 A Prayer in Spring Robert Frost (1915)
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still. For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.  SWA Writers Conference - Fall Conference October 2009 planning is beginning. Details as soon as available. Our annual Spring Writers Conference, open to both members and non-members of SWA was held at the Wadleigh Library of Chester College of New Engand, Chester, NH on May 16.
This year's keynote speaker was Marie Harris, former N. H. State Poet Laureate, author of several collections of poetry and two best-selling children's books, "G is for Granite" and "Primary Numbers."
The conference opened with the awarding of prizes in the 2009 SWA writers contest. First place winners read their winning entries. Following a buffet luncheon and a special short film, the Norman Rockwell Code, a very funny spoof of the Dan Brown's DaVinci Code, by Alfred Thomas Catalfo, participants attended their choice of one of four two-hour afternoon writing workshops. Kimberly Cloutier-Green gave us Contents Under Pressure - Four Word Line Poems. Vicki Stiefel presented the workshop How Diastrous is Your Adventure? Michael Sullivan told us about Writing for Kids Who Won't Read and the aforementioned Alfred Thomas Catalfo taught participants in his workshop how to write a short film. A fun day with some great writers and presenters.  Wadleigh Library, Chester College of New England.
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