So...I thought, if I don't write about it, how do I know it happened? Does it matter? If I don't write about it, what's the point of doing things?
Sometimes I journal. Sometimes I don't. That's what the blog is supposed to be for but...I'm not very disciplined. Life beckons with food and books and television and sunshine and movies and whatnot. So many distractions.
I must conquer the distractions. Win over their tempting luxury. I must write to survive, to resist, to become immortal.
Here it goes:
The other day we watched "Dolores", a documentary about Dolores Huerta, the activist who worked with Cesar Chavez organizing the farmworkers in California and elsewhere starting in the 1960s and still active. What am I doing? What have I done to improve people's lives? To find justice? Sadly, not much. Dolores Huerta had eleven children and still had time to organize, travel, work hard and resist the injustice of the growers and improve the workers lives.
The day before we took our granddaughter to see the film "A Wrinkle in Time." It was a Monday at noon. There were only five other people in the cinema. I love going to the movies during the day. It's quiet, calm, and you can sit wherever you want. The movie was entertaining but no great shakes. She was frightened during a few scenes. She's 7.
Now I know it happened.
Cost and Registration Information
Early Registration Price (January 9 at 10 am – January 26 at 4 pm): $250
Regular Registration Price (January 26 at 4 pm – first day of class): $275
Regular Registration Price (January 26 at 4 pm – first day of class): $275
Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.
Excuse our dust!
Beginning January 2018 the Newberry will be undertaking renovation of much of the first floor. The Adult Education Seminars Program will still have use of the basement classrooms, but please check this link frequently for the latest conditions - which exterior doors are open or closed, where to find an accessible entrance, which restrooms are available, etc.
Because of the renovation, the Newberry Bookstore will be closed during the Winter/Spring and Summer 2018 terms. As such, seminar participants will be responsible for acquiring all required texts for their seminars on their own. We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience, and appreciate your understanding. We have put together a list of helpful resources that should make it easy to find the books you need.
Seminar Description
Like any form of art, poetry requires practice. It needs curiosity, determination, a willingness to learn from others, and an open mind. In this workshop we will learn from published poets and each other. Writing is a solitary act but working with others helps us master the elements of language—to feel the line, the image, the metaphor, the play of sound. Eight sessions.
Beatriz Badikian-Gartler has been teaching writing and literature for over thirty years in the Chicago area and elsewhere. She’s the author of two poetry volumes, a novel, and numerous essays and reviews.
