Jane’s Gestures by Joshua Edwards
“As she read, her fingers whisked the air – as though she were wafting smoke and casting spells. As we listened, her wrist flickered and her arm flowed, conducting our raucous laughter and deep sighs into a harmony that punctuated her story.”I wish I could say that I had anything to do with this lovely poem by Joshua Edwards written in a couple of minutes at Beachside Writers – Black Butte June27. Well, I did give the assignment, to write a brief description of someone in the room that would help us pick that person out of a crowd. Josh graced me with this.
More than humbling prose, the piece reminds me once again of the power of the written word. He copied it over for me and signed it with “Thank you for kindling our imagination & bringing warmth to our community on this cold & rainy day.” And it reminded me of the personal connection that comes from contact not flowing across the world wide web.
This incident and Sincerely Yours the novella collection inspired by the assignment “ A woman receives a letter that changes her life” has inspired me to ask readers for their snail mail addresses! I used to send postcards when new titles came out but my list is pretty old and I’m hoping to update it and reconnect with something tangible in hand. Joshua’s words fits with this idea of “fingers whisking the air” reading a postcard or a letter. So stay tuned for a project that will bring about a chance to receive a signed copy of my newest novel A Light in the Wilderness before the release date.
Meanwhile,we mid-westerners do often talk with our hands flowing. After all, it’s the best way to keep the bugs from flowing into our mouths on a balmy summer evening chattering around the fire. Perhaps that’s the smoke Joshua Edwards saw in the air…
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