writing tanka
a writing tanka on writing tanka
stare at the blank page
intimidating or what
now just start writing
no matter what you put down
it will all come back to you
© Ken Chawkin
Fairfield, Iowa, USA
September 7, 2013
WRITING TANKA—Preparing to Write
Dear Prudence: A Portrait of Prudence Farrow Bruns
Enjoy this video portrait of Prudence Farrow Bruns, the inspiration for the Beatles song “Dear Prudence”. Prudence discusses her personal journey, meditating with the Beatles in India, the transformation her generation tried to bring about in the world, and the change that can only come from within through Transcendental Meditation.
Directed, shot and edited by Kryshan Randel, music by Mike Pellarin, produced by David Shaw for iTranscend TM, a concept created by Ashley Cooper. For more information on Transcendental Meditation, visit these websites: http://maharishi.ca (Canada) and http://www.tm.org (USA).
Visit the newly launched Dear Prudence Foundation and click on About Prudence to read about her journey and why she set up a foundation: http://dearprudencefoundation.org.
See these other interviews with Prudence: 1) Amitava Sanyal, Allahabad, for BBC News India: Prudence Farrow — subject of the Beatles song Dear Prudence — visits India’s Kumbh Mela, and two videos: 2) Ted Henry interviews “Dear Prudence” Farrow Bruns about her life with TM and Maharishi, and 3) MicCameraAction: PRUDENCE FARROW BRUNS.
Another video portrait made by Canadian filmmaker Kryshan Randel is about Paralympian Daniel Westley. Westley had represented Canada in the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. As Paralympic Games grew, Daniel went on to participate in both the summer and winter games in a wide range of sports that included everything from wheelchair racing to skiing. Read this inspiring story: Meditation key to finding balance for Paralympian Daniel Westley — special to The Vancouver Sun, which contains the video, Physical Meditation: A Portrait Of Daniel Westley.
Both videos appear on the iTranscend TM YouTube channel series along with other heartfelt testimonials from new meditators, meditators dicussing meditation, and portraits of veteran meditators — people from all walks of life telling their stories — a physiotherapist, bakery story owner, musician, students, sharing how they are realizing their potential through the profound life-changing benefits of their Transcendental Meditation practice. And this video is an edited composite of some celebrities talking about the value of meditation, TM, in their lives: iTranscend Hollywood.
See: Who was Dear Prudence the Beatles sang to in India? What happened to her? Here is her story.
Prudence’s memoir is now out: Dear Prudence: The Story Behind the Song.
Read this excellent article in the Pensacola News Journal: Woman behind Beatles ‘Dear Prudence’ reads at Open Books.
Throughout his storied career as a research psychiatrist, Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal has searched outside the box for ways to help people struggling with depression and other mood disorders. This search led him to diagnose and name seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and develop light therapy as a wonderfully effective treatment while at the National Institute of Mental Health. He went on to write several books that brought alternative, non-pharmaceutical treatments straight into public awareness, including “Winter Blues,” “St. John’s Wort: The Herbal Way to Feeling Good,” and, most recently, the New York Times bestseller, “Transcendence,” which explores the power of Transcendental Meditation in healing and transformation.
In his new book, “The Gift of Adversity: The Unexpected Benefits of Life’s Difficulties, Setbacks and Imperfections,” Dr. Rosenthal shares personal stories of adversity, as well as case studies and lessons he has learned from his heroes. Less scientific than his previous books, “The Gift of Adversity” is part memoir, part inspiration, and thoroughly enjoyable to read.
Adversity is an irreducible fact of life. Although we can and should learn from all experiences, both positive and negative, bestselling author Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, believes that adversity is by far the best teacher most of us will ever encounter.
Whether the adversity one experiences is the result of poor decision-making, a desire to test one’s mettle, or plain bad luck, Rosenthal believes life’s most important lessons—from the value of family to the importance of occasionally cutting corners—can be best learned from it. Running counter to society’s current prevailing message that “excellence” must always be aspired to, and failure or mistakes of any sort are to be avoided at all costs, Rosenthal shows that engaging with our own failures and defeats is one of the only ways we are able to live authentic and meaningful lives, and that each different type of adversity carries its own challenges and has the potential to yield its own form of wisdom.
