Autumn Ablaze: Invitation to Create

Where there is passion, there is autumn with its brilliancy and anticipation for landscapes ablaze with color, hope of pumpkin-spiced days, and evenings of starry or moonlit skies.

autumn is ablaze

golden-tinged trees color life

with inspiration
©CVarsalona, 2017

The trees are in their autumn beauty,

The woodland paths are dry,

Under the October twilight the water

Mirrors a still sky;

-William Butler Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole

Above photography by Devin Hartnett, Kent Kristensen, kmechling, Carol Varsalona

🍂🍂🍂
Let's color the world with autumn joy this season! 

Filled with the spirit of autumn, I traveled across the country to Tuscon for the National Council of Families Learning 2017 Conference and found fall in a different light than back east. Clearly, the Sonoran Desert has a hypnotizing spell at sunrise, welcoming each autumn day.

Knowing that early autumn is a season of color and vibrancy, I invite you to find fall in your locale and create digital magic alongside me for the Autumn Ablaze Gallery. You may not have autumn leaves where you are, but the following song will inspire you to create. 

Deadline for the submission of all offerings: November 28, 2017.  

-Be creative. 

-Capture autumn digitally via a photograph, inspirational quote, original poem, artwork, short video, audio readings of original poetry, or short musical compositions.

-Sign each digital offering with your name and locale.

-Size your digital offerings to fit the gallery. 450 pixels is the best sizing. 

-Send your jpeg offerings to @cvarsalona at gmail with the subject heading , Autumn Ablaze.

-Also send your digital offering to #AutumnAblaze.

Who should join this creative endeavor to give tribute to the richness of the autumn season? EVERYONE-I encourage adults and students from all walks of life to  participate in this global gallery that will allow voice to soar across the world. 

Let's showcase our talents, photographs, poetry, musical compositions, and artwork to create a digital collection of the beauty of autumn.  

You can access the previous fall galleries: Finding Fall, Autumn's Palette, Autumnventure at

http:beyondliteracylink,blogspot.com for samples of digital offerings.

Special Feature: 

If you would like to add spooky, digital treats to the Autumn Ablaze Gallery, please do so. Here is mine!

spooktacular

sights fall before my eyes

friday 13th

©CVarsalona, 2017

Now please join the charming children's poet, Irene Latham, at Live Your Poem for the Poetry Friday Roundup brought to you by the number 13. You will be in for a spooktacular treats.  

Celebrate Creative Moments

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” 

Jack London

How many times have you been in the zone, ignited the creative spark, and watched the flame flicker and grow stronger? These creative moments are triggered by curiosity and passion. Perseverance pushes the wonderer to discover the magic that causes a flame to burn bright. 

This week was full of creative magic. I watched creative sparks explode as a group of graduate students unleashed their creativity during an ELA Summer Institute at Molloy College.

Images credited to Kent Kristensen (L) and Elizabeth Sherwooed (R)

You can view the Google Slide presentation created by the graduate students here.

Norms and protocols set the stage for an intensive four-day program that focused on the power of writing in a variety of forms to engage learners. 

Teachers who teach writing must be writers was the focal thought. 

With zest for creation, the group collaborated, designed, reflected, and shared authentic work. A slide presentation, Unleashing Creativity: Finding Our Voice, was the  result of concentrated effort to blend art, digital mediums, and technology with poetry. The end product was a thoughtful and vibrant  example of journeying through a process. 

The excitement felt throughout the institute sparked my creative juices, as well. I was inspired by the educators to write and bake, two passions of mind. 

Finding your voice is a vital part of life's journey. To be real one must discover whom he/she is. When voice is found, it is as shiny as a new penny. Then, the real magic of writing with voice begins. Modeling the process for learners is the next step. 

Happy Fourth of July from Long Island, NY to your locale!

Photographed by CVarsalona at Nassau County’s 14th annual Fourth of July fireworks at Eisenhower Park, Long Island. 

I'm celebrating with Ruth Ayres at Celebrate This Week.