Westport Writes Together!

Westport Writes Together was a participatory writing project running from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023 that focused on bringing a community together through writing about the seasons and our natural world. During its three seasons, a new prompt was released, and members of the town of Westport were invited to write along with it. Each season started with a writers gathering and closed with a reading event for people to share their work.

We at Midori Creativity are inspired by the beauty of Westport, and the creative power within us all. This project was a way to weave the things we share – a love of our rivers, trees and landscapes that grace our town – as a way to strengthen connection with our community.

This program was supported in part by a grant from the Westport Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust administered by the Bank of America.

Westport Writes! Through the seasons

Seasonal prompts

Fall prompt reads: "Fall prompts celebrate the changing of the leaves! Write of a gorgeous tree or a view in Westport of yellows, reds, and oranges."
Winter prompt reads: "Winter prompts celebrate the lights of winter! Write of the sparkling night skies outside or the light of winter candlelight shining in a window."
Spring prompt reads: "Spring prompts celebrate garden life! Write of a garden you love or of the feeling of caring for young plants as you ready your garden for spring."

Spring Writing Submissions

Explore Spring submissions
CACOPHONY
CACOPHONY

I’m not a morning person. It seems that everyone else in the neighborhood is–up singing at the crack of dawn, preening their lawns, checking how gardens fared in the cool Spring weather. I stretch, then close my eyes to get another hour, a few minutes, a wink.

We moved here for the solitude, not the acreage. The bucolic view is a bonus, a big backyard with fertile soil. A place to settle down, raise a family.

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Untitled
Untitled

This year, all my plants survived from sheer force of will.

Lenten roses are the most wonderful joy

they come so early, with the crocuses, when all the flowers play.

– Kathy Gallagher

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Spring poem
Spring poem

Driving up the hill to the Quaker meeting

Seeing the daffodils along the rockwall

Grateful for spring.

– Anonymous

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Coming Home
Coming Home

Coming Home and the season has turned—

Coming home is the sunshine of daffodils flooding the walls

just when you think “It’ll never happen”—

Coming home from far away

is having my hair curl in the nurturing spring almost-rain-dew—

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Down the path at Westport
Down the path at Westport

Walk along the asphalt road

Turn for the stone steps going up

Conservation land

Farmer in the late 1800s

A house, two barns, and a silo? A kiln?

What/who before then?

Wampanoags here before the English

King Philip’s War

And afterwards, among them, though diminished

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Green Thumb
Green Thumb

I was always told I didn't have a green thumb. By humans, that is.

My plants whisper to me, Your soul is green!

– Sandra Mack-Valencia

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Sniffing around the garden with Gracie
Sniffing around the garden with Gracie

Nocturnal expeditions with Gracie have ignited a new circadian rhythm in me. It frequently strikes around 3am in concert with Gracie’s explosive head shaking, tags clicking and clacking in noisy metronomic arcs. I wait motionless in my bed. If I don’t make a sound... Too late, my breathing pattern has changed, sending a text to my bladder. Upsey daisy to the loo - the watery grave of all hope of sleeping through the night. We are up and the ritual is afoot.

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Sweet Air
Sweet Air

Dancing in

Sweet fresh air.

Nature's harmony,

my favorite colors.

— Laura Fayer

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Winter Writing Submissions

Winter Westport Writes! submissions
WINTER SUNRISE
WINTER SUNRISE

I’m pacing again

Waiting for the coffee to brew

Slowly wearing a path in the ugly painted linoleum of the kitchen floor

I’ve got my wetsuit halfway on

The velcro neck closure sticking to my sweater sleeve

I’m not going far but it would be awkward to get pulled over dressed like this

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We Need to Talk About Potato Hill
We Need to Talk About Potato Hill

Sledding

The speed, the thrill

It may be the most exhilaration allowed a child

Trudging up the hill

Renders delight somehow earned

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Sparkling Night & Candle Light
Sparkling Night & Candle Light

When I look out of my window at night all I see is beautiful bright light. I know it’s not for spring, summer, or fall because the light is for winter. The spirts show us beautiful light that can only be seen on a winter night. So, look closely in the sky because it’s one of the most powerful moments. The skies are silky, beautiful and bright but only on winter nights.

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January poem
January poem

January is two dimensional

A line between the past year

A sigh after holiday hullabaloo.

January places its slushy bootheel against our necks

Not yet. Wait. It’s too soon. Too cold. You’re too eager.

Restlessly, we watch for Nature’s cues to begin the next leg of the race.

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WWT Winter writing submission #4.png

Candle light spreads

through the ebony night

like

spilled sugar

on a

black granite countertop.

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Shimmer
Shimmer

The cool, crisp,

winter air

Lets the stars shimmer

and gleam in the sky.

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Old Country Rd.
Old Country Rd.

Time for sleep,

And rituals of the season,

Interplay of light and darkness,

Shadows, fire, and

The flickering hope

For more blessings.

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December
December

Winter streams babble alongside snow covered shoreline.