Our book launch ....

Hillary and I

Greetings friends. Hillary and I were very happy to see friends new and old at our book launch last Thursday at the Groton Public Library. What a lovely place. Librarian Anne Campbell arranged for us to hold the event there, and the staff was just amazing in helping us however we needed. Hillary's friend Katherine Brighty took care of our book sales so we wouldn't have to worry about that, and refreshments were plentiful (mostly because I'm still trying to figure out how "enough" translates when feeding a crowd of undetermined size.) I think I heard the words, "enough to feed an army" at some point.

Aside from my questionable judgment regarding charcuterie, things went well overall, I think. I did have some level of nervousness for some reason, and thinking back, I am disappointed that I missed the opportunity to share more about my new book, and the role spirituality and creativity play in our lives. Specifically, someone asked about what poetry is. I'm sorry I didn't give a better answer.

Unfortunately, my answer was in greater response to a recent program I attended about healing poetry,. The facilitator began the day-long event by telling a group of 20 or so attendees, mostly women, that poems that rhyme are NOT poetry. I was shocked and horrified by his announcement, as the ink of my NEW poetry book had barely dried. It is largely made up of poems that rhyme. Deeply soulful, meaningful, experiential poems. To say it is not a poem is to say it is not art.

If you look at famously celebrated poets, you will find poems of all kinds, from 17-syllable haiku to poems that dance off the page, and others that go on for pages. And what those poems have in common is that they are a response to some wonderful human's experience of life. Someone's bold expression of that experience, that they were willing to put out into the world and share with others. There is depth and substance and meaning in those words.

I worked with expressive arts for well over a decade, facilitating programs to help people understand the beauty of their art and spirituality and how they work together. We are all artists, in my opinion. We all have creativity within us. We all came from God...the ultimate artist. Art takes as many varied forms as you can imagine. And whether you create a meal, a home, a painting, a floral arrangement, a weaving, a book, or a poem, you are creating. You are making art. And it, in any form, should be honored and celebrated.

I wish I said this Thursday night. I was distracted, perhaps by the charcuterie. Here are some photos from the event. Left to right, Katherine Brighty, Anne Campbell, Hillary Gauvreau Oat, and me.

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My books are finding their way to various places, and the Noank General Store is the most recent to warmly welcome my Poetry and Synchronicity books to its shelves. The list below will be updated as needed with each blog post. Watch for upcoming events and appearances at seasonal gatherings as autumn draws near. Sign up for my newsletter/blog if you haven't already, or connect on Facebook. Books always available on Amazon.

My weaving called "Forgiveness"

Until next time...

May God bless you with great peace, and may your art, in whatever form it takes, flourish and be a gift to the world.

Patty