Hey fellow writers!

Andy here with The Write. We're starting things off this year tomorrow, Wednesday 1/21, from 3 to 4 pm at Moorpark College in the library, room 318.

I hope the new year has found you well and that the new semester is bringing new learning and challenges. I have been challenged by ever changing demands of where to direct my energy and attention, haven't been as dedicated to my writing as I could be, but remain steadfast in a personal commitment to getting outdoors and on the hiking trail.

And so, I look forward to The Write this semester. I'd like to invite you to join me in using the time and space we'll share together to play with a longer, broader perspective on the creative process. I'll leave with a brief agenda (why not!) and a couple links that have really moved me.

Agenda: 5 to 10 min intro; 5 to 10 min update; 15 to 20 min writing; 15 to 20 min sharing; rest of time allotted toward looking forward and spontaneity.

Gone Hiking: "A few days later, Michael flies back home, and Andy proceeds alone through the grand High Sierra. It’s Ansel Adams country, a kind of walk-through miracle over an endless succession of high-mountain passes, each one more dazzling than the last. But whatever Andy thinks about this glorious stretch, he doesn’t record it. He goes silent, taking not a single note, nor clicking on his voice recorder. If he can manage his story well enough, can he delete his sickness from it? Can he make it go away?"

I highly recommend reading "Gone Hiking." It is a story of Andy Lyon, trail name Astro, and his trek up the Pacific Crest Trail after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Waiting for Us to Notice Them: "The problem arises when we become so engrossed in our performance that we sever our connection with the audience. Great classroom lecturers might not carry into the classroom what great actors in theater know: You are always seeking connections with the audience rather than just with the material." (Emphasis added.)

And this video of Tommy Cladwell climbing pitch 15 of the Dawn Wall.

Here's to the Dawn Walls of our own.

See you at 3 pm, Wednesday, LLR 318. Bring your presence!
- Andy