauty of winter's stilled wonders on days that moved from cool to balmy.
Spiri Howard, Pennsylvania
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Carol Swayzie, Winnepeg, Canada  
 Dr. Mary Howard, Hawaii |
Artists chose different mediums to illustrate vivid winter scenes.
Poets quietly wove words to compliment
what was seen through their eyes.
From around the Northern Hemisphere, winter brought varying degrees of joy to those who appreciate winter wonder.
I invite you to continue your gallery walk after a brief musical interlude by Phillip Stephen Allen. Click here.
This gallery unveils the winter season
from the perspective of artists, poets, photographers, students, writers, and a composer, and writers around the globe.
Artistry in white has been christened
and moments in time frozen for all to witness
the creative hand of Mother Nature.
Estonia
the creative hand of Mother Nature.
Alaska
New York State
Pennsylvania
As winter progressed, frozen, lacy patterns started to fill my photo library and Twitter feed, #WinterWonder17, contrasted by sparkling gems that danced on water.
Connecticut
Long Island, NY
wintery gray sky
delivers on its promise:
fat flakes start to fall
Catherine Flynn, Connecticut
Estonia
Long Island, NY
Adults and children discovered interesting winter wonders in their respective locales.
Hawaii
Long Island, NY
Violet Nesdoly, Mt. Baker, Canada
A variety of writers created inspirational quote images to bring a new perspective to winter life.
Pause again to listen to another instrumental,Wednesday's Child, from Phillip Stephen Allen.
In the quiet of winter, reflective thinkers found tranquility to soothe their souls.
Quote by AKR (in above image) submitted by Barbara Keene
Hawaii
Long Island, NY
Violet Nesdoly, Mt. Baker, Canada
A variety of writers created inspirational quote images to bring a new perspective to winter life.
Pause again to listen to another instrumental,Wednesday's Child, from Phillip Stephen Allen.
In the quiet of winter, reflective thinkers found tranquility to soothe their souls.
Quote by AKR (in above image) submitted by Barbara Keene
"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words." - Robert Frost
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Writers, inspired by the muse of the winter season, brought a chorus of poetic voices to grace the gallery walls.
Keri Lewis
Enjoy the Winter Wonder Playlist
Oldies
Let it Snow! - The DoorsWintertime Love - The Doors
Contemporary Artists
Hymn - Celion Dion
Winter Song - Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson
Let it Go from Frozen by Idina Menzel
Scenic Video
While I Shovel The Snow - The Walkmen
Instrumentals
Beautiful White Winter
12 hrs. Soft Music - Winter Scenes - Snow but no shoveling
I welcome you to the inspiring "Young Poets" section of Winter Wonder.
Student Voice filled with poetic thought is powerful.
Teacher modeling is essential.
Kindergarten students from Christie Wyman's class in Massachusetts and those from Lindsey Bragg's class at Normandy Elementary in Ohio, under the leadership of Char Shryock moved from nondigital to digital platforms to create original snow poetry.
Hailey, one of the Wyman's Wonders
Please access the snow poetry presentation by Wyman's Wonders here.
Ohio Kinder Poets in Lindsey Bragg's class under the leadership of Char Shryock
Moving on to image poems from two fourth grade students I had the pleasure of meeting and co-moderating with on #NYEDChat.
"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, If there were no winter in our year!"
-Thomas Wentworth Higginson
During the 2017 winter season, Mother Nature, brought attention to her drifting snows, dancing snowflakes, and powerful storms. Meteorologists were reporting weather reports constantly to keep everyone abreast of the paths of storms or unseasonable temperatures.
As March is soon to close, it is still swinging between winter and spring. Please peruse the final section of the gallery that provides a look forward.
"If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
-Percy Byron Shelley
Reminder:
Be encouraged to look closely at each new day to find the beauty and the wonder of nature.
I extend my thanks to all of the contributors to the Winter Wonder Gallery for their perspective on the wonders of the 2017 winter season.
You can visit the following galleries that integrate the arts, technology, and poetry by clicking on the individual titles.
2014
2015
2016
"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give its sweetness."
-John Steinbeck
Gallery visitors, thank you for sharing reflective time with the Winter Wonder's community of writers. It has been a pleasure to present the beauty of the winter season through an artistic lens. Please leave a comment in the section below, at my Facebook link, or tweet a response using the hashtags, #WinterWonder17 & @cvarsalona, to recognize the efforts of the gallery contributors. This gesture of community spirit is appreciated.
On the eve of National Poetry Month, I am debuting this gallery to spread the joy of poetry love throughout the world. Thank you to Amy Ludwig VanderDerwater for hosting Poetry Friday and providing inspiration for another month of creating poetry.
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