segunda-feira, 15 de julho de 2013

Once upon a time a workshop - Part 1 of 3 - Warming up

Another trip!? Why?

So, I had one more trip before going back home. It was a very important trip because it was the trip to Cape Cod. Last year, when I interviewed the author that I study, Marge Piercy, she mentioned she gave a workshop every year. It was called Intensive Poetry Workshop. She said many people applied but she would take 12 students – which is not very common, this type of event normally accepts dozens of people – to spend a week with her, learning about poetry and improving their craft. In December, she posted on Facebook that people could already submit their applications. To apply all you had to do was send her five poems. She would select the people based on a selection of their work. I had 5 poems in English. One was about her. So, if I really wanted her to read without having to impose on her, that was my chance. I thought it would be an honor to be read and rejected by a poet of that caliber.
She accepted me. Even though she identified some of my flaws (some of which I was well aware), she stated I had things to say and that she felt she could help me improve. So, from an academic studying her novels, I was a fellow-poet, a student who would have the chance of spending a week with her. She asked me if I wanted to participate. I answered immediately I was in! The group was formed and we had a page on facebook to introduce ourselves and discuss details.

Going north

Living a life as a researcher and student, it was not so easy to make ends meet. I would have to try the 
cheapest ways for transportation and accommodation. The planning started early and I decided I was going to fly from Tampa, FL to Boston, MA. They are major cities and the ticket prices would be more affordable. There was a problem: getting from Gainesville to Tampa. I ended up talking to a good friend who could drive me there, even though he never wakes up so early. We had a nice time, talking and listening to music and I am very thankful to Donavaun. People from Tampa airport were very polite, more than usual. Even people that worked on the security checks were super nice. I made a friend while I waited for my flight. One connection in Cleveland, I made another friend. I had interesting conversations.
From Logan Airport, I got a shuttle then the subway and after crossing the town and getting to the green line, there I was, in Waltham, a city just around the corner from Boston.

I was supposed to couchsurf there, with a guy named Will. He was a very nice host, respectful and eager to know me and my stories. We talked for some time, had a good time at a bar. On the next day we visited a place he had never been to before, Spectacle Island in the Harbor Area. We explored the island and the weather was perfect. After that, we had lunch at a pub and walked to the Freedom Trail, a red brick way taking us to many historic sites. We saw an old cemetery, and there were many people in the park. We saw one wedding happening and some other couple and their party were looking for places to take pictures. We walked through Boylston Street, Back Bay, and along the Charles River. Our last stop was Boston College, where he studies. We saw the buildings and entered the stadium. Then, I went to the city library to wait for my friend Nefyn. I was very happy about the chance of hanging out with him and it was a lovely evening talking about life. After that, I went back to a bar where Will was with friends watching the hockey game. Boston won and it was very nice to see all the happiness filling that crammed space. Back to his house, I started packing because we would leave early the next morning. He would give me a ride to get the bus to Cape Cod and to the next part of my great adventures.

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