What a joy it is to live the artist's life! Since I began working as a freelance writer, the Lord has opened my eyes and allowed me to enjoy the beauty all around me in fresh ways. Now that I have time to appreciate the Lord, people, nature, music, art, great writing, and all of the blessings I've been given, I experience so much more peace and joy in my spirit.
Sophocles wrote,
O for mortals, what
Power there is in songs,
What greatest happiness
That can make bearable this
Short narrow channel of life!
Life is a short narrow channel. Amazing people, music, art, writing, the beauties of nature, and most of all, God, make it worth living.
If you're a writer or an artist, what realizations have you come to as you have grown more introspective? In what ways have you drawn closer to God through the writing life? Please share your comments by posting here. Thank you!
miércoles, 16 de mayo de 2007
Grace that is Greater than All My Sin
C.S. Lewis said that grace is the distinctive of the Christian life - the one aspect that separates the true Christian faith from all other religions and philosophies. We don't earn God's grace; it's a gift. We can't earn our way to heaven; the only way that we can receive the gift of eternal life is by placing our faith in Jesus Christ alone.
My mother-in-law, Maria, just returned to Romania after staying with us for three weeks. She came to attend Catalin's graduation ceremony. We enjoyed her stay so much. We took her to San Antonio one weekend to visit the zoo and Sea World. She loved it! I learned a great deal from her over those few weeks, and I also learned more about my husband from watching the two of them interact. And I am thankful that my mother-in-law willingly let my husband, her only son, move half a world away so that he and I could be together.
During Maria's visit, I was reminded of how blessed we are to live in America, with all of its benefits and freedoms, and how wonderful it is to live in a nation marked by grace rather than legalism. We shouldn't take that for granted. Today, join me in celebrating God's grace!
My mother-in-law, Maria, just returned to Romania after staying with us for three weeks. She came to attend Catalin's graduation ceremony. We enjoyed her stay so much. We took her to San Antonio one weekend to visit the zoo and Sea World. She loved it! I learned a great deal from her over those few weeks, and I also learned more about my husband from watching the two of them interact. And I am thankful that my mother-in-law willingly let my husband, her only son, move half a world away so that he and I could be together.
During Maria's visit, I was reminded of how blessed we are to live in America, with all of its benefits and freedoms, and how wonderful it is to live in a nation marked by grace rather than legalism. We shouldn't take that for granted. Today, join me in celebrating God's grace!
martes, 24 de abril de 2007
The -Ilities
In his recent book Writing for the Soul, author Jerry B. Jenkins lists what he calls "the -ilities." These are what he considers essential characteristics for a godly writer to model.
First, a good writer displays HUMILITY.
Second, a good writer reflects TEACHABILITY.
Third, a good writer models COACHABILITY.
Fourth, a good writer offers AVAILABILITY.
Fifth, a good writer demonstrates FLEXIBILITY.*
Remember these five principles today as you strive for excellence in writing and in the Christian life.
Which of these characteristics do you feel are easiest to model? Which are the most difficult? Do you have any others that you would like to add? Please post your comments below! Thank you.
*Jerry B. Jenkins, Writing for the Soul (New York: Writer's Digest Books, 2006), 105-106. To order this book, please click on this link: amazon.com/Writing-Soul-Instruction-Advice-Extraordinary/dp/1582974179/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5915590-3058404?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177444260&sr=1-1
First, a good writer displays HUMILITY.
Second, a good writer reflects TEACHABILITY.
Third, a good writer models COACHABILITY.
Fourth, a good writer offers AVAILABILITY.
Fifth, a good writer demonstrates FLEXIBILITY.*
Remember these five principles today as you strive for excellence in writing and in the Christian life.
Which of these characteristics do you feel are easiest to model? Which are the most difficult? Do you have any others that you would like to add? Please post your comments below! Thank you.
*Jerry B. Jenkins, Writing for the Soul (New York: Writer's Digest Books, 2006), 105-106. To order this book, please click on this link: amazon.com/Writing-Soul-Instruction-Advice-Extraordinary/dp/1582974179/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5915590-3058404?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177444260&sr=1-1
jueves, 12 de abril de 2007
Dallas Morning News Blog
Happy National Poetry Month! Michael Merschel at the Dallas Morning News has written a blog and an article about the 2006 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Competition. You may follow the link here: books.beloblog.com/archives/2007/04/poetry_pays.html
Please post your comments here. Thank you!
Please post your comments here. Thank you!
jueves, 5 de abril de 2007
Powerful Resources for Poets
The legendary poet Robert Frost once said, "To be a poet is a condition, not a profession."
At the Mount Hermon Conference, many writers asked me, "Where can a Christian publish poetry?" Actually, I've discovered quite a few outlets for poetry over the past several years. If you're a poet (or a writer interested in breaking into the poetry market), check out the excellent resources below. I think you'll be impressed!
