The Patience to stand still
Patience Strong was born Winnifred Emma May, but she took on the nom de plume when she began writing her Quiet Corner feature in The Daily Mirror in 1935.
She was a widely published writer, mainly of poems, which were popular perhaps due to their approachability and rhythm, and sentimental and spiritual themes.
Her works have been collected into several books of poetry. She also published Life is for Living: Simple Study in Practical Psychology, and wrote verses, greetings cards and calendars.
In 1966, Miss Strong was a castaway on Desert Island Discs. In this soundtrack to her life, she talks about her influences, her 30-year career and the one poem of hers that she would like to survive. Listen to the interview here on BBC Sounds.
Writing
The above interview includes the poem If You Stand Very Still.
Originally recorded for a chapel in the woods in California, it was available for anyone to hear, at the touch of a button, as they entered the chapel.
Think of a favourite place outside in nature where you go to find peace. What draws you there?
Try writing a line or two that captures that sense of place. What can you hear and see? How do you feel?
When you’re satisfied with your few sentences, try recording them as voice memo to play back whenever you need to be transported back there.
We’d love to see what you come up with, if you’d like to share.
Photo by Steven Kamenar on Unsplash