Dearest friends,

Welcome back to our writerly thoughts to distract, inspire and reassure you. Be well, keep reading, keep writing and know that we’re always here..

1. Writing

Read the poem below by American poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Now begin five minutes of automatic writing starting with the prompt, “I, being born a(n) ______________.” It’s up to you to fill in the blank with whichever noun you wish…a middle child, an Englishman, a goldfish. Start with one, then repeat the prompt with a different noun as many times as you dare.

2. Reading

“I, being born a woman and distressed”

I, being born a woman and distressed
By all the needs and notions of my kind,
Am urged by your propinquity to find
Your person fair, and feel a certain zest
To bear your body’s weight upon my breast:
So subtly is the fume of life designed,
To clarify the pulse and cloud the mind,
And leave me once again undone, possessed.
Think not for this, however, the poor treason
Of my stout blood against my staggering brain,
I shall remember you with love, or season
My scorn with pity,—let me make it plain:
I find this frenzy insufficient reason
For conversation when we meet again.

Edna St. Vincent Millay

3. Sharing

It’s wonderful to amplify the voices of our Dark Angels community. If you have any short pieces you’d like to see in our weekly notes, please send them to Gillian. It’s especially nice to feature those written in response to the gatherings, courses and weekly prompts.

Surrender

Friend, your letter arrived
and again I felt bad
about never writing back

my address given shape
in your careful hand, that alone
brings guilt enough

then, the milksoft envelope
and tight precision
of notepaper, unfolding

a fresh blank page;
your wordless invitation
to reply

Tim Rich

4. Gathering

Join us via Zoom for an hour of writing and talking with other Dark Angels. We meet at 7pm UK time every Tuesday. 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. There’s no charge. And feel free to bring a friend along.

5. Workshopping

We have a few places left on our Starter Day on March 3rd and the online Advanced Course in April. If you know of anyone who might enjoy either of these uplifting experiences, feel free to spread the word.

6. Connecting

Dark Angels is now on Instagram. We share writerly whatnots, creative prompts, event updates and more. Hugs for following.

From everyone at Dark Angels