CHRISTIAN LITERARY JOURNALS THAT ACCEPT POETRY SUBMISSIONS
3.1.6.: A Journal of Christian Thinking (the316journal.com)
FIRST THINGS: A Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life (firstthings.com/submission.php)
IMAGE: Art, Faith, Mystery (imagejournal.org)
Relief: A Quarterly Christian Expression (reliefjournal.com)
Rock & Sling: A Journal of Literature, Art, & Faith (rockandsling.org)
Toward the Light: Journal of Reflective Word and Image (towardthelight.net)
Utmost Christian Writers (utmostchristianwriters.com)
POWERFUL BOOKS AND RESOURCES FOR POETS
Poets & Writers Magazine
The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo (This is my favorite book on the craft of poetry; it helped me to radically improve my writing.)
The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser
In the Palm of Your Hand by Steve Kowit
Walking Light by Stephen Dunn
Best Words, Best Order by Stephen Dobyns
The Poet's Handbook by Judson Jerome
2007 Poet's Market edited by Nancy Breen
SOME OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF POETRY
Grace by John Hodgen
Nine Horses; Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry, and others by Billy Collins
Wild Iris; Averno, and others by Louise Gluck
The Country Between Us; Blue Hour, and others by Carolyn Forche
Thirst; Why I Wake Early; American Primitive; New and Selected Poems, and others by Mary Oliver
EXCELLENT POETRY AND POETRY COMPETITION WEBSITES
The Academy of American Poets, poets.org
Poetry Daily, poems.com
Poets & Writers, pw.org
Winning Writers, winningwriters.com
Writer’s Digest, writersdigest.com
I hope you enjoy these resources! If this list helped you (and especially if you have your work accepted in any of these journals), please e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com or post a comment. Also, if you know of good poetry sites or resources not included in this list, please let me know. Thank you!
At the Mount Hermon Conference, many writers asked me, "Where can a Christian publish poetry?" Actually, I've discovered quite a few outlets for poetry over the past several years. If you're a poet (or a writer interested in breaking into the poetry market), check out the excellent resources below. I think you'll be impressed!
CHRISTIAN LITERARY JOURNALS THAT ACCEPT POETRY SUBMISSIONS
3.1.6.: A Journal of Christian Thinking (the316journal.com)
FIRST THINGS: A Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life (firstthings.com/submission.php)
IMAGE: Art, Faith, Mystery (imagejournal.org)
Relief: A Quarterly Christian Expression (reliefjournal.com)
Rock & Sling: A Journal of Literature, Art, & Faith (rockandsling.org)
Toward the Light: Journal of Reflective Word and Image (towardthelight.net)
Utmost Christian Writers (utmostchristianwriters.com)
POWERFUL BOOKS AND RESOURCES FOR POETS
Poets & Writers Magazine
The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo (This is my favorite book on the craft of poetry; it helped me to radically improve my writing.)
The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser
In the Palm of Your Hand by Steve Kowit
Walking Light by Stephen Dunn
Best Words, Best Order by Stephen Dobyns
The Poet's Handbook by Judson Jerome
2007 Poet's Market edited by Nancy Breen
SOME OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF POETRY
Grace by John Hodgen
Nine Horses; Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry, and others by Billy Collins
Wild Iris; Averno, and others by Louise Gluck
The Country Between Us; Blue Hour, and others by Carolyn Forche
Thirst; Why I Wake Early; American Primitive; New and Selected Poems, and others by Mary Oliver
EXCELLENT POETRY AND POETRY COMPETITION WEBSITES
The Academy of American Poets, poets.org
Poetry Daily, poems.com
Poets & Writers, pw.org
Winning Writers, winningwriters.com
Writer’s Digest, writersdigest.com
I hope you enjoy these resources! If this list helped you (and especially if you have your work accepted in any of these journals), please e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com or post a comment. Also, if you know of good poetry sites or resources not included in this list, please let me know. Thank you!
Meeting God on the Mountaintop
The Lord speaks to us using so many "voices." I learned that through my experiences at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference this past week. Worshipping, praying, rejoicing, and sharing my heart and my writing with other lovers of God ushered me into the throne room of the Lord. He provided opportunities for deep thought. He helped me wrestle through some painful issues, and He provided healing. He also bestowed on me a fresh appreciation for the beauty, compassion and care of the body of Christ as it is TRULY supposed to function - in unity and with grace. C.S. Lewis said that the distinction of the Christian faith - the element that sets it apart from all other belief systems - is GRACE. Lord, make me an instrument of your grace!
Humility and teachability were the watchwords of the week, as I had the privilege of interacting with so many excellent writers, teachers, pastors and speakers. I was blessed by the kneelers, the questioners, the weepers - those who weren't afraid to get real with God.
