Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Power of Photos to Inspire Writing #7



Words and pictures can work together to communicate more powerfully than either alone.
William Albert Allard, American Photographer
                                                                                                     
            What do you do when your brain becomes oatmeal, your fingers become lead, and you watch the cursor on your monitor blink endlessly without moving even one millimeter? Brew another cup of coffee? Vacuum the rugs? Take the dog out for a walk? Pray for inspiration?
            “I wasn’t born to vacuum rugs,” writes Elizabeth Guy, poet, storyteller, and co-author of Reflect and Write.  “That’s why, when my brain turns to stone while I struggle for new ideas, I use photographs for inspiration.”

  Creative Concepts # 7

A New Photo Every Week

        Whether you’re a teacher, a student, an aspiring writer, a professional writer, or a poet, you’ll discover that the photos and ideas posted here during the coming weeks will help you overcome the dreaded “writer’s block,” while at the same time inspiring you to create new and exciting works of prose and poetry.
            Sometimes direct quotations will accompany the photos. At other times, suggested first lines will serve as motivation for writing. Occasionally, specific suggestions will present challenges. From time to time, keywords will stimulate ideas.
            For more information about using photos to inspire writing, click on these links: www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/  and  http://ebowmanguy.blogspot.com.
            Please note: feel free to download the photos for your personal use as inspiration; for use in classrooms or workshops; or for use in your blog with credit to Hank Kellner and a link to hankpix-englisheducation.blogspot.com. For commercial use please contact the author for rates.

The Return of Watermelon Pickle…Almost 
           I’d been teaching for six years when Stephen Dunning’s Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle was published in June 1966. Because that delightful book featured 114 modern poems accompanied by exciting photographs, it soon became a favorite with English teachers who wanted to teach poetry.  Many teachers, however, realized that when the photographs that appeared in Reflections were viewed apart from the poems, they were powerful incentives to writing. Other teachers discovered that the combination of a photograph and a poem triggered students’ imaginations and helped to inspire writing.
          In the photograph, the extremes of light and darkness suggest ideas that students can translate into writing. In the poem “Diamonds on Velvet” the narrator introduces thoughts that many people share at one time or another. Together, the photograph and the poem can introduce ideas that will trigger students’ thought processes and help to create many kinds of written compositions. The possibilities are endless.


    Diamonds on Velvet

Like diamonds on black velvet,
Starlight dances on water.
Alone, I sit and think
Of life, and love,
And lesser things like
Who will win the Super Bowl next year?

                                --Hank Kellner

Challenges: 1. Write a six-line poem that ends with a whimsical question.
                     2. Write a brief poem that includes at least one simile or metaphor.
                     3.  Write a description of a person, place, or thing. Use vivid imagery.
 Keywords: meditating, jewels, football, solitude

Coming Next Week

Flower Power

And Don't Miss...

       English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poems “White and White” and “The Absence of Color.” They’re in Part Four of my twelve-part series USING PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/,  as well as Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"
       Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/

Exciting, Spine-Tingling, and Difficult, to Put Down

       For a psychological thriller that will keep you turning pages long after everyone else has fallen asleep, don't miss Terror at Mirror Lake.
       Terror lurks in the shadows of Mirror Lake. Secrets of sex, lies, and death are all patiently waiting to surface from its murky depths.
       The small, sleepy town of Hamptonville seems the last place you would find sadistic sex, drugs, blackmail, and murder. But that's exactly what Bruce Orum and his girlfriend Cindy Garvey encounter when they flee from New York City after having killed another girl.
       In Hamptonville they meet Luke Downing, a psychopath who soon uses drugs to control Cindy and make her his sex slave. A cruel, vicious character, Downing showed all the classic symptoms of a cold-blooded killer from the time he was a boy growing up with an imaginary friend who encourages him in his perversions until he became and adult.
       Having dominated Cindy, Downing uses her to seduce two fishermen, Pete Engstrom and Hal Bonnacker, when they visit Mirror Lake, after which he plans to blackmail them. Although Cindy seduces the men, she double crosses Downing, disappears, and the men get away.
       For the next few months Engstrom and Bonnacker express guilt over what happened at the lake. They decide to return to the scene to find Cindy. Sensing a problem, their wives decide to accompany them.
       At Mirror Lake Downing takes the two couples prisoner and plans to torture and humiliate them before killing them. But he does not know that Sheriff Jeff Parker and Molly Hutchison are on his trail and determined to stop him.
       From page one all the way to the breathtaking ending, you will find yourself on pins and needles waiting to see what happens on the next page.
        See sample pages and buy this ebook at https:www.smashwords.com/books/view/309191 



