“…like a bear stumbling into a beehive or a honey cache: I’m stumbling right into it and getting stuck, and it’s delicious and it’s horrible and I’m in it and it’s not very graceful and it’s very awkward and it’s very painful and yet there’s something inevitable about it.”
leonard cohen, on his writing process
For November’s Mindful Poetry session “The Poet as Troubadour,” we explored the similarities between poetry and song and highlighted some of the great lyricists of this age: Paul McCartney, Nina Simone, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen. We also considered the role of the songwriter as activist, an agent for social change. We created a group playlist and shared our thoughts on what makes a particular song a touchstone for our lives.
Explore further…
Writing “Eleanor Rigby.” How one of the Beatles’ greatest songs came to be. By Paul McCartney for The New Yorker.
Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.”
CNN article on the Library of Congress Preservation of Songs.
Canadian Broadcast Company interview with Joni Mitchell about her life as an artist.
Mindful Poetry meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6pm PT, via Zoom.
Our Curator and Guide:
Poetry has been a life-long passion and solace for Rebecca Echert-Lennstrom. The beauty and playfulness of verse captured her heart early and became a well-spring of reflection and inspiration. For the last 25 years, she’s been sharing that love with high school students as an English teacher and creative writing instructor, steeped in words and imagery. She’s coached students in the National Poetry Out Loud Competition for ten years, paired with professional poets in the classroom to inspire student writing, and published high school creative writing magazines. This is her second year curating the Mindful Poetry Series as a ministry of the Episcopal Church.