Stories hold our thoughts, heartbeats, and deep-seated feelings. They share what is the best of what we want or need to say. For centuries, storytelling has been a long-standing tradition. Stories have changed forms as they were passed down from generation to generation. Some stories have been told in song. Others were written in prose or poetic form. Today, I share my stories at this blog site, my contemporary storytelling cache where I have housed many global galleries of artistic expressions.
Storytelling is personal,
uniquely fashioned details
spun together into a fine tapestry
of silken, moonbeam threads.
It's Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers where many stories are unfolding. Please peruse a recent global story of Lady Winter that unfolded at my blog site, Winter Wonderland Gallery.
Finally, spring has come to Long Island for a full week! It's been a week of celebrating all "things" related to spring: a changeover in closets, walks in the neighborhood, a fond remembrance of a trip to the boardwalk, and topped off with poetry writing. Lately, my umbrella and sunglasses take turns as the accessory of the day while my iPhone, always busy capturing nature, is a faithful companion. Here on Long Island, spring is a celebratory experience after a long #winterinspring phenomenon that led me to unveil my Winter Wonderland Gallery of Artistic Expressions. Now, the weather has settled into a spring pattern of sun and rain and so, I took the opportunity to send out an invitation to my spring gallery, Sense-sational Spring. All this talk of spring has inspired me to continue to write poetry and create digital art. Life is full. Even the birds have returned to their daily practice of awakening morning each spring day.
"Spring is when life's alive in everything!" This quote from the 19th century poet, Christina Rossetti, has given rise to a flurry of digitals on social media. I couldn't resist using one of my favorite spring scenes of the preserve north of Sleepy Hollow, New York to create a digital inspiration. I hope this creation brings you a sense of peace and the interest to capture your own spring scenes.
For all the baseball fans, the season is upon us and even my grandbaby is enjoying spring at a ball game.
Are you feeling the spring-is-in-the-air love?
Only 2 more days to enjoy National Poetry Month with the amazing poetry that is happening on and off-line. You still have time to check out the poetry happenings at Jama Rattigan's 2018 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup. Click herefor the calendar. I know that I have some catching up to do myself.
Signing off with more #poetrylisciouspoetry creations in mind.
I Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres at her site on the weekends and post at #celebratelu. What are you celebrating this weekend?
It's the end of April, a time of renewal. Showers fall gently awakening flowers. Earth comes alive after the chill of winter and a unique weather phenomenon, #winterinspring.
daybreak dusting
early morning surprise-
winter in april
Photo and Poem by Spiri Howard
Now at the end of April, #winterinspring has moved on, allowing springtime the space to restore life. Traditional April showers greet Long Island in between sunny days of warmer weather. Poets continue to write #poetryliciouspoetry as National Poetry Month draws to a close. The Northeast where I live craves color and warmth.
Laura Hill Timpanaro
It is time to dig deep into our soul to bloom and become a troubadour of nature. It is time to feel earth's call to action, engage your senses, re-energize your spirit, and restore a colorful lens to everyday life.
CALL TO ACTION
As the earth salutes spring, I invite all to capture the beauty of the season with all five senses. Paint a canvas fresh with deep verdant green colors accented by a rainbow of florals. Light up a gallery of artistic expressions with nature photograph, artwork, poetry, inspirational thoughts, and music.
Let's capture the renewal of life this spring and
send a myriad of artistic expressions
out into the universe.
Sense-sational Spring Gallery Awaits Your Offerings!
HOW TO ENGAGE IN THIS CHALLENGE Be creative. Capture the splendors of springtime in a variety of ways:
Image poems - Superimpose an original poem on an image using a photo editing tool, like PicMonkey, FotoJet, or Canva
Audio reading of an original poem usingSoundCloud, etc.
Collage, scrapbook art
Original inspirational quote or one from a poet or philosopher that is superimposed on a photo
Original nature photography in a picture postcard format
Original artwork (any format)
Playlist of springtime music linked to the songs or instrumental score
Be sent to #Sense_sationalSpring and @cvarsalona at Twitter or cvarsalona at gmail.com with the subject being Sense-sational Spring Gallery Offering
Deadline for Submission: May 31, 2018
Still Not Sure How to Begin: You can refer to last year's spring gallery of artistic expressions, Springsations, hereto find mentor texts.
WANTED:
Student Voice for Sense-sational Spring Gallery
Please encourage your class and/or students to engage in this creative writing challenge that will amplify their voices and showcase their artistic talents.
This invitation extends the experience of writing poetry beyond National Poetry Month because poetry is a YEAR-ROUND endeavor of creative expression. The challenge is full of choice options to amplify voice and integrates the arts, technology, and literacy. Have fun creating poetryliscious poetry. the Poetry Friday Round-up with ARTSPEAK! Harlem Renaissance "Poems Come Lately"
Today, the Poetry Friday Round-up with ARTSPEAK! Harlem Renaissance "Poems Come Lately" by Irene Latham, children's book author and amazing poet is at Irene's blog site Live Your Poem.
Thank you to the Poetry Friday poets whose talented work graced the halls of my recently released Winter Wonderland Gallery of Artistic Expressions that can be found here.
Etched in a canopy of frosted wonder or enveloped in a golden sunrise, winter blankets earth each year. This season, winter lingered longer than usual. Photographers, artists, and poets have raised their voices to bring awareness of the varying shades of winter to this gallery that reflects both the serenity and irony found in nature. I invite you to virtually step back into the season of winter to discover nature's artistry and stilled wonders at Winter Wonderland Gallery of Artistic Expressions.Join your host, Lady Winter, as she unveils bejeweled, crystalline landscapes, snow-covered mountains, brilliant sunrises, and glorious sunsets from around the world. While strolling through this gallery, be drawn into the visual experience, enjoy the music, especially the original compositions by Kat Healy and Kevin Hodgson, and feel the power of the poetic word as I honor National Poetry Month.
Be lulled by the beauty of winter 2018!
Find serenity in the stillness of winter.
Michael Hartnett, Montana
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Listen to the original composition by Kevin Hodgson.
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Lucille Fisher, Massachusetts
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Fall in love with the first snow.
The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical moment. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? -J.B. Priestley
Photo by Spiri Howard
Collaborative Poem, Country Road Resplendence, at Buncee here
Poetry by Melissa Chouinard-Jahant, Steve Kelley, Faige Meller,
Chris Quinn, Valerie Tilton, Carol Varsalona
Video poem, First Snow
Carol Varsalona
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Be dazzled by the many shades of winter on the seasonal runway.
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Be inspired by the glistening snow and winter scenes.
Follow Lady Winter around the globe as she uncovers nature's seasonal jewels.
Try creating an inspirational quote or poetry for one of the photos.
Terje Akke, Prague Kat Apel's view of winter in Australia
Rizza Joe Piccio, Manila, Philippines Vincent Guth, Ireland
Lee Ann Spillane, Singapore
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Be dazzled by the many shades of winter on the seasonal runway.
❅❅❅ ...and the torrential rains and grey skies also came this winter season.
Chouinard Jahant-"Raining Winter Day"-Texas
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Be thrilled by the excitement of outdoor sports. Josh created a Buncee for this gallery. You can see it here. Michael Hartnett, Big Sur, Montana
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Poetry is the gentle wonderings of the world calling us to unravel its beauty in words and images. - CVarsalona
❅❅❅ Be Amazed at Winter's Sunrises and Sunsets
Why sunrises are more amazing in the Winter: Answer: See mnn.com here.
Kevin Foley, Sunset in Ireland
Laura Hill Timpanero, Port Jefferson, Long Island
"He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter." - John Burroughs Admire the variegated colors of winter.
You can listen to Kat Healy's original song, "Winter", here.
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Let us not forget that "winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is a time for home." -Elizabeth Sitwell
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Winter became a time for writing and amplifying voice this year.
The aboveBuncee was created for Laura Shovan's Ekphrastic Writing Project.
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Children's Corner Honoring #StuVoice
Margaret Simon's Class, featuring Austin, Louisiana Faith, Louisiana
Leonie Bennett's Students, New Zealand
Snow Sculpture created by Kevin Foley's STEAM Students, Ireland
Suzi Day
Kat Apel, Australia
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View Class Poems from Kindergarten to 5th Grade Classes in California, Massachusetts, & Montana by @CitizensOwls, 5th Grade Young Poets from California You can access the class' nineteen individual winter poems in the slide share here.
A Buncee by Wyman's Wonders, Kinders from Massachusetts above. ABuncee by KB Kids, Kinders from Montana below.
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This season, Lady Winter's whimsical nature prompted the trend of nor'easters announcing arrival- and quick departure-like layover flights.
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"A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky - unbidden -
and seems like a thing of wonder." - Susan Orlean
Pwilliams819Pam, Connecticut
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"Winter is a season of recovery and preparation." -Paul Theroux
Enjoy listening to music for the winter season at my playlist.
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Artists capture the spirit of winter!
Michelle Kogan, Chicago
Leia Cator, Alabama
"All art requires courage." -Anne Tucker
"...the color of winter is in our imagination." -Terri Guillemets
Inspired to Write? Try Postcard Poetry
reminiscent of early 20th Century postcards
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This season, Lady Winter decided to wear her warm clothing longer than usual. Thus, the hashtag #winterinspring evolved.
Read about the new book in first person narrative, NIGHT GUARD by Synne Lea, offers a poem on why winter doesn't want to move on. (reviewed by Myra Garces-Bacsal)
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Each year as winter turns into spring, the world anticipates an awakening.
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When Lady Winter started her journey she called us
to notice and wonder,
to find peace in the stillness,
to listen soulfully to the sounds of nature,
and to wonder deeply about life.
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Goodbye Lady Winter. Spring will now dress the world in verdant color patterns.
Thank you for sharing this incredibly beautiful compilation of the arts with me.
This gallery design has been a magical journey for me.
I hope you agree that if we notice and wonder more
our senses will grow sharper
and we will see the world
with a new lens. Carol
The community of reflective writers has continued to grow since the first Reflect With Me Gallery of Artistic Expressions in March 2014.I am grateful to all who offered their creativity and talents to this gallery.
Adding Kat Apel as a Winter Wonderland Gallery Contributor
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Past Galleries
If you click on each title you will be directed to the gallery.
Please peruse a recent global story of Lady Winter that unfolded at my blog site, Winter Wonderland Gallery.