David Lynch Foundation executive director and author, Bob Roth, interviews Dr. Norman Rosenthal on how he went from writing “Transcendence” to “The Gift of Adversity.”
In this excerpt from the interview, Dr. Rosenthal shares with Bob Roth the gift he received from a very adverse situation early on in his life.
There are many reviews and interviews coming out on The Gift of Adversity and with Norman Rosenthal. Here are a few of them on Huffington Post and elsewhere: The Gift of Adversity: A Book Review by Lloyd I. Sederer, MD on HuffPost’s HealthyLiving. Norman Rosenthal on the Surprising Benefits of Life’s Biggest Challenges on Bookish. Norman Rosenthal posted an article on HuffingtonPost: The Gift of Adversity. Norman wrote Your Mind, Your Body, How to live a happier, healthier life, for Psychology Today. Jeanne Ball posted 3 Ways Meditation Helps You Deal With Adversity also on HealthyLiving. The TM Blog posted an article by Dr. Norman Rosenthal: From Transcendence to The Gift of Adversity. And this excellent review by Jane E. Brody in the Personal Health section of the New York Times titled, Life’s Hard Lessons.
Norman Rosenthal was interviewed on Writers’ Voices: Looking for the Silver Lining with Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal and “The Gift of Adversity”. Dennis Raimondi on his show Speaking Freely asks Norman Rosenthal about his new book, The Gift of Adversity on KRUU-LP 100.1 FM (23:51).
Guest host Susan Page interviewed Dr. Norman Rosenthal on The Diane Rehm Show
Norman Rosenthal was booked on the Diane Rehm Show to discuss his latest book, The Gift of Adversity, Wednesday, Sept 4, 11:00am to noon ET. Listen live on WAMU 88.5 FM or online.
As it turned out, Diane was on vacation, and guest host Susan Page, American Journalist and Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today, conducted the interview. Visit their post to read an excerpt of the book, Dr. Norman Rosenthal: “The Gift Of Adversity”, and listen to a replay of the interview on their audioplayer.
He was also interviewed by Dr. Sherrill Sellman on her show What Women Must Know – The Gift of Adversity with Norman E. Rosenthal – 09/26/13.
As I continue to read this wonderful book I find myself quietly reflecting on my own life’s experiences and lessons learned, triggered by reading Dr. Rosenthal’s and those of the people he discusses. Each chapter has a takeaway point, something to reflect on and learn from the transforming alchemy of adversity.
I am reminded of two quotes that beautifully encapsulate the message of the book: One by Buddha: “Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.” And the other by Tom Bodett: “In school, you’re taught a lesson, then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.” Dr. Rosenthal looks for and finds the blessings and lessons that adversity has brought him and the subjects in his book. It should be required reading for young adults to help them build empathy and understanding, preparing them for their journey through life.
Dr. Rosenthal also gives us hope when he says that the stressful experiences of adversity can also lead to growth. Quoting Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous dictum: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger,” he tells us of the dividend of PTG from the payment of PTS, the post-traumatic growth that may come from the post-traumatic stress we’ve endured. And he also gives us the tools to deal with the stress, mentioned in his earlier books, like “Winter Blues”, using light therapy to chase away the winter blues, and from “Transcendence”, his most recent bestseller, extolling the healing and transformational virtues of Transcendental Meditation. Discovering what Dr. Rosenthal says in his books is like finding a thoughtful friend who dispenses wise advice.
On December 20, 2013 he spoke in New York at TEDx: Norman Rosenthal on The Gift of Adversity in which he describes the three kinds of adversities, and mentions his three heroes.
The recent blog post Redwood Forest Haiku, two versions, inspired by a photo my sister took in a Redwood Forest Park inspired other haiku.
Here’s one from GD
In Redwood forest
Giants standing grand and still
Holding the Silence.