 Two Books That Will Help to Inspire Writing 
 
         Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. This collection will help stimulate discussion that will trigger meaningful writing at many levels.  Includes CD with photos and poems from the book. 
  Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy , ISBN 978-1-61821-023-4, Prufrock Press, 2013, 153 pages, $24.95. See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx. 

          Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is a collection of photographs and writing prompts designed to inspire writing. In addition to the many photos and ideas it presents, this collection includes a section that cites “Ten Ways to Use Reflect and Write” as well as a second section titled “How Some Teachers Use Photos to Inspire Writing” An added bonus is a CD with photos and writing prompts.
        Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner, Prufrock Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, 118 pages, includes CD, $24.95.  See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Write-What-You-See-P791.aspx.
    


                       



Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Power of Photographs to Inspire Writing # 6



The human brain processes visuals 60,000 faster than it processes text.

          What do you do when your brain becomes oatmeal, your fingers become lead, and you watch the cursor on your monitor blink endlessly without moving even one millimeter? Brew another cup of coffee? Vacuum the rugs? Take the dog out for a walk? Pray for inspiration?
            “I wasn’t born to vacuum rugs,” writes Elizabeth Guy, poet, storyteller, and co-author of Reflect and Write.  “That’s why, when my brain turns to stone while I struggle for new ideas, I use photographs for inspiration.”

Creative Concepts 6

A New Photo Every Week

            Whether you’re a teacher, a student, an aspiring writer, a professional writer, or a poet, you’ll discover that the photos and ideas posted here during the coming weeks will help you overcome the dreaded “writer’s block,” while at the same time inspiring you to create new and exciting works of prose and poetry.
            Sometimes direct quotations will accompany the photos. At other times, suggested first lines will serve as motivation for writing. Occasionally, specific suggestions will present challenges. From time to time, keywords will stimulate ideas.
            For more information about using photos to inspire writing, click on these links: www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/ and http://ebowmanguy.blogspot.com.
            Please note: feel free to download the photos for your personal use as inspiration; for use in classrooms or workshops; or for use in your blog with credit to Hank Kellner and a link to hankpix-englisheducation.blogspot.com. For commercial use please contact the author for rates. 

A World without Color 

         Can you visualize a world without color? A world completely devoid of vivid reds, subdued earth tones, bright greens, yellows, or blues. That was the challenge for Cynthia Staples, a writer-photographer based in Somerville, Massachusetts, when she wrote “The Absence of Color.” Visit her blog at http://wordsandimagesbycynthia.com/ .

                                                              
The Absence of Color

Does sadness have a color?
Muted blue perhaps tinged with gray.
White with ash layered throughout
Like Morbier cheese?
Not Black. Black is beautiful
As are gold, brown, and green.
They indicate life.
Sadness equals absence
Of light and color and warmth.
Arctic white then, yes,
That’s the color of sadness.

       Staples’ poem describes emotional states in terms of color. Describe the feelings you experience when you see certain colors. Try to come up with such unconventional colors as “arctic white” or “white with ash layered throughout like Morbier cheese.” What color descriptions can you think of? In what ways does color affect people’s moods. What are your favorite colors, and how do they affect you?

Keywords: brilliant, lemon-colored, pale, sparkling, dazzling
Possible opening lines: 1.  My senses reeled when I saw the colors in the sky that evening when…
                                       2.  What is the color of happiness?
                                             Blue, perhaps, like a azure sky?
                                             Or maybe it’s…

Coming Next Week 
Diamonds on Velvet

And Don't Miss...

