An exercise: How to write "I want to write an honest sentence" for students

 from Jenn Dick: 

DIRECTIONS (this is recap after a class on this where we read Susan's poetry and talked about it)

Work in 2 parts:

Part I:

Every day for 6 days (Fri-Weds) Meditate in SILENCE (no phones, computers, etc) For 5-10 minutes (I suggest you set a little timer so you can just let go and then the timer will tell you when 5-10 minutes is up.) After EACH meditative moment, write 1 sentence or a few following your meditation. Like we did in class with the "first word that comes to mind" in this case, a first sentence or two which comes to mind.

Part II:

On day 6/7 (Weds and Thurs) take the sentences you wrote and reorder, build around, add to them in order to write a Susan Schultz style developed paragraph meditation.

2 options for this:

1 longer paragraph or

2 smaller paragraphs using a "mantra" sentence (ie her "I want to write an honest sentence"). Note how she just bounces from self to other, he, she, her daughter, names, etc. So let yourself also not seek normative connections. YET her sentences do often connect through "stream of consciousness" or ping-pong jumping off points (ie: a sentence mentions a student who does not read, another is about what her daughter is reading--so a small connection is there). Notice how she includes things from what she reads in the news and is thinking about. You can do that too.

Due: Typed. Both Part 1 and 2. Into Moodle.