Jeanne Clark

Margo handed out sheets on which we are to write a few lines and use them to practice design tomorrow.

Jeanne had us writing Cinquain poems, a syllabic form with 22 syllables and 5 lines, broken up as 2,4,6,8,2. Just to make it more interesting, the topic had to be from our blue book theme, and we ad to write using the wild word “fall.”

Jonny had us go outside, to the circular plaza that was once a fountain (fountains and Alaska winters don’t mix.) Here he had us spread out and move, filling in any empty spaces we saw, while continuing to walk. Next we had occasionally to make eye contact with another person and circle them, still trying to spread ourselves evenly. The final exercise was aimed at creating a focus. One person would be or indicate the focus, others

Space filling exercise

would reinforce that focus. For this I really need the pictures — I “indicated the focus” by aiming the camera, but I also actually took pictures, some of which are shown.

Peggy gave us two class exercises. The first was to write a paragraph, guided by one she showed us from Where Rivers Change Direction by Mark Spragg. Then she gave us several poems from The Ink Dark Moon by Izumi Shikibu and asked us to write a short poem changing a stereotype into something fresh.

Frank had us identify our blue book topic. Some people (not me) actually had several entries. I did some for Jeanne’s exercise this morning, but haven’t copied them over yet. He then contrasted essays: a basically not-linear of branching form

Focus exercise

that needs pruning, though it may have a sense of movement — and fiction, which has some sort of conflict at its heart. Our homework was to come up with two characters in inherent conflict. He gave us several examples from Flannery O’Connor and the class came up with more.