TA 30 CONTEMPLATIVE WRITING

Virginia Theological Seminary, Third Quarter, Spring 2008

Dr. Kathleen H. Staudt (Kathleen.staudt@gmail.com)

www.wam.umd.edu/~kstaudt (blog athttp://www.poetproph.blogspot.com)

The aim of this course is to help you use writing as a spiritual discipline, a way of developing your imaginative and intuitive approach to the experience of faith. We will be exploring together how the discipline and openness of writing can deepen our responsiveness to God's love, and sharpen our readiness to carry that love into the particular ministries to which we are called. Combined with reflection on your own writing experience, we will explore how a number of storytellers and creative writers use words in ways that can invite us to respond more deeply to the presence and action of the Spirit in all aspects of our lives. By reading the works of such writers, we will explore ways to discern and respond to the rich poetry of God's action in our lives. I hope you will learn some new ways to read contemplatively, looking through the windows created by Biblical stories and contemporary writings to gain a new perspective on the action of grace in our lives.

Books Ordered:

Esther deWaal, Lost in Wonder 0-8146 2992X

Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters 0-06-091541-2

Howard Thurman, Deep River and The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death 978-0913408209

Frederic Buechner, Telling Secrets

Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies: Thoughts on Faith 978-0385496094

On reserve in library -- a few on hand in bookstore

Alice Walker, Living by the Word

Mary Oliver, Long Life: Essays and Other Writings 978-0306814129

Kathleen Norris, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography

GRADED WORK FOR THIS COURSE:

JOURNALING: The main work of this course is to spend at least 15-20 minutes a day (and preferably 30), writing. Write in a notebook whose size and shape feels comfortable for you to hold and use.

Journaling, as I use it and encourage others to use it, is a way of reflecting intentionally, and in the presence of God, on moments in your life and observations that seem striking to you. In this class the readings and weekly “assignments” for writing are intended to help you look in fresh ways at your own life and response to God, in dialogue with the writers and others in the class. I hope that you will find that this kind of writing will help to sharpen your awareness of the presence of God and of God's invitation to "contemplation," i.e. to mutuality, relationship, companionship in your journey of faith and ministry. As you become more comfortable with this practice of writing you may well find that there are times when you stop writing and find yourself at prayer. In this sense, journaling can lead to contemplation. It can make us more receptive to the work that God’s Spirit wants to do in us. This is why I refer to journaling as "contemplative" writing rather than reporting or even description or reflection, though some of the writing will begin in description or reflection.

Journals are private: you should write them for no audience but yourself and God. For people used to preaching and proclamation, this writing for no audience is the hardest part of journaling. But try it.

For the sake of accountability, I will ask you to hand in to me, each week, 2-3 pages of journaling photocopied from your journal (or typescript if you keep your journal on the computer). You choose which pages. When I read your portions of your journal, I will do so as a respectful eavesdropper, occasionally commenting on ways that you might focus and extend your practice of journaling as a response to God. I may invite people to share insights from their journaling. But journal sharing is always optional.

My main hope is that you will write regularly. Try to spend a stretch of 15-20 minutes writing, for most or all of the days between our class meetings, some days in response to a reading assignment, other days in response to a prompt in the assignment for the week. Or write whatever comes to you in a quiet time that you have cleared out. If you prefer to write in lists or phrases, rather than sentences or paragraphs that are fine -- it doesn't have to be long. There is no "right" format for a journal. It is a way of using words to track and preserve for yourself the direction of your prayerful reflections on life.

PRAYER-DATES: I adapt the term from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, where she talks about "artist dates." The metaphor is a good one because the point of this time set aside is that it is supposed to be fun. Set aside one-two hours a week for intentionally practicing what Esther de Waal calls “the spiritual art of attention.” I give you each week a suggested passage from deWaal to read as a way into your prayer date, since she provides a variety of passages and a number of ways of practicing attention. and reflecting on this in your journal. You may want to read this in advance of the prayer date, or you may want to start your time by reading over DeWaal’s chapter, pausing when you come to something that draws you in the quotations and ruminations she provides. Pick a time that works for you and put it on your calendar for the weeks of this course.

With your journal pages each week, hand in a brief (1 page, 2max) 1-2 page reflection on how you spent your "Prayer date" time and what experience came out of that (I do not need what you wrote during that time unless you want to share it -- rather, what I'm asking for is a reflection on your experience, either of that time or of the whole week's process of journaling on an announced theme.

