“While working and after having a second child, finding time to write and create seemed overwhelming,” Sierra explains. “And then I thought, why not just use the space and time you have to write? Just a few lines? But keep the commitment to those few lines sacred.”
At first, Sierra experimented with writing just five lines of poetry on a topic, but five felt a bit constricting. “Adding that sixth line gave just enough freedom and space,” Sierra says.
She shared her idea with other women — some who, she says, did not identify as writers but wanted to try writing as a creative outlet — and soon, they wanted to share their work.
“I started getting six lines of work via email, text messages, you name it,” Sierra adds with a laugh.
That’s when she set up the Six Lines Community on Facebook. “It was a simple platform for sharing work, and with privacy settings — members join by invitation only — it is a safe and sacred space to share writing,” Sierra says.
Once women have contributed their six lines on a topic — it could be a current event, a social issue, or even something as simple as “fire” or “flower — Sierra applies her poetic sensibility to arranging the sets of six lines into a poem. In this way, the members create their own work but also contribute collaboratively to a poem.
Now, six years later, appropriately enough, the group is hosting the Six Lines Retreat on Sept. 18-20 at the House of Peace in Yellow Springs.
“The Six Lines online community is very affirming,” says Furaha Henry-Jones, a member of the online group, a poet and an associate professor of English at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, where she chairs the college’s annual creative writing workshop. “The only rule of thumb is to rant on paper or on your own before composing your six lines on a topic or issue. That way, your six lines can lean toward something more positive for yourself and for others reading your work.”
Furaha, who will also lead sessions at the retreat, says that the event is open to all women, not only those who are already in the Six Lines group.
“We’ve focused the event around women who write or want to explore writing because it seems to be challenging for women to take time away from work and family to refresh and renew their own energy,” Furaha explains. “This is a retreat for women to reconnect to their own strength, to find that strength in other women, and to explore how the written or spoken word can help them express their views on the topics they find most important.”
The cost of the retreat is all-inclusive.
However, those who would like to attend workshop sessions only on Saturday, Sept. 19, are welcome to do so, say Furaha and Sierra.
The sessions, on a variety of topics from creating poetry to pragmatic tips on finding time and space to write to the healing power of creating poetry and more, will be led by Sierra and Furaha as well as two poets coming for the event from outside the Dayton area — Sunni Patterson, an internationally known performance artists, lecturer and activist, and Gwendolyn Mitchell, poet, author and senior editor of Third World Press.
Registration for either the full retreat or the Saturday workshop sessions only ends on Friday, Sept. 4.
To register or to find out more information, contact Sierra at ofpproductionsusa@gmail.com or call 937-241-4957.
Events
• Tuesday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m., Books & Co. at The Greene, Beavercreek: John Scalzi, renowned science fiction writer and resident of the Greater Dayton area, will introduce his newest novel, “The End of All Things.” Line numbers will be distributed at 6 p.m.
• Antioch Writers' Workshop Fall Retreat (to be held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at Maria Stein Retreat Center): Applications to attend this all-inclusive are now being accepted. Application deadline is Sept. 12. For details and to apply, go online to www.antiochwritersworkshop.com/fall-2015-retreat.html.
• Fall Word's Worth Writing Center classes start Sept. 15: Author Katrina Kittle will lead the center's classes, "Fiction Jumpstart," (Tuesdays, Sept. 15-Oct. 13, 10 a.m.-noon) and "Craft Class: Character," (also Tuesdays, Sept. 15-Oct. 13, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.) Both sets of classes will be held in the community room at the Oakwood Starbucks, 2424 Far Hills Ave. Visit Word's Worth's website for details and to register: www.wordsworthdayton.com.
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