Tag: prose

Spoken Word: Easter 2016

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on March 28, 2016

Ray 5 — Image courtesy of Salem Alliance Church. All rights reserved.

“Because He Lives”

Written by Jessica Murdoch, Rhetorical Redhead; Performed by Ray White

© 2016 Rhetorical Redhead All Rights Reserved

This Easter, I had the opportunity to compose another spoken word poem for Salem Alliance Church. The piece would be performed by an intelligent young man by the name of Ray White, recorded by SAC’s extremely talented tech guy, Chris Hahn, and directed by myself and Jeff Brown, the church’s Worship Pastor.

I continue to be humbled and blessed by beautiful collaborations such as these…they fall into my lap without my asking, and I’ve learned to say “yes” to the things that terrify me. Growth happens when you’re able to work through your fears, making them work for you, and replacing uncertainty with absolute trust. It’s so very hard. But so very liberating. And that is exactly what happened this Easter weekend. I never seem to be able to articulate these experiences very well…and I suppose that is alright. The best things in life need no explanation.

The livestream video is available to view by clicking here. For those who do not wish to watch the full video, the spoken word piece begins at the 24:45 time stamp. If you happen to meet Ray or Chris or Jeff, thank them. And I do hope you’ll take the time to watch the service in its entirety. We are surrounded by passionate and talented individuals who have such a heart for Christ and for others. Let’s celebrate Him, and each other, and remember that we live because He lives.

(Text of poem below.)

“Poetry Has a New Name”

“Poetry Has a New Name”

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on March 22, 2016

“Salem’s art scene is untapped. Portland—forget about it. It’s like elbowing into a crowded sardine can. But not here. This is a river you can leap into, and create a great literary scene.” Henry Hughes, in an interview with the Salem Weekly Click here to read my recent article in the Salem Weekly‘s Art section, discussing our local poetry community. The article weaves through an insightful interview with the ever gracious poet and author, Henry Hughes, who has just released a new collection of poetry, Bunch of Animals, as well as a memoir, Back Seat with Fish. Hughes’ writing continues to capture his ongoing love affair with fishing,…

Book Review: “Back Seat with Fish” by Henry Hughes

Book Review: “Back Seat with Fish” by Henry Hughes

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on March 19, 2016

I had the immense pleasure of reading and reviewing a new work of nonfiction, released by Skyhorse Publishing earlier this month. Back Seat with Fish is a refreshing take on the fishing memoir, written by the magnanimous Henry Hughes. Hughes’ book is dynamic and engaging, plunging into the art of angling, of navigating relationships and traveling the world. There is no shortage of entertainment, nor thoughtful execution. Hughes is a brilliant storyteller, reviving the once-unpalatable genre of ‘the fishing memoir’ for men and women of all ages and origins to enjoy. Click here to read the full review on Amazon before purchasing a copy for yourself or for…

‘Tis the Season: Spend More Time, Spend Less Money

‘Tis the Season: Spend More Time, Spend Less Money

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on December 11, 2015

‘Twas the eve before Christmas and all through downtown, not a single soul resting—no time to slow down! With twinkle lights hung (precarious in the rain) in hopes that next year this won’t happen again. The wish lists were gripped, e’en taken to beds, while visions of bright price tags danced in their heads. Our customs, traditions—how stressors do climb! This season merely asks: “Spend less money; more time.” – Written by J.M. Murdoch (c)2015 – [This imperfect poem is a nod to “The Night Before Christmas,” first published anonymously on December 23rd, 1823 in the Troy Sentinel newspaper in upstate New…

A Rhetorical Update

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on May 21, 2015

An update for you, my dear reader: I know it’s easy to see that #PopUpPoetry takes up a LOT of my time (it does…my IG gallery reflects that blatantly, as does my gap in WordPress posts). But that’s not to say I don’t continue to work on other things. It has actually been very hard to resist posting my more personal pieces as of late–because, firstly, people plagiarize FAR too much on the internet for my liking and I can’t afford to be plagiarized because, secondly, I am saving my work to submit for publication. It’s a slow and arduous…

Hacking (Up a Lung)

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on April 30, 2015

Day 8 – “H” as in Hacking (Up a Lung)

Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? But illness happens to all of us. (Writers aren’t invincible, contrary to popular belief.) The daily grind of poetic progress comes to a daily grinding halt. Be it due to the seasonal cold going around, or the full-blown flu, or food poisoning (I certainly hope not), we can’t be healthy 100% of the time. And when that happens, well…let’s just say it can really be a damper on your creativity, causing some unnecessary frustration.