READING Readings are given in the order of usefulness/importance. I realize you may not have time to do all of the reading every week. Reading a little attentively is better than reading a lot hastily. If you have to choose between reading and writing, please WRITE. But do try to do as much of the reading as you can each week, to make for better class discussion. Use your reading as a starting point for journaling some days during the week, and bring responses to the reading to class. That is where our discussions will begin each week. The writing assignments for each week are meant to be “prompts” to get you started, but if your journaling takes you somewhere else, that’s fine. Let it take you. On the other hand, if you hit a writer's block, spend more time reading and let your journaling on the reading help with your discipline.

Paper for “YOUR WEEK” : Each of you will have one week that is “your” week, and that week will your journaling will be more focused on the reading. When it is Your week you will be responsible for turning in a 4-6 page paper responding to one or more of the readings assigned for that week. Your response should be contemplative and experiential in nature: you may choose to write about what you are learning from this author about your own life, or you may write a shareable thought-piece of your own using the reading as a point of departure, imitating the style or approach of the author or using a key moment in that author to enter your own experience. When there are multiple people on the same week, you can divide up the readings you write on, but I expect you to have read and reflected on all of the readings that week.

SHAREABLE PROJECT: Drawing from material in your journal and from class assignments, produce a piece of writing that invites an audience to draw nearer to God by reflecting on some aspect of your own journey. You should choose ONE particular form for this, and try to be true to the discipline of that form. Choices for possible forms include:

                              1. Meditation on a passage from scripture, using insights from your own story to show how it illuminates our common journey.

                              2. A poem, using image, meter and the sounds of words to convey an insight about the presence of God in daily life.

                              3. A dialogue between you and God or Christ or some figure in Scripture.

                              4. A guided meditation, aimed at helping a group of people to see more vividly the action of God in some aspect of life.

                              5. Another form of your choosing. All assignments should be cleared with me.

Raw journal entries are NOT acceptable for this assignment. Rather, you should take this as an invitation to make a shape out of your own "practice of the presence of God," to share your experience with others. It helps, in preparing this assignment, to have an audience in mind. If you are willing to share some of your work with the class on the last day, as a “work in progress,” you are welcome to do so but this is not required.

GRADING 40% of your grade is based on showing up and doing the work of journaling and “prayer date” meditation. The other 60% is evenly divided between grades on the paper for your week and the final project. Grades will be based on the attentiveness of your reading and creativity and engagement of your response (on the first paper) and on the attention to experience and detail and appropriateness to audience, and quality and clarity of writing. Prayer date meditations will be graded only with check-check-plus (usually a “check”) to indicate you have met the assignment, with a + meaning that something particularly striking has come out of your reflection, or that the writing is particularly apt and good.

Many students prefer to take a course like this pass-fail, rather than for a grade, though others find that taking it for a grade helps with accountability. If you want to switch to pass-fail you MUST get in touch with registrar Tami Shepherd during the first week of the course. Consortium students are required to take the course for a grade.

BEING IN TOUCH WITH ME:

First, please don’t hesitate. Even though I’m not here every day, I’m glad to hear from students and to help where I can with questions or conversation.

I try to be on campus on either Wednesday or Friday each week (sometimes both), and will usually stay for lunch after class on Mondays. It is best to make an appointment if you want to talk about your work with me. I’m also glad to meet for lunch, again arranged in advanced is best. Feel free to be in touch with me by e-mail at Kathleen.staudt@gmail.com. If you can’t be in class for some reason PLEASE let me know. The class depends heavily on everyone’s active participation, so I need to know in advance if someone will be missing.

Schedule of Class Meetings and Assignments -2008

Day 1 (February 4) Introductions. Prayer, contemplative writing, and daily living. "The Sacrament of the present moment" and “the spiritual art of attention.”

In-class exercise: the presence of God in our stories

Prayer exercise: praying a day of our lives.

Day 2 (February 11) Responding to God in Our Stories.

For prayer date – suggested guide is de Waal, pp. 1-22

READ Lamott, “Traveling Mercies,” in Traveling Mercies: Thoughts on Faith, pp. 106-114; and Buechner, intro and “The Dwarves in the Stable,” in Telling Secrets, pp. 1-39. Also Staudt, “Reading God’s Novel” in Faith@Work: Winter 2007, p. 6. (link available under “External links” on blackboard site), and “Like a Child at Home,” Weavings September 2006, pp. 24-28) (in “Course Reserves” file on Blackboard) What experience of God's presence comes through these stories, for you? Where do they touch your own experience? (Responses to these stories can be part of your journaling this week) (If it’s “your day,” Papers should be on Lamott and Buechner).

