Shadow Runners & A Campus Tour

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.
Theodore Roosevelt

Here I am approaching 34 and finally in a classroom at the University. Of course it’s only a 3 hour workshop, but it feels great, my confidence is high and I’m fully prepared to expand my skillset. It’s not he first time I’ve been on the UPEI campus, I had a short stint working at the cafeteria, I’ve played some hockey at the recently replaced rink, went to some basketball camps, and I go swimming on an almost weekly basis nowadays. But here to learn?

I walk into the classrooom and can’t help but notice that there’s only one other guy there among about 30 writer’s. It is after all about writing for kids, so it’s understandable that mostly females would be interested.

The Faces Behind the Names

So I’m sitting there laying out my paper and up walks the Writer’s Guild president Yvette Doucette, whom I’ve exchanged a few emails, with a warm welcome. I immediately felt more at ease and officially part of this fine group of people. The workshop coordinator, Deirdre Kessler enters and gives a brief description of accomplishments as an author including the lowdown on how she came up with the title for her book of poetry “Afternoon Horses“. This vibrant writer & teacher explained the unique pronounciation of her name Deirdre sounded like peartree.

She went on to explain exercises for buttering up the most troublesome of writer’s blocks. For instance listing certain things from childhood memories, 15 minute stories, rewriting them in a different tense or in 3rd person instead of 1st person, & then re-rewriting with dialogue, with a new charactor, for a different audience, or a combination of any of these elements.

How the Time Flies…

I was smashingly impressed with the info during this free-flowing session, especially after working a midnight shift and pulling off a ninety minute workout. I must admit that I was pretty tired but my interest was held throughout and I hung on every word. I was able to go back in time to my childhood and rewrite history. During the break I had a great chat with a fellow writer who had recently moved here from the US. We talked about our thoughts on ADD and Autism (something I am interested in writing about), I was realizing that being part of this group would be such a blessing. I also got the chance to play the “class clown” when Deirdre asked about how to get into a charactor. I couldn’t resist mentioning that I love impersonations and demonstrated my own proper English impression of Beatrix Potter (“…the flopsy bunnies ate the lettuce, it was superific!“). And to top it off I received a beautiful calendar featuring some well known Guild members in black & white beach photos!

The Shadow Runners

Alone in a blanket / Myth from a screen / All curled up among / These villains unseen…                                                                   I hear the earth rumble / And cover my eyes / Spread fingers a little / Can’t resist playing spy…                                      Drowning in darkness / They enter the room / A slow strolling dimness / The night has it’s truth…                                    The speed becomes fast / Light, still lifes & glass / All chills & hoping / They’ll never be back.

  The Stroll Among Spirit

That was a poem I was inspired to write and this is my reflection in a big window…

As I walked to the parking lot I got some nice snapshots of the beautiful campus and remembered my old thoughts about University being about wasting the best years of your life partying and putting yourself into debt just for the privilege of being able to look down your nose at the people who do actual “real” work. The truth is most of these students have dreams about making the world a better place & maybe I shouldn’t have taken those movies about the frat boys so literally.

Regardless, I’m happy with the path I’ve chosen and although I still don’t think being a full time student is right for me, I’m looking forward to pursuing educational experiences of this nature.

Thank you for putting these events together Writer’s Guild, you’re sharing of knowledge is beyond generosity!