Wise Word Project

Introduction to the Virtual Wise Word Blog:

Sometimes when you respond to an e-mail message inviting you to take part in a project the results can be surprising.  I responded to a call to take part in a Wise Words project, a writing and photography course run by lecturers from the two Canterbury Universities, and part of the Canterbury Laureate scheme of the Canterbury Festival.


I did not know what to expect other than the idea that there would be a mixture of young and older in the group who would be encouraged to share their words of wisdom, both in the written word and with the camera.  Keeping an open mind, I embraced the concept, listened to the facilitators, used my camera as I do, and started to write in response to the directions suggested.

Wise Words Launch Night

Although the course was structured, there was a great flexibility as we were urged to be creative, to think of ways to represent our work in non-conventional forms.  The result is seen in the Wise Words anthology along with the work of the other participating groups, including the Canterbury Poet Laureate, Sarah Salway, and the facilitators.  The result was to produce some excellent and varied work that I am proud to be involved with. I was also proud to have my picture of a dandelion seed head chosen as the cover photo for the Anthology.  Most inspiring!

But this blog is not about the Wise Words project; it is about what happened to me during the writing, and what I would like to do with the concept.

The question was asked: What advice would you give at age eighty to yourself at sixteen?

My reaction was to consider that today I communicate mostly by e-mail, blogs, web-sites, or the telephone, so a letter was out of the question, yet when I was sixteen a letter or a card would be normal.   I decided to carry on a conversation with my younger self using the blog and the comments box that goes with it.

The blog is in hard copy with a simple blog page layout, hence the title Wise Word Virtual Blog,  this blog being the real event in today's technology, and the hard copy on paper being the representation of the technology the late 1950's.

These pages will duplicate that exercise, to a point that is, with the idea of developing the Wise Words idea in the Isle of Sheppey community.   The intent is to bring age groups together, and other groups on the island to share experiences, and to eventually produce a piece of work that will reflect the thoughts of Sheppey residents.