“F2K” and the “Writers’ Village University”

This is a huge site on the web: created by Bob Hembree (Editor of T-Zero Quaterly), and run by Mr. Hembree and many, many assistants (some have web logs: check out author and mentor “benning”  Benning’s Writing Pad ;  Joni’s site, One Voice;  0r June Diehl , who has a wonderful book) . I’ve been a member for about five years (I think it’s five, I became a life member this year) and I’ve found many new friends like Laurel Wilczek (aka Raven) already an excellent writer, Susan Fourtane from way back  and covering the arts scene in Helsinki, “Granny” (now a mentor);  these are the ones with web links that I know of but there are so many names (and nicknames)  I should add – Maruxa (also mentoring, I  see now – my apologies),  “Grumps” , Malkeet,   “Otter”,  “Greywolf”, Gloria,  “Shriek”, Sonja …  and many many more (as I will be writing about these groups from time to time, I’m sure I’ll be covering most omissions) .

But it wasn’t my intention (nor would it be interesting) to make an extensive list of all my friends, old and new, here. There is one item in this Writers’ Village that should get our attention now:

F2K

It’s Bob Hembree’s creation (I think the name derived from “F” for “Fiction” followed by whatever year that course would be – until 2000, nine years ago and the “2K” stuck). It’s held four times a year and the next one starts this Wednesday 20th. of May. It is free to anyone – literally anyone, not only members, there is a first week of “Orientation”, where everyone can introduce themselves (user names, as you’ve seen before are both acceptable and varied); then there are six lessons – groups of exercises, surprisingly simple ones but the several times I’ve done it I’ve been astonished how quickly subscribers progress, specially beginners (though many drop out, there is no obligation to remain but one does so by keeping up to date with the assignments).  There are also many experienced writers that join – I’ve been doing this for nearly half a century and each time I’m humbled and overjoyed at finding how good fresh new talent can be, or can become. The final exercise can often produce a finished, or nearly finished, story – that alone is reason enough to join.  We post our exercises, within a study group small enough to allow each to follow the others work (all subscribers are split up into groups, each group has a mentor to resolve posting questions and provide prompts and encouragement,  but there is no impediment in visiting and participating in any other group): so we polish each others  exercises .  It really works extremely well. *

There is an option, by paying a small fee, of getting “one on one” assistance from one of the W.V. University mentors.

I’ll be joining this coming session (I appear as “Q”). Perhaps we meet there?

F2K – Free Creative  Writing Course – Wednesday 20th. of May 2009

* Since posting this I’ve been reminded of the best and most notable feature of this course. (thank you meer!), quoted roughly: “The joy of discovering true camaraderie in writing … learning how to have fun, and not be so uptight and even fearful about our writing …. How right, and how true that after a while we just take it for granted. There are many course, many tutors and even more books – but few have the lighthearted touch (with some pretty earnest learning, but one hardly notices that) as this course – and then later, if one should choose to join, in the groups and courses at the WVU. I don’t know how I could forget that, in this post.

Meanwhile – Hasta pronto!

Q

Sphere: Related Content

Cruz Blanca (1): from the garden

For about twenty years, until two and a half years ago, we lived in this old stone house, part of a farm that was in Mrs. Q’s (Susan’s) family, and was sold before we married – all but the house and nearly nine acres of mesquite thorny bush.

Susan and her first husband (she was widowed young) raised their children at this place, but it was more or less abandoned for a time, overgrown ,  and wild.

Over the two decades we were there we hacked the bush back, mowed and planted (Susan, flower beds – her green thumb is quite famous – and I had trees and shrubs to plant).

We did much of the work ourselves, but help was affordable and were fortunate in getting some good people – specially for the hacking and clearing. This is “Cruz Blanca” – the “White Cross”, as Susan and Franz, her first husband, hailed from Switzerland.

The trees grew, and on the ” shade side” (our South, Northern Hemisphere’s North) we had a good forest going, with evergreen pines, cedars, spruces, mimosa and deciduous oaks, liquidambar, maples and just about anything that would grow. Susan had a rose garden, chrysanthemums, jasmine, a most admired cactus collection, a rock garden … and I’d better stop right there as I’m out of my territory. Maybe she’ll be along later.

The property is on a slope, a side of the Santa Rosa river, which runs across its Northern boundary, some five hundred yards downhill: a mountain river, white water and prone to floods in heavy rain (up to twenty feet, in a flash).  Under normal conditions though, its best feature is a fine swimming hole, a pool in the rocks.

The cool, clear water is about twenty feet deep, with some shallow parts and a sand beach (that over the years, disappeared, as some ten miles (in a straight line) upstream a small town grew and sand was taken for building.

In spring, the Jacaranda would show off:

And the small forest, not visible here, alongside the entrance driveway

We had to sell and leave – family dispersed and we were left, the two of us too far away from so called civilization, medical services, vulnerable to emergencies of any kind, with more than an hours drive to the nearest town; a bumpy crawl up a mountain track. Not without regret. And I gained access to the world, through broadband internet – I thought I had: turns out it’s not so broad and has been more or less disconnected for the last month or so – but that’s another story. This one, the tale of Cruz Blanca – the “White Cross” – this one I will continue from time to time, specially when as now, I unearth an album of photographs of the place and Mrs. Q and I become misty and nostalgic. Until later.

(And yes, 911 forest critters at WVU – and Gandy/Joni specially -  you did inspire this post. Now maybe, I’ll even write to the prompt

Q