Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Meet 11 Literary Muses for November



I have learned to surrender to the muse. I become obsessed with a theme or certain stories; they haunt me for years, 
and finally, I write them. -Isabel Allende

On November 1, let's celebrate National Author’s Day, Family Literacy Day, and National Novel Writing Month! 

How? 

One way is to be curious while meeting some familiar and new literary muses. Some of these eleven authors and poets still create. Then, as Stephen King suggests that some, “Muses are ghosts, and sometimes come uninvited.”

So what is a muse? Muses are visible and invisible energies, found in trusted people, places, pets, and things. They're always present and often not present when needed and so writer’s block appears. Some writers state they've never experienced this state of mind. Lucky them!

Wendell Berry,  poet, essayist, farmer and novelist, offers these clarifying insights:
“There are, it seems, two muses: the Muse of Inspiration, who gives us inarticulate visions and desires, and the Muse of Realization, who return, again and again, to say "It is yet more difficult than you thought." This is the muse of form.

It may be then that form serves us best when it works as an obstruction, to baffle us and deflect our intended course. It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”

These 11 writers and poets born in November could serve as your “Muse of Inspiration and Muse of Realization” and whose words sing.
Won't you please meet and remember:

Kamaria Muntu November 1 (b. 1962) – American poet, arts activist, black feminist-Fertile Ground-Memories & Visions: A Call to End the Oppression of Women (1996)

Oodgeroo Noonuccal formerly Kath Walker November 3 (b. 1920-1993) – Australian/ aboriginal poet, political activist, and first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse -We Are Going (1964)

Margaret Mitchell November 8 (b. 1900-1949)-Pulitzer prize winner an American author-Gone with the Wind (1936)

The book is actually divided into five sections, through which the key character, 
the muse, leads us. –Christopher "Kit" Williams

Alicia Ostriker November 11 (b. 1937) – American poet – A Woman Under the Surface: Poems and Prose Poems (1982)

Ayaan Hirsi Ali November 13 (b. 1969) – Somali writer, human rights activist –Infidel (2007)

Karen Armstrong November 14 (b. 1944) – U.K. writer (religion); memoirist – the Spiral Staircase (2004) 

Writing sometimes feels frivolous and sometimes sacred, but memory is one of my strongest muses. I serve her with my words. So long as people read, those we love survive however evanescently. As do we writers, saying with our life's work, 
Remember. 
Remember us. 
Remember me. -Marge Piercy

George Eliot November 22 aka Mary Ann [Marian] Evans (b. 1819) – British novelist, journalist, poet and translator – Brother Jacob (1864)

Alexis Wright November 25 (b. 1950) – Australian (indigenous) novelist, short story writer – Carpentaria (2006)

Louisa May Alcott November 29 (b. 1832-1888) American novelist and poet-Little Women (1869), Little Men (1871), and Jo’s Boys (1886)

Lucy Maud Montgomery November 30 (b. 1874) – Canadian novelist – Anne of Green Gables (1908)


Mural, Musee D'Art, Palais De Toyko
Like Allende, might you now surrender to your familiar or new muse? 
Which author or poet "whispered" to you? Share a link to your book(s).

Curious? Find out more:

Connect with Lore (like story) Raymond
* Join Writer's VisionQuest, free, dynamic private Facebook group for women writers to"take your words somewhere brilliant."
* Read Women as Visionaries with Lore Raymond, 5-year old magazine format with women contributors to "empower women through spiritual inspiration." Interested in contributing? Please inbox me.

20 comments:

  1. Love this Lore- you have introduced my too new authors and love Allende. I have some surrendering to do this month to get my book written thank you

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    1. Thank you,dear Suzie. I am especially intrigued with the Aboriginal Australian poet--she was quite a visionary writer! Do you know of her? Best wishes with your book! What's the title?

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  2. I love all the quotes about muses and the list of inspiring authors Lore! I am grateful to meet authors I have not yet read and see Lucy Maud Montgomery who I adore. Ann of Green Gables is one of my favorites and I look forward to exploring some of the others I have yet to read. Thank you so much!

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments, Kelley! I'm inspired to read more by these authors and poets, too.

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  3. What an interesting and diverse list! Thank you!

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  4. Happy Author's Day to you, too, Lore! Thanks for another inspirational post. :-)

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    1. Awww, you're so welcome, Sheila! And congrats to you on the wildly successful launch of Courageous Hearts!

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  5. What a wonderful list, some of the authors are those I love and visited often and some are unknown to me and I would like to explore them. I am also being inspired by your post to write my book more consistently.

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    1. Thank you, Rachel, for your kind comments and also sharing the blog! And YES, to write more consistently...practice x7....every day for 18 minutes.

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  6. Thank you very much Lore. Great list and inspiring post.

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  7. I really enjoyed the post today Lore about the different Muses and the quotes. Happy Authors Day! May your muse(s) never cease to amaze and inspire you!

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    1. Appreciating all of your kind words, Crystal! And yes, I will accept your wish about my muses inspiring me since I am writing two, solo books right now--MY FIRST! Twins, hahaha!

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  8. An informative and inspiring post Lore! My muses are definately in the unseen realm. They are SOOOO delighted when I show up and say YES to my writing practice! <3

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    1. My muses are also in the non-physical realm, though my Sasha Kitty (age 15) was my daily muse for years until she left her fursuit in May 2015. Happy you enjoyed the blog post, Kara...or is it Kara Hope?

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  9. Thank you for this wonderful list of muses Lore, several who I love and new muses to explore. What a legacy they have left to inspire us. Now we conspire to inspire ourselves with their work!

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    1. My pleasue to share, Debra. I so enjoyed doing the research about women authors born in November. Yes, now to courageosly inspire others with our words thanks to our muses!

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  10. Hmmm.... "sometimes frivolous and sometimes sacred." That about sums it up, doesn't it?

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  11. I love poetry, thank you for inspiring me to read Alicia Ostriker. Her poetry in intriguing. I especially identify with A young woman, A tree.

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