Muir Woods, CA ~ photo by aditya bhatia, pixels.com
For well over seven years, I wrote a spiritual column for the Danville News. The process of writing and sharing of new ideas and receiving feedback certainly helped grow my soul, and hopefully aided others in making meaning out of the many seasons and experiences of life. As a way of kicking off a...
When I think of singer-songwriters I have met and those I have never met, I am moved by their veracity in disclosing personal vulnerabilities that relate to the people around them. What is most specific is what is most relatable. What is hidden is gently revealed: a struggle with discrimination; a challenge with poverty;...
I find it fascinating that what is most “relevant, spectacular and powerful” (thank you Henri Nouwen for these insights) in this world is what is perceived as insignificant, mundane and humble: the cry of an infant in a manger; the courage of women who push through adversity as they and their respective partners bring...
A little over fifty years ago, one of our nation’s greatest songwriters died in a plane crash, along with five other people, on September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, Louisiana, after finishing a concert at Northwestern State University. The songwriter: Jim Croce. About eleven years after Jim Croce’s death, I was serving Hopewell United Methodist...
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 The crispness in the air, the sounds of Canada Geese on the move, the chattering of children and their parents as they walk to school-bus stops, the aroma of pumpkin spice and the sipping of warm coffee and tea...
July 17, 2023 Greetings from Denver, Pennsylvania. Thank you so very much for visiting my website and checking out the release of my workbook “Creating Connections: Interweaving Poem-making and Songwriting, which includes the release of eleven songs that you can easily access by capturing the QR code for each song. Please join me...
Thank you so very much for visiting this website. My name is Michael Carr and I was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where I discovered the joy of singing and my love for music of all kinds. Since early adolescence, I have been writing song lyrics and melodies, and this has continued into adulthood with many twists and turns. I hope that my passion for songwriting and poem-making connects with you and leads you to a deeper and more soulful and joyful expression of who you are.
Mr. Carr's mature approach to songwriting encourages the reader to explore the natural world for inspiration and to put self-doubt aside for the sake of freeing creativity. The fresh and innovative exercises can lead a novice writer to take that first step or mentor the seasoned writer to find refreshment and new joy in their craft.
So, you want to compose songs or poetry? This book is like a gentle, supportive friend who guides you to ask yourself ‘What do YOU think’ and ‘how can YOU express these thoughts?’ The author has laid out exactly the questions you might need to further your personal artistry. It is really simple: find yourself and you will know where to go. Having attended many camps and workshops myself, I don’t believe there is a better guide.
Music and poetry give voice to our individual and collective journeys through our living years. They connect, give meaning, soothe, celebrate, explain, strengthen, allow moments of vulnerability, and help us find love in all its forms. This book is a valuable road map to what lies within, between, among, and above through the vehicles of words and music. For anybody wishing to enhance their journey....this book is good for that.