Greetings from Inkberry! This month’s installment of Inkmail is brought to you by the friendly folks at The Poetry Market Newsletter, a free monthly newsletter which lists poetry markets, contests, and zine reviews every month. Subscribe by emailing poetrymarket-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or log onto www.thepoetrymarket.com. They promise to keep email addresses entirely confidential, and they helped us promote this month’s online workshop, so we’re delighted to give them some airtime in return. And now, your regularly-scheduled edition of inkmail… I’m not sure what it’s been like where you are, but this feels like the rainiest summer I can remember. It may just seem that way to me because my non-Inkberry life has brought me to work in a place where the sound of the rain on the roof of my office in an old factory building is especially noticeable. The audible meteorological cues aside, I think there has simply been more rain this year than in years past. The up side of all this rain, at least in the Berkshires, is that it is unbelievably lush and green. The down side is that too often it is too wet to enjoy all that lush greenery. That, and the fact that this year’s plague of mosquitoes seems particularly feral and bloodthirsty. With ample reason to stay indoors, what are you doing with your summer? If you’re going to be stuck inside anyway, why not try an Inkberry online workshop? A whole world of writing instruction is just a few mouse clicks away. Our next course, “Soundwork and Form,” begins August 1. This course, taught by C.J. Sage, editor of the National Poetry Review, focuses on soundwork and musicality, and explores innovations in the use of poetic form. Students will create both formal and free-verse pieces, emphasizing ways to make meaning through various poetic devices. Designed for intermediate and advanced writers of poetry. There are only a few spots left, so enroll at http://www.inkberry.org/store/, or by calling us at 413.664.0775. I’ve just put the finishing touches on the final lesson of my own online workshop, Introduction to Food Writing. I can tell you from firsthand experience that this has been a fantastic way to participate in a workshop. I’ve been so impressed with the work people have put into this course, with the quality of their writing and the sincerity of their effort. One of the things we stress at Inkberry is the notion of helping everyone to find their own voice. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing some unique and interesting voices, and of witnessing people becoming more confident and more capable in developing and using their voice in just the short time this workshop has run. I can honestly say I’ve learned something from every student in this workshop, and I only hope each of them can say the same of me. That’s the highest endorsement I can offer, and I encourage you to try a course and find out what it’s like for yourself. If poetry isn’t quite your thing, I encourage you to visit http://www.inkberry.org for a sneak peek at the workshops we’ll be offering during our fall season beginning in September. While you’re there anyway, feel free to explore the site. If you like what you see, why not consider purchasing a membership? Starting at $35 for a full year, Inkberry membership costs less than you probably pay for cable in a month. In most cases, we even cost less than you’d pay for a membership to NPR, and this appeal only took a paragraph rather than the week+ it can take to meet public radio’s support target. We’re always looking for ways to make Inkberry more responsive to our members, our students and our teachers. One of the things we’re wondering about is what sort of workshops interest people the most. Do you like what we’re offering? Is there something you don’t see that you’d like us to offer? Is there something we offered in the past you’d like us to run again? If you have thoughts in this area, please let us know. You can send us email at info@inkberry.org, call us at 413.664.0775, or just drop by our office at 63 Main Street in North Adams some Monday, Thursday or Friday afternoon. While you’re in the office, feel free to browse through the Inkberry Writers’ Resource Library. We just received a generous and exciting anonymous donation of books, including: Inkberry members can borrow these, or many of the other 1018 items in our library, for free. It’s just one more benefit of Inkberry membership. This is normally where I’d report on all the great things I’ve read in the past few months, but in all honesty, I haven’t really done a lot of reading lately. The pace of starting a new job, of packing up one apartment in Boston and moving to another one in the Berkshires, of trying to be an effective husband, father and Scrappy Nonprofit Associate Director, and generally trying to find some equilibrium in unsettled circumstances has left me little time for reading — or sleep, or exercise, or any other basic necessities of life that you can live without for a short time, provided you have enough coffee. I expect by the next time I check in, I’ll have made up for lost time. Until then, stay dry and keep writing! —TomAugust 2004
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