- Marcie Kinkead
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Dearest friends,
Discovery is the essence of life; I can have a BLAST with two important items: a pen, which can open doors of opportunity and a mode of transportation to take me there. It is true, if you hear someone say, that sometimes I do things backwards. I wrote and published a book, “Searching for a stranger” and four years later, I registered for the 2025 DFW Writers’ Conference taking place in Hurst, TX., to learn what putting thoughts on paper was all about.
I left work early in the afternoon on the 2nd of October feeling excited. Packing was a breeze: comfortable clothes and shoes, which for me are high heels. What made me nervous was making sure I did not forget the obvious…which I normally do! The room at the Hilton was so inviting, I kicked my heels and dove into the soft pillows for the rest of the afternoon.
The blast started the next day, November 3rd, all the attendees arriving and finding their scheduled sessions. I was scheduled to attend “Finding Your Voice” with Ari TISON (Bribri) award winning writer and poet. Ari made that day simply fascinating! The thoughts, the content, the people, sounds, colors all came together to make it memorably the high point of the conference, for me.
The theme, Ari began, is finding your voice… that voice that belongs only to you. The inner dialogue; the unconscious beaming back the wisdom of you. It is never wrong; it is your overwhelming truth. Listen, follow, dive into its depth and its wisdom. Be you!
Ari gives us a 3-minute writing assignment. Use poetry to tell a story. Short sentences, repeat the last line twice.
“Whose voice are you hearing now?” Ari asked all of us in the classroom. I can generally tell the voices in my head, apart - this voice is me, thinking.
The Presence
Stillness brought a presence
That penetrated the veil of my guard
no words, no touch, no eyes to meet mine.
Just the essence of a soul
close to mine…who,
without knowing me, knew who I was.
How should I respond,
how should I respond…
Ari gave us the next writing assignment. Write a scene/poem where your character feels joy, feels anger.
The Break-up
Don’t leave!
It would be a mistake.
You’re tied to me by the hip!
To the aroma of my kitchen…
To the sway of our bodies
When we dance…
You are my creed, my religion…
I will never leave,
And you will come back to that.
“It’s not enough…”
The final assignment, Ari said out loud; write your memoir in six words. A life built of meaningful journeys.