Five Days at the Carolyn Moore Writers House
Posted by karah.kemmerly
by PCC instructor Paul Montone
Over the five days I stayed at Carolyn Moore Writers House, I used Kim Krans’ tarot The Wild Unknown Alchemy Deck and Guidebook to guide my daily writing. Each day, I drew a card and wrote in response to it.
Pictured below is the tarot spread in completion, the five daily cards grouped together. The one card to the right was my clarifying card, a final card meant to clarify and amplify the meaning of them all, and to give a sense of what I could take with me as my residency came to a close.
Quicksilver, the first card I drew on my first day was appropriate. In short, the card can be read as “the sacred threshold demands your attention.”
Coagulation, the second card I drew, can be read as, “experience the merging of others while not losing oneself.”
The New Pearl, the third day’s card, can be read as, “find the grit that will become the pearl.”
Iron, the card drawn for my fourth day, can be read as, “be held by the structure already in place.”
Sulphur, the card for my fifth and final day, can be read as, “embrace a both and mentality.”
And finally, Sap of the Moon Plant, the card I drew to clarify what to take from all cards, can be read as, “a metaphor for the wellspring of the unconscious–release your grip–the dream is waiting to show itself but awaits your sincere invitation.”
In her introduction to the tarot deck, Kim Karns recalls what an art teacher once told her during a critique: “I bet you thought you were working on a sculpture. Maybe the sculpture is working on you.”
That’s the point of view I held at the Writer’s House. I was there to work on writing, but more importantly, I let the writing work on me.
Some writing prompts to let the writing work on you:
- Quicksilver: Write about a time you stepped out of your everyday routine into a space that transformed how you saw yourself or your work. How did that shift feel?
- Coagulation: Explore the metaphor of creativity as a plant you’ve neglected. What happens when you start watering it again?
- The New Pearl: Write a short scene in which a character receives unexpected “grit” to work with. How do they transform it into something valuable?
- Iron: Imagine a house designed specifically to foster creativity. Walk through its rooms in your mind and describe them.
- Sulphur: Use a freewrite to explore how “ease” and “uncertainty” can exist together in the creative process.
- Sap of the Moon: Begin with the sentence: “It was always there, waiting for me…” and let the rest flow.
A Final Note
My writing desk at the Writers House
The experience allowed me to embrace a space of process so the purpose of my stay became one of allowing myself the time and space to simply be open to the experience of being at the house, writing and reading. I did, however, manage to see at least one creation to completion, courtesy of the wild blackberry bushes growing throughout the property.
A blackberry pie at the Writers House
Thank you to Justin Rigamonti and the HARTS program at PCC for giving me the opportunity to write, compose, and become inspired at the Carolyn Moore Writers House. And thank you to James Pepe for the gift of Kim Krans’ Alchemy Deck & Guidebook.