Norman Zierold suggested changing the last line to my second version to Guarding the Silence.
In Redwood Forests
There are Giants among us
Guarding the Silence
Paul Stokstad sent two versions, the last one, i reminded him, required an extra syllable, which he added. It turned into a beautiful third haiku.
~1~
In redwood forests
there are giants among us
tall, holding silence
~2~
In redwood forests
there be giants, in silent
cathedral light
adding a missing syllable turned into
~3~
In redwood forests
there be giants, in silent,
soft, cathedral light
If you are so motivated, leave your version in the Comment section.
I signed up with Instagram so I could see the pictures my sister took on her vacation to Mendocino in Northern California. They drove north to Humboldt County to see the California Redwood Coast Park Forest. Among the beautiful photos she posted, this one of the Giant Redwoods, considered the largest trees in the world, inspired me to write this haiku. Here is that photo, and two haiku versions, for your enjoyment.
Redwood Forest Haiku
~1~
In Redwood Forests
There are Giants among us
Who Hold The Silence
~2~
In Redwood Forests
There are Giants among us
Holding The Silence
© Ken Chawkin
Fairfield, Iowa
written 8/23/2013
posted 8/24/2013
See Being in Nature, a gift from a tree, with links to other tree poems. See Redwood forest photo and haiku inspire others.
By Bill Graeser
Ansel Adams sits up
reaches for his camera—
his arm bony as a tripod leg
for it is “Magic Light”
the golden light of sunrise
and sunset.
But then he lays back down
and focusing instead
through the lens of his soul
in the black box of his skull
he sees… all the light
that ever filled Yosemite
or blazed the crosses at Hernandez
and with his brittle jaw
with its few teeth remaining
there in the dark room of a coffin
he smiles.
“Magic Light” by Bill Graeser won the Iowa Poetry Association’s 2012 Norman Thomas Memorial Award. Bill posted it August 28, 2012.
Congratulations, Bill, you deserve this memorial award for a memorial poem of the great Ansel Adams. I’m sure he’d approve, and be pleased! Visit https://www.anseladams.com for more amazing photos.
Another great poem by Bill Graeser is What You May Not Know About Frankenstein. I posted it as At last—the truth about Frankenstein.
Visit Bill Graeser’s website for more fine poetry and photography: https://www.billgraeser.com.
I found this detailed interview with Marc Silber and Michael Adams: An Inside Look at Ansel Adams’ Photography In Yosemite, posted April 10, 2013. (I also found this fascinating video posted by Silber Studios on Ansel Adams Most Famous Photograph: Moon Over Hernandez.) Marc is given a tour of the house and darkroom by Ansel’s son, Michael Adams. He was seven years old and with his father when he took the iconic picture of the moonrise over Hernandez and described how he created it. The music was composed by Andrew Buffett, the American musician, composer, author and philanthropist. Peter is an Emmy Award winner, New York Times best-selling author and co-chair of the NoVo Foundation. He is the youngest son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Here is an earlier video posted by Marc Silber about advice on how to visualize your photos, from a rare interview with Ansel Adams: Photography Visualization Advice by Ansel Adams. Photo visualization was so important to Ansel Adams that he made it the first chapter of his book on photography. See more of Marc’s videos on Ansel Adams.
See CBS Sunday Morning: From the archives: Photographer Ansel Adams.
I Tell You
I could not predict the fullness
of the day. How it was enough
to stand alone without help
in the green yard at dawn.
How two geese would spin out
of the ochre sun opening my spine,
curling my head up to the sky
in an arc I took for granted.
And the lilac bush by the red
brick wall flooding the air
with its purple weight of beauty?
How it made my body swoon,
brought my arms to reach for it
without even thinking.
…………*
In class today a Dutch woman split
in two by a stroke – one branch
of her body a petrified silence,
walked leaning on her husband
to the treatment table while we
the unimpaired looked on with envy.
How he dignified her wobble,
beheld her deformation, untied her
shoe, removed the brace that stakes
her weaknesses. How he cradled
her down in his arms to the table
smoothing her hair as if they were
alone in their bed. I tell you –
his smile would have made you weep.
