GAIA, wire, Danielle Krcmar. Photo: Robert Hesse
The seeds are planted all around us. Our work as creative beings is to see the budding growth, cultivate the opening flower, and share the ripened fruit. Join us as we tap into the inspiration of mother nature at this beautiful organic farm.
We’ll begin with an introduction to Old Frog Pond Farm and its namesake—the Japanese poem by the haiku master, Basho.
old pond
frog jumps
splash
Artist and writer, Linda Hoffman, named the farm after this haiku when she moved there in 2001. Following her introduction to the Japanese haiku and how we can use its teachings in longer poems or prose writing, Cheryl Perreault will share a poem and story inspired by a powerful rainstorm she witnessed one summer at Cape Cod. Linda and Cheryl will both talk about how their attentiveness to the natural world partners with their spiritual practice.
Participants will then go off on their own to find the seeds for their own poem or story. There will be plenty of time to wander the trails in the woods, around the pond, or through the orchard. You might even taste a few berries, a peach, or a fresh apple on your journey. We’ll then gather together and share our discoveries.
Previous writing experience is not required. This workshop is open to all who are interested in using words to explore our interconnectedness with the natural world—words that are alive, words that try to express the inexpressible moments in which there is a merging between writer and object.
The workshop will take place on Saturday morning August 14th from 10:00—12:30 pm, rain or shine. Suggested fee is sliding scale: $15—$60 payable to Old Frog Pond Farm. Bring notebooks, sketchbooks, and dress for the weather. There are trails both in the sun and shade. You are also welcome to bring a lunch if you’d like to stay after and picnic. Old Frog Pond Farm & Studio is located at 38 Eldridge Road, Harvard, Massachusetts. To register: send your check or venmo:@oldfrogpondfarm.
Linda Hoffman is a sculptor, writer, and the orchardist at Old Frog Pond Farm. This fall, Loom Press, will be publishing her memoir, The Artist in the Orchard. She writes a blog on Apples, Art and Spirit at https://www.lindahoffman.com/. She is a senior Zen student at Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, New York, and her dharma name, Shinji, means Truth in the Soil.
Cheryl Perreault is a poet, writer and spoken-word artist. She and musician/recording artist Steve Rapson have recorded two CDs of spoken word poetry accompanied by guitar. She has worked as host/producer of a number of programs for community arts and healing arts including Wake Up and Smell the Poetry(with HCAM-TV), The Women's Art Forum, The Labyrinth Roundtable/Speaker Series and most recently, Common Ground Storytelling (HCAM-TV). She and Cynthia Franca are co-editors of two anthologies of community poetry and stories including Hopkinton Through Poetry and Hope Through Community: Words and Images in Response to a Global Pandemic.
Questions: studio@lindahoffman.com or cbperreault@gmail.com