Dark Angels Note 142
Dearest Friends
Welcome back to our weekly Friday Note.
Observing
This week we are celebrating the birthday of Maya Angelou (4 April 1928 – 28 May 2014).
Angelou was a world-famous American author, memoirist, poet and activist, but also a dancer, director and actress.
She wrote more than 30 bestselling titles, including a seven-volume autobiography series, several collections of poetry, and two cookbooks.
Reading
Hard work, habit and consistency were the cornerstones of Angelou’s writing regimen.
Read more about her rituals and routine in Masters of Habit: The Wisdom and Writing of Maya Angelou by James Clear.
Writing
Angelou wrote poetry for Hallmark that was featured on cards, mugs, and journals.
She found it “challenging and daring” to write within the constraints of two short sentences.
Try writing your own greetings card poem. It could be for any seasonal occasion or created to convey a specific message. Keep it to two lines of verse.
Sharing
We are delighted to share news that Dark Angel Susannah Hart was commended in the National Poetry Competition.
The NPC is the world’s most prestigious single poem competition with over 17,000 entries submitted from around the world.
This is the third time in four years that Susannah’s poems have finished in the Top 10, including the year she won. In addition, this year, two more of her poems were also in the top 100.
Read Stepfather: Three Likenesses, by Susannah Hart.
Keep sending us your poems, writings, links and writerly whatnots that you’d like to share with the wider Dark Angels family.
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Diary
Starter Day, 17 May 2023
This one-day course in central London will introduce you to some of the core ideas and practices that underpin the Dark Angels approach to writing – whether that’s writing for work or for your own creative expression.
Find out more here.
Weekly Tuesday Gatherings
There’s no Gathering on 11 April, back to normal the week after.
Join us for a reflective hour of reading, writing and communing led by Neil Baker. Everyone is welcome; in fact, invite a friend along. We meet at 7pm UK time. To join us, click here on the night. There’s no need to register in advance and we’ll be using the same link every week from now on.
Hearts, Inspired, 16-21 June 2023
Join us for a 5-day writing retreat on Whidbey Island, in the US Pacific Northwest. We’ll explore writing, creativity and inspiration through guided writing, personal projects and time in nature.
Find out more here.
Words Are Seeds, 19-23 June 2023
Five days of writing, rituals and nature connection at Bore Place over the summer solstice. We’re expecting a lively, stimulating and playful experience, with plenty of time for individual pondering, wondering and wandering – and writing.
Find out more here.
Be well, keep reading, keep writing and know that we’re always here.
From everyone at Dark Angels