Pen and the Bell : Mindful Writing in a Busy World

Miller, Brenda; Hughes, Holly J.; Fischer, Norman (FRW)

ISBN 10: 1558966536 / ISBN 13: 9781558966536

Published by Skinner House Books, 2012

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 17848221-n

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Pen and the Bell : Mindful Writing in a Busy World
• Publisher: Skinner House Books
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1558966536
• ISBN 13: 9781558966536
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Proposing that contemplation is an active practice that can take place anywhere, anytime--in the Volkswagen repair shop, at the Farmer's Market, at PetSmart--Brenda Miller and Holly J. Hughes share experiences that have helped them bring mindfulness and new avenues of expression into their writing.

Each chapter of The Pen and the Bell: Mindful Writing in a Busy World includes suggested readings and activities, offering writers innovative ways to:
*    create physical and mental space for contemplation and writing
*    heighten awareness as a basis for writing
*    use the ancient art of Lectio Divina (sacred reading)
*    practice writing that articulates the concrete, tactile, sensory world
*    take risks in writing
*    explore personal spiritual traditions in writing
*    pay attention to sensuous details in writing
*    practice gratitude through writing
*    awaken writing through travel, animals, food, and the physical body
*    prepare for writing through ritual
*    write in community
 
At the heart of any contemplative practice is the ability to slow down and simply observe what is happening, both inside and outside the self. The Pen and the Bell articulates not only the value of slowing down, but how to slow down. The authors describe the power of detailed observation, and encourage you to cultivate the patience for such watchfulness.

Through these practices, you will understand how the big issues--love, death, joy, despair--can be accessed through the concrete, tactile, sensory world, and you will have new avenues to express that world in your writing.

About the Author

Brenda Miller is the award-winning author of three essay collections: Listening Against the Stone, Blessing of the Animals, and Season of the Body. She co-authored Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction. She is a professor of English at Western Washington University and serves as editor-in-chief of the Bellingham Review. Visit her at brendamillerwriter.com.

Holly J. Hughes is the editor of the award-winning anthology, Beyond Forgetting: Poetry and Prose about Alzheimer's Disease (Kent State University Press, 2009) and the author of Boxing the Compass,  (Floating Bridge Press, 2007). A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University's MFA program, she teaches writing in the Seattle area and summers working as a naturalist in Alaska.