       English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poem “White and White.” It’s in Part Four of my twelve-part series USING PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/ and Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"
       Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/

Two Books That Will Help to Inspire Writing

         Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. This collection will help stimulate discussion that will trigger meaningful writing at many levels.  Includes CD with photos and poems from the book.
    Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy , ISBN 978-1-61821-023-4, Prufrock Press, 2013, 153 pages, $24.95. See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx.


          Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is a collection of photographs and writing prompts designed to inspire writing. In addition to the many photos and ideas it presents, this collection includes a section that cites “Ten Ways to Use Reflect and Write” as well as a second section titled “How Some Teachers Use Photos to Inspire Writing” An added bonus is a CD with photos and writing prompts.
        Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner, Prufrock Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, 118 pages, includes CD, $24.95.  See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Write-What-You-See-P791.aspx.
    

 

 


Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Power of Photographs to Inspire Writing


Words and pictures can work together to communicate more powerfully than either alone.
                                                                William Albert Allard American Photogrpaher

Creative Concepts 5

         What do you do when your brain becomes oatmeal, your fingers become lead, and you watch the cursor on your monitor blink endlessly without moving even one millimeter? Brew another cup of coffee? Vacuum the rugs? Take the dog out for a walk? Pray for inspiration?
            “I wasn’t born to vacuum rugs,” writes Elizabeth Guy, poet, storyteller, and co-author of Reflect and Write.  “That’s why, when my brain turns to stone while I struggle for new ideas, I use photographs for inspiration.”
  
A New Photo Every Week

            Whether you’re a teacher, a student, an aspiring writer, a professional writer, or a poet, you’ll discover that the photos and ideas posted here during the coming weeks will help you overcome the dreaded “writer’s block,” while at the same time inspiring you to create new and exciting works of prose and poetry.
            Sometimes direct quotations will accompany the photos. At other times, suggested first lines will serve as motivation for writing. Occasionally, specific suggestions will present challenges. From time to time, keywords will stimulate ideas.
            For more information about using photos to inspire writing, click on these links: www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/, as well as http://ebowmanguy.blogspot.com.
            Please note: feel free to download the photos for your personal use as inspiration; for use in classrooms or workshops; or for use in your blog with credit to Hank Kellner and a link to hankpix-englisheducation.blogspot.com. For commercial use please contact the author for rates.

The Amazing Adventures of Avenger Woman

This photo is supposed to show a brand new super heroine named Avenger Woman, but it's really a photo of a section of a mural in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Of course, you could use almost any other similar photo if you if you want to have some fun while encouraging your students to create fanciful compositions.
Not as well known as Wonder Woman, Supergirl, or Cat- woman, Avenger Woman is said to be a descendant of the Aztec god Quitzelpickelpetal. By day she is an English teacher at a high school, where she is known as Ms. Consuela Hernandez. By night, she fights crime all over the world, and even in outer space.
           Avenger Woman's last amazing adventure took place at a mall in Anytown, USA, where she thwarted an attempt by the evil Doctor No-No-No to kill everyone at the mall by releasing poison gas into it. Using her unique ability to discern what others are thinking, Avenger Woman was able to enter the mind of her opponent and, disarm him, and cause him to freeze in place until the police arrived.
After conducting a discussion based on superheroes and super heroines, you could ask your students or peers to write descriptions of Avenger Woman in which they depict the clothing she wears when she is a teacher as contrasted to the clothing she wears as a super heroine. Students may also discuss Avenger Woman's physical abilities, as well as any other extraordinary super powers she has. Alternatively, aspiring writers may choose to create original super heroines or superheroes about whom to write.
Keywords: extraordinary, superhero, champion, heroine

Suggested Opening Lines: My math teacher was so timid the kids in my class called her Ms. Powderpuff–behind her back, of course. Many years passed before I discovered that…

Coming Next Week 


A World Without Color

And Don’t Miss…  

       English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poems “White and White” and “The Absence of Color.” They’re in Part Four of my twelve-part series USING PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/ and Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"
       Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/ 

Two Books That Will Help to Inspire Writing 

         Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. This collection will help stimulate discussion that will trigger meaningful writing at many levels.  Includes CD with photos and poems from the book.
    Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy , ISBN 978-1-61821-023-4, Prufrock Press, 2013, 153 pages, $24.95. See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx.

          Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is a collection of photographs and writing prompts designed to inspire writing. In addition to the many photos and ideas it presents, this collection includes a section that cites “Ten Ways to Use Reflect and Write” as well as a second section titled “How Some Teachers Use Photos to Inspire Writing” An added bonus is a CD with photos and writing prompts.
        Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner, Prufrock Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, 118 pages, includes CD, $24.95.  See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Write-What-You-See-P791.aspx.
    

 

 

Friday, April 5, 2013

The Power of Photos to Inspire Writing




Words and pictures can work together to communicate more powerfully than either alone.
William Albert Allard
American Photographer

Creative Concepts 4

       What do you do when your brain becomes oatmeal, your fingers become lead, and you watch the cursor on your monitor blink endlessly without moving even one millimeter? Brew another cup of coffee? Vacuum the rugs? Take the dog out for a walk? Pray for inspiration?
            “I wasn’t born to vacuum rugs,” writes Elizabeth Guy, poet, storyteller, and co-author of Reflect and Write.  “That’s why, when my brain turns to stone while I struggle for new ideas, I use photographs for inspiration.”

A New Photo Every Week

            Whether you’re a teacher, a student, an aspiring writer, a professional writer, or a poet, you’ll discover that the photos and ideas posted here during the coming weeks will help you overcome the dreaded “writer’s block,” while at the same time inspiring you to create new and exciting works of prose and poetry.
            Sometimes direct quotations will accompany the photos. At other times, suggested first lines will serve as motivation for writing. Occasionally, specific suggestions will present challenges. From time to time, keywords will stimulate ideas.
            For even more information about using photos to inspire writing, click on these links: www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/ and http://ebowmanguy.blogspot.com.
            Please note: feel free to download the photos for your personal use as inspiration; for use in classrooms or workshops; or, for use in your blog  with credit to Hank Kellner and a link to hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com.  For commercial use please contact the author for rates.

 The Guitar Player

“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter”
–John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn

     Obviously, you can’t hear the music this street musician is playing. Paradoxically, however, maybe you you can hear it in your mind. Is it folk music? Flamenco? Music to accompany modern lyrics? Perhaps you can “hear” the sound in your mind while you create words that go along with it.
     Keywords:  musical instrument, guitar player, street music, isolated man
     Challenges:Write a poem in which a musical instrument plays an important role. Write a detailed description of the guitar player and his surroundings. Write a composition in which you describe other street musicians you may have seen. Use your imagination to recall a time in your life when you felt isolated from friends and family. Describe your own experiences with a musical instrument.
     If you’re in a workshop or other group setting, exchange papers with your peers and read each other’s work, either aloud or silently. Then write positive comments, questions, and/or suggestions before returning the papers to their authors.
    Possible opening lines: When I was about ten years old, my parents decided that I should take piano lessons. Oh, how I hated to make those weekly trips to visit my teacher, a wizened old man named Mr. Paderewski. Every time I went there, the ancient piano teacher  would wave his baton in time to a metronome while I attempted to master the same scales over and over again.

And Don't Miss...

       English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poems “White and White” and “The Absence of Color.” They’re in Part Four of my twelve-part series USING PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/ , as well as Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"
       Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/

Coming Next Week
Avenger Woman Lives!

Two Books That Will Help to Inspire Writing

         Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. This collection will help stimulate discussion that will trigger meaningful writing at many levels.  Includes CD with photos and poems from the book.
       Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy , ISBN 978-1-61821-023-4, Prufrock Press, 2013, 153 pages, $24.95. See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx.


          Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is a collection of photographs and writing prompts designed to inspire writing. In addition to the many photos and ideas it presents, this collection includes a section that cites “Ten Ways to Use Reflect and Write” as well as a second section titled “How Some Teachers Use Photos to Inspire Writing” An added bonus is a CD with photos and writing prompts.
        Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner, Prufrock Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, 118 pages, includes CD, $24.95.  See more and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Write-What-You-See-P791.aspx.