…………*
At twilight I visit my garden
where the peonies are about to burst.
Some days there will be more
flowers than the vase can hold.
~ Susan Glassmeyer ~
(The Incomplete Litany of Untold Stories) Published in Gratefulness.
In this interview, Ideas Live: Joy, November 2018, Susan Glassmeyer sets up the poem with the story behind it at 25:50, then reads I Tell You.
Susan Glassmeyer’s advice in the interview reminds me of what poet Mary Oliver said: “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
Mary Oliver elaborated it in this 3-line poem: Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. / Be astonished. / Tell about it.
Also see On Old Congress Run Road, a hauntingly beautiful poem by Susan F. Glassmeyer.
Read more of her poems in Sixfold Journal’s Poetry Winter 2015.
Susan Glassmeyer is the co-director of the Holistic Health Center of Cincinnati and has a private practice as a somatic therapist, specializing in the Feldenkrais Method®. She won a grant through Xavier University (Cincinnati) to complete work on a chapbook titled Body Matters.
On April 16, 2018, Susan Glassmeyer published Invisible Fish, a collection of new and previously published selected poems, including the two I love and posted—I Tell You and On Old Congress Run Road. She was also selected as the 2018 Ohio Poet of the Year. In March 2019, I purchased a signed copy directly from Susan. So glad I did. She has published two more books since then. To see a list of her publications and more, visit her website at www.susanglassmeyer.com.
By DIANE VANCE | Aug 14, 2013
The Maharishi University of Management debuts a new master’s degree this semester, The David Lynch MA in film.
The university has offered undergraduate filmmaking since 2007 in its Media and Communications Department and animation courses available in the Art Department for many years. It is now adding the next layer of learning.
“The graduate program is designed to take an idea to completion in a major project, with the possibility of publication,” said Gurdy Leete, co-chairman and associate professor of M.U.M.’s Media and Communications.
The course and fall semester begin Monday, and as with all M.U.M. courses, are taught in the block schedule of one course at a time.
“We’re expecting 20 to 25 students,” said Leete. “This program is about creating a supportive environment where artists connect with the audience. Students will have the opportunity to make deep connections in the film-making industry and gain recognition.”
The one-year, August to May course, includes curriculum in Advanced Narrative, Advanced Screenwriting, Acting for Film, The Frame, The Field, and from February to April an Advanced Video Media Project and then, The Media Market. Students who have not yet learned Transcendental Meditation will be taught the technique during the first few weeks of class.
About half the expected students have attended M.U.M. before.
“I’m excited about the group of students enrolled and how they will be producing great work,” said Stuart Tanner, co-chairman and assistant professor of M.U.M.’s Media and Communications. “The students will get a great deal out of working with one another and following the structure of the program. The goal is to produce a major piece of work.”
Tanner has had a glimpse of some of that work. The department offered a full scholarship for the master’s in film program based on applicants submitting a short film to compete for the scholarship.
Leete said the department received several dozens film submissions, which were all screened by the department faculty and program sponsors. The top six short films were then submitted to David Lynch, filmmaker, writer, artist, for viewing.
Tanner talked with Lynch by phone Tuesday for about 20 minutes.
“He really liked viewing the six shorts,” said Tanner. “Some of them were very accomplished pieces. He said when watching a film he watches for what stays with the viewer, what leaves a strong feeling. A short film doesn’t have a long time to develop that. He selected the film by Kinga Kulcsar as the scholarship winner because hers had that quality of making an impression, leaving the viewer with a feeling.
“I got to tell her last night that she won the scholarship.”
Tanner said the film will have a link at M.U.M.’s David Lynch MA in Film website filmschool.mum.edu in the near future.
Students in the master’s program also will visit with Lynch about filmmaking.
“We’re still working with David about his schedule,” said Leete. “Students will connect with him by Skype and at some point in the year the class will travel to Los Angeles for a couple of days and students will have a few question and answer sessions directly with him.”