Particularly compelling were author and speaker Mary DeMuth's classes on Inner Guts: How An Extreme Makeover of our Hearts Enlivens, Deepens, and Betters our Prose. Mary speaks from a wellspring of love for the Lord, a place of wrestling with Him and refusing to stop until she has received His blessing. Her authenticity and transparency inspired me this week. And I gained so much TRUTH, so many solid principles that I know will help transform my spiritual life as well as my writing.
I also left the conference with many new friends - friends walking the same daily journey with me as writers, artists, musicians, poets and followers of Jesus. I look forward to a new year of possibilities with God, starting now.
If you're a friend from Mount Hermon or a friend from elsewhere wanting to weigh in on this discussion, please post a comment here. Thank you!
Humility and teachability were the watchwords of the week, as I had the privilege of interacting with so many excellent writers, teachers, pastors and speakers. I was blessed by the kneelers, the questioners, the weepers - those who weren't afraid to get real with God.
Particularly compelling were author and speaker Mary DeMuth's classes on Inner Guts: How An Extreme Makeover of our Hearts Enlivens, Deepens, and Betters our Prose. Mary speaks from a wellspring of love for the Lord, a place of wrestling with Him and refusing to stop until she has received His blessing. Her authenticity and transparency inspired me this week. And I gained so much TRUTH, so many solid principles that I know will help transform my spiritual life as well as my writing.
I also left the conference with many new friends - friends walking the same daily journey with me as writers, artists, musicians, poets and followers of Jesus. I look forward to a new year of possibilities with God, starting now.
If you're a friend from Mount Hermon or a friend from elsewhere wanting to weigh in on this discussion, please post a comment here. Thank you!
jueves, 22 de marzo de 2007
Poets Among Us
Poets are truth tellers and careful observers of life. Poetry helps us stop and take notice of important things that, in the haste and waste of our daily schedules, we tend to gloss over.
The word stanza means "room" in Italian. A gifted poet will skilfully usher you into his or her world as if leading you into a beautiful room and whispering a profound secret into your ear.
I'd like to share a stanza or two of poetry with you. I hope you enjoy it! This is from my poem titled "The Weight of Language (Ode to My Hometown)":
words are,
solid, intentional,
kinetic as the swollen river in spring,
the revolving planets of our bodies,
the eustachian shells of the conches,
the seeds burrowing down to bury their secrets
in pocketbooks of black soil,
the haunt of a lullaby i haven’t heard for thirty years:
sleep, little two eyes
sleep, little daughter.
The next stanza is from a poem titled "The Shortest Distance":
Let x = y, z, the imaginary i,
glyphs of an alphabet I’ve not yet created.
Let x, y, and z = three strands plaited
like a crown of thorns, set on a sinless shelf.
We’re tangent to God at one—
and only one—point.
One of my writing goals for this year is to have a poetry manuscript published. So far, I've written five collections but have not yet sought publication. The titles are, beginning with the most recent:
-Pause & Effect
-How the Light Gets In
-Wrestling the Angel
-Eclipse
-All These Stones
NOTE: If you have poems or info on poetry that you'd like to share, please post them here. I would love to start a local or online critique group for poets, so please let me know if you're interested. Thank you!
All poems copyrighted © Marla Alupoaicei 2007. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited.
The word stanza means "room" in Italian. A gifted poet will skilfully usher you into his or her world as if leading you into a beautiful room and whispering a profound secret into your ear.
I'd like to share a stanza or two of poetry with you. I hope you enjoy it! This is from my poem titled "The Weight of Language (Ode to My Hometown)":
words are,
solid, intentional,
kinetic as the swollen river in spring,
the revolving planets of our bodies,
the eustachian shells of the conches,
the seeds burrowing down to bury their secrets
in pocketbooks of black soil,
the haunt of a lullaby i haven’t heard for thirty years:
sleep, little two eyes
sleep, little daughter.
The next stanza is from a poem titled "The Shortest Distance":
Let x = y, z, the imaginary i,
glyphs of an alphabet I’ve not yet created.
Let x, y, and z = three strands plaited
like a crown of thorns, set on a sinless shelf.
We’re tangent to God at one—
and only one—point.
One of my writing goals for this year is to have a poetry manuscript published. So far, I've written five collections but have not yet sought publication. The titles are, beginning with the most recent:
-Pause & Effect
-How the Light Gets In
-Wrestling the Angel
-Eclipse
-All These Stones
NOTE: If you have poems or info on poetry that you'd like to share, please post them here. I would love to start a local or online critique group for poets, so please let me know if you're interested. Thank you!
All poems copyrighted © Marla Alupoaicei 2007. Reproduction or use without permission is prohibited.
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