Some weekends are the perfect combination of art and conversation. This past weekend, thanks to our dear friend, Jocelyn, we experienced a happy blend.
Friday night we sipped cocktails in our recording studio. Jocelyn is lending her singing voice to a couple of tracks on our next album, and we had fun practicing. I love the collaborative process when it works! With her, it did, and I am confident that it will continue to do so. Joce was super respectful and communicative. She asked us great questions, checked in each time she tried something new, and talked with us about any challenges she felt. We chose to work with her because she’s a sweetheart, and because we knew, that like us, she has been exploring concepts like ‘home,’ ‘place,’ and ‘identity.’ Jocelyn is multi-disciplinary. Her list of ‘artistic projects to complete’ is as long, or even longer, than ours. Like us, she is trying to keep that balance between work/life and commitment to art. And like us, she enjoys playing and having a good time in the process.
So I tried to be a bit of an owl for a night of music, and in return, she woke up early to be a lark with me. (Thank you, Jocelyn!)
Saturday morning we went to a fantastic, free poetry workshop at the Warner Library. It was hosted by Pamela Manche Pearce who has been trained in the Amherst Writers’ method. This is a great approach to workshopping. The guidelines are: all feedback must be positive and non-anecdotal, all work within the session must be confidential and regarded as fiction, and participants are to be addressed as ‘the writer’ (not ‘you’). At first, this took a little getting used to, especially for those of us who had attended other critique groups or art school (ha ha). Once everyone got the hang of it, it was incredibly effective. Comments were solid, specific, and sincere.
While I can’t discuss the details or offer highlights of the work, I can summarize by saying that the writing was strong. Very strong! Some writers had everyone in tears and others had us belly laughing. So good! I made it a point to pass out my new, fancy business cards, and Joce and I chatted with people at the break. I want to see these fine folks again!
And I want to take another workshop with Pamela. She was an excellent facilitator! She kept us on task, recognized feedback time evenly, offered specific comments on everyone’s work, and graciously shared her writing. So good, so good, so good! Jocelyn and I left feeling happy and inspired.
After the workshop, it was time for cocktails. Of course! Benjamin scooped us up, and we landed at MP Taverna in Irvington. Go MP Taverna with your happy hour Greek Margaritas and small plates! A Greek Margarita is basically a regular margarita with an added splash of pomegranate juice. Fancy! We ate calamari, stuffed grape leaves, eggplant dip with pita, grilled chicken, and olives. And we had the best, buzzy art talk. Somewhere in the conversation, Jocelyn and I decided to conquer the publishing world, and she and Benjamin vowed to form the next great funk band. We laughed, we cried, and we captured a small potato. Good times, good times!