Tanner said naming the program for David Lynch is a perfect fit for the program.
“He is the filmmaker’s film maker,” said Tanner. “He’s a fantastic person to be around. He is a role model and visionary with great integrity to his own vision. Putting his name on the program is perfect. It’s an idea that’s been bubbling away for a while and now it’s happening.”
Tanner said Lynch will be calling the classes throughout the year.
“And we will bring other insiders from the industry, we’ll bring other experts to the classes,” said Tanner.
Leete said the department is in contact with other industry people to connect with the program.
“Other luminaries in the field will connect by Skype, visit Fairfield and lead workshops or be available when we are in L.A.,” said Leete. “Schedules are always changing for people in film, but we expect quite an array of industry insiders from various fields to work with us.”
Not all students in the program will need to produce a major film. Many aspects of film will be studied and students may collaborate with one another to create a project. Students may screen write, direct, cast, design costumes and sets, or be special effects supervisor. Film also has an important business side and students may focus on setting up a media company.
“Students can create different products, it could be a film or a website of music videos,” said Leete. “The idea is to make a giant step forward and make it easier at the end of the program to work in the industry.”
“All we require is that film plays a significant part in the final project. The program is about having a year to go deeply into a creative experience that will transform both you and your career,” according to information on the program’s website.
Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree in any subject, a resume, a portfolio of best work, including at least one film of any length created by the applicant, other creative work and special achievements. Applicants also have an interview with department faculty.
Published with permission from The Fairfield Ledger
Also reported in Indiewire: There’s a David Lynch MA in Film. Why is it in Iowa? Must students meditate? Burning questions, we’ve got answers: Besides Transcendental Meditation, What Does One Learn with the David Lynch MA in Film?
Aug 08, 2013 – Lifestyles
Composer and singer/songwriter Jane Roman Pitt and Iowa landscape photographer Ken West, both of Fairfield, officially presented the music video “Iowa Gold” to Gov. Terry Branstad Wednesday afternoon in the State Capitol Building in Des Moines.
Earlier Wednesday, Pitt and West were interviewed by Charity Nebbe on Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa. The interview can be heard at http://iowapublicradio.org/post/iowa-gold-and-wisconsin-heroes.
A tribute to the richness of Iowa’s farm culture, people and rural landscapes, “Iowa Gold” was produced solely for noncommercial use to promote the beauty of Iowa and the state’s scenic byways.
Rep. Dave Heaton lauded “Iowa Gold” as “so beautiful, both in sight and sound, that says so much about our state.”
Barbara Sletto, director of the Heartland Youth Choir, which was scheduled to perform “Iowa Gold” 2-3 p.m. today on the Budweiser Stage at the Iowa State Fair, praised the song.
“The words are great and the melody is very singable — the song is great,” she said.
Pitt said she was inspired to write her “love song to Iowa” because the state embodies the principles on which America was founded
“The freedom to own land and the choice to live in cities or open spaces,” she said. “And Ken’s beautiful landscape photos reflect the feelings of pride for our state that I tried to convey in the song.”
West described “Iowa Gold” as a song Iowa school children or anyone can relate to with contemporary lyrics easy to sing.
“We hope our video inspires the next generation to appreciate and care for the land they are inheriting,” West said.
Pitt is a recording artist, songwriter, and composer. She is winner of the grand prize at the International Amadeus Choral Competition and her “Midnight Lullaby” CD received a “Parents’ Choice Award,” an award that honors the best material in children’s media.
West’s images have been featured on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Outdoors” and at the National Center for Nature Photography, which is America’s first and only center devoted exclusively to nature photography.
More information on both artists can be found on the Iowa Gold website at www.iowagoldsong.com.
Related Information: 
Heartland Youth Choir IPTV’s “Iowa Outdoors” Iowa Gold Iowa Public Radio
Published with permission from The Fairfield Ledger
Related news: Fairfield Artists and Musicians Share in Iowa Gold for more information and other news coverage. Laura Simon reports collaboration of composer and landscape photographer to showcase Iowa.
The Uncarved Blog 