Writers for Recovery Week 7

We had a very special night at Writers for Recovery, courtesy of Vermont Poet Laureate Sydney Lea. Speaking in his quiet, unassuming baritone, Syd shared the impact his addiction to alcohol has had on his life, and told his story of recovery. In his talk and the poetry reading that followed, he conjured whole other worlds, populated by Passamaquoddy Indians, horse loggers and river runners, addicted convicts, Vermont hill farmers, and most powerfully, himself. It was a night for eloquence and candor, and one worth remembering.

Inspired by Syd, we tried some poetry of our own, with the usual remarkable result. We also welcomed two new writers, who I sincerely hope will stick around.

The prompt for last evening was to take 10 minutes to write a poem with the first line "I Am From." This exercise has become very popular, and for good reason. It's a chance to talk about where you came from, the family, friends, and places that surrounded you, and how you came to be who you are. Here's a great example, from poet George Ella Lyon.

I will be on vacation next week, so Bess will be your workshop leader. And please, send some work to writersforrecovery@icloud.com so I can post it on the blog. Thanks!