In your journal:: attend to events in your daily life that make you aware of God’s presence and try to describe these events. Somewhere in this week’s journals, sketch out the story of a moment in your life when you were very vividly aware of God’s presence.

TURN IN 2 page journal excerpt plus a page on your prayer date OR (if it’s your week) a 4-6 page paper reflecting on readings plus a page on your prayer date.

In-class exercise – people who have brought us into the presence of God

Day 3: (February 25) Responding to God in Persons:

Prayer date ideas: de Waal suggested guide is de Waal, pp. 37-55, on “Silence” Read Anne Lamott, “Forgiveness,” pp. 128-137 and “Mom,”pp. 209-219 in Traveling Mercies; Annie Dillard, “On a Hill Far Away, “pp. 95-101, and “God in the Doorway," pp. 139-141 in Teaching a Stone to Talk; Alice Walker, “My Big Brother Bill,” “Father,” and “Reflecdtions on Mr. Sweet, the Old Musician” from Living by the Word (Blackboard course reseves)

In your journal): Prayerfully, in awareness of God listening, do some writing for and about important people in your life – in the past and now. On days when you have just a little time, reflect on someone you meet regularly in your seminary community. When you have more time, reflect on someone who has been important in your life in the past. Or you may find that you keep returning to one person and writing more about that person each day.

TURN IN 2 page journal excerpt plus a page on your prayer date OR (if it’s your week) a 4-6 page paper reflecting on readings plus a page on your prayer date.

Day 4: (March 3) Responding to God in Places

For prayer date ideas – suggested guide is de Waal, pp. 56-73, on “Attention”

, Read for today, Kathleen Norris “Getting to Hope,” pp. 160-176 in Dakota (Blackboard course reserve) and Mary Oliver, “Where I Live Now,” pp. 96-99 in Long Life. (Blackboard course reserves).

WRITING DUE: 2 pages from your journal and 1-page reflection on your "prayer-date"

In your journal this week, and attend to places where you find yourself regularly or perhaps places you remembered, writing the stories last week. Think of both interior and exterior spaces. Spend a little time describing places in detail: sights, smells, sounds, colors, textures.

TURN IN 2 page journal excerpt plus a page on your prayer date OR (if it’s your week) a 4-6 page paper reflecting on readings plus a page on your prayer date.

Sharing in Class:

In-class exercise: Reflection on people who have brought us into the presence of God

Day 5: (March 10) Words that Have Nourished Us

Prayer date ideas: de Waal 23-36 “Seeing with the Inner Eye” – on icons and poetry

READ Thurman, "Deep River,” Section I ("Concerning Backgrounds", pp. 11-30); Sections, V, "Deep River, " VI, "Jacob's Ladder", and/or VII, "Wade in the Water, Children." (pp. 79-94) and journal in response. Also read pp. 11-56, “The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death”

In your Journal, be alert to particular words, hymns, prayers, or passages from Scripture that strike you or have been important to you. Listen for these in daily worship or in reading. Use particular words as starting points for your journaling.

TURN IN 2 page journal excerpt plus a page on your prayer date OR (if it’s your week) a 4-6 page paper reflecting on readings plus a page on your prayer date.

Sharing in Class:

EVERYONE bring to class the words to a hymn, brief Scripture passage or liturgical/verbal prayer that has been important to you. Journal on its importance -- plan to share some thoughts about why it is important.

Day 6: (March 13) Responding to God in Community:

Prayer datideas deWaal, pp. 141-161on “Gift” – and Epilogue

Read Annie Dillard, "Expedition to the Pole", pp. 17-52 in Teaching a Stone to Talk and Buechner, “The Room in the Basement,” chapter 3 in Telling Secrets.

Journal freely, this week, on daily events, places, observations and encounters. Try writing in the form of a “letter to God” or use whatever other process has worked well for you. You might include in your journal reflections on conversations or other experiences of community life that you want to attend to.

Seniors may want to use this week, and/or the final assignment, to reflect on what how this contemplative practice has helped you connect with the vocation that brought you to seminary and is now carrying you out into the ministries that you are entering after graduation.

TURN IN 2 page journal excerpt plus a page on your prayer date OR (if it’s your week) a 4-6 page paper reflecting on readings plus a page on your prayer date.

FINAL PROJECTS DUE BY NOON ON MARCH 19 by email.