What Draws You To the Page? (Rachel Intro) (06/26/2021)

What Draws You To the Page? | The Weekly Atticus

A recap of the week's writing at Atticus Review. Intro by Rachel Laverdiere.

What first drew you to fill the empty page? What helps you come back after a gruesome fight with a draft? For me, it’s the challenge of creating something new, finding a new perspective, communicating my thoughts in a way nobody (including me) expects. If I were to classify my relationship with writing, I’d say we have an adventurous bond. When things get too serious, too tedious and predictable, I like to experiment—switch genres, break rules, flirt with a part of myself I usually tuck away. I give myself permission to glance elsewhere for a while so I can better commit.This morning, I sit on my sun-dappled deck and listen to the birdsong as I write. I’m surprised to find the world has bloomed into summer. While I’ve been rushing to the end of the school year, depleting the last bits of my energy, the world has recharged. Sunshine and possibility surround me. Nose buried in lesson plans and edits, I’ve failed to notice that the cinquefoils have multiplied and bloomed. From time to time, I need a reminder of why I fell head over heels with writing (and teaching) even though, from the start, I knew these relationships would be fraught with doubt. That there would be no clear start or finish.After I’ve completed this post, I’ll disconnect from the world as I know it. I’ll step off the deck and away from this computer. Leave my short story manuscript unfinished, the grass unmown, the tomatoes unwatered. I’ll pack myself a picnic, bike to my favourite boulder along the riverbank and look for geese and goslings. Bring a notebook, write a haiku, attempt  to sketch. I’ll  forget how serious life has become, dance in the tall grass. Celebrate the changes I missed while I sped to the end of the school year. I’ll dedicate the next few days, or weeks or months—however long it takes—to replenishing my creative stores. Soon enough, I’ll be ready to delve into changes I’ll implement in my courses next academic year. I’ll be inspired enough to complete this version of my manuscript. Thanks for reading. We're glad you're here.Rachel LaverdiereCNF Reader

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THIS WEEK AT ATTICUS

FICTIONUNCLE FUCKUPby Max Hipp"He takes great pleasure in the pause of answering questions, relishes eyes on him while he flaps open the Zippo like he hates its silver engravings, the snap of his fingers summoning flame to Camel."READ ON

POETRYTHE LESSONby Tingyu Liu"My father taught me how each motionmust be measured by microns—antibodies released, antigens findingand found. My father, pausinghis hand over my shoulder..."READ ON

CREATIVE NONFICTIONCAITHNESS AURORAby Lesley Heiser"Some men take the idea of history and do with it what they will. They use glimmers of the past to falsify. They encourage hegemony down the patriarchal line."READ ON

MIXED MEDIATHREE VIDEOPOEMSby Carolyn Guinzio"I use multiple mediums to try to make a poem into a space or an experience, so that rather than just reading or listening, it's more like entering a room. I love working with light, sound, movement, layered images and textures. Digital technologies have allowed me to teach myself how to make things despite having minimal training or experience. I often pursue these kinds of projects as a way to remain engaged when I'm not writing. They require a different kind of attention, one that is possible without the quiet and solitude I personally need to write."READ ON

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