As I write this, I’m perched atop a bar stool in a local coffeeshop. It’s a sunny spring day and the afternoon couldn’t be more promising. But my head is foggy from days of being suffocated by mucous, my extremities are exhausted from fatigue, I keep sneezing every three minutes, I’m mouth-breathing, my eyes are watering constantly…to any bystander I must look like I’m having a really bad day. But really, I’m just sick. And this is the first day I’ve been well enough to venture out of my house in the last week and attempt some writing. (Apologies if this blog post amounts to nothing but random yammering in the end. I’m unpredictable today! Weee! And this only proves that illness muffs up your writing routine, and you just gotta roll with the punches sometimes. — That was my wonky and weak thesis statement, professor, if you’re reading this…)

The Greats of Poetry

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on April 24, 2015

Day 7 – “G” as in “the Greats of Poetry”

Today’s post is a tribute to the Greats of Poetry. I’d like to take a moment to thank the brilliant men and women who came before us, paving the rough road so that we can have an easier go at it…learning from their failures and successes…studying and understanding the whys as to what made them so “great” in the first place…before attempting to carve our own path of originality on the road less traveled in hopes to create something worthy of standing stacked amongst their vertical names in bookstores for generations to come.

Pop Up Poetry 04.18.2015

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on April 23, 2015

Better late than never! I wanted to give you guys another peek into my event this last weekend during our glorious 70-degree sunny weather. 🙂 I set out to perform Pop Up Poetry at two locations on Saturday: first at Broadway Coffeehouse in the late morning/early afternoon, then to Archive Coffee & Bar in the evening. My first time performing a Daily Double, I am merely thrilled that I managed to survive! It was incredibly fun, as always, and I got to meet some wonderful people who were so kind to share their stories with me. Thanks to each of you for giving me a priceless gift time and time again! Hope to see you again soon!

Some Pop Up poems below in order of creation…Hope you enjoy!

F*ck Expletives in Poetry

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on April 22, 2015

Day 6 – “F” as in “Fck Expletives in Poetry” (gasp!*)

Before anyone gets all up in arms about swearing or not swearing, know that I am not a nun when it comes to colorful language, but I also do not house a sailor’s tongue in my mouth–each with reason. I’d like to think I’m in a good place in regards to profanity in poetry: on the fence, smack dab in the middle of opinion. And since this is a strangely-heated topic in “social media writers’ circles”…I will keep this short and sweet.

I’m stating my conclusion, my sole point, at the start of this post: Expletives are unnecessary in poetry 99% of the time. But if you dare to swear in a poem in that 1% moment…it had better be placed perfectly and must serve a purpose other than to make you sound tough or edgy.

Editing Poetry

Published by Rhetorical Redhead on April 21, 2015

Day 5 – “E” as in “Editing”

I will do my best to keep these next few posts as brief as possible since I am in dire need of catching up on this challenge. *cheers from the crowd* (You’re welcome.) 😉

As much as I love editing (I know, it’s sick and perverse), I won’t exhaust this topic. It has been discussed time and time again, debated even more so, and I think we can all agree that Editing is the necessary evil to poetry…less evil and more necessary, in my opinion. But let’s be honest–there are so many opinions about editing floating around in the writing community, so, for this blog post, I figured I would keep it relatively simple and outline the three basic types of editing I have personally experienced and witnessed in the poetry-writing process. Of course, I think there are variations of the following examples, and everyone has a preferred editing style, but I think we can all agree that these encompass the universal spirit of what we experience when revising our babies. 🙂

Tag: prose

Spoken Word: Easter 2016

“Because He Lives”

Written by Jessica Murdoch, Rhetorical Redhead; Performed by Ray White

© 2016 Rhetorical Redhead All Rights Reserved

Like this:

“Poetry Has a New Name”

Like this:

Book Review: “Back Seat with Fish” by Henry Hughes

Like this:

‘Tis the Season: Spend More Time, Spend Less Money

Like this:

A Rhetorical Update

Like this:

Hacking (Up a Lung)

Day 8 – “H” as in Hacking (Up a Lung)

Like this:

The Greats of Poetry

Day 7 – “G” as in “the Greats of Poetry”

Like this:

Pop Up Poetry 04.18.2015

Like this:

F*ck Expletives in Poetry

Day 6 – “F” as in “Fck Expletives in Poetry” (gasp!*)

Like this:

Editing Poetry

Day 5 – “E” as in “Editing”

Like this:

Tag: prose

“Because He Lives”

Written by Jessica Murdoch, Rhetorical Redhead; Performed by Ray White

© 2016 Rhetorical Redhead All Rights Reserved

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Day 8 – “H” as in Hacking (Up a Lung)

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Like this:

Day 7 – “G” as in “the Greats of Poetry”

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Like this:

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Like this:

Day 6 – “F” as in “F*ck Expletives in Poetry” (*gasp!*)

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Like this:

Day 5 – “E” as in “Editing”

Share this:

Like this:

Day 6 – “F” as in “Fck Expletives in Poetry” (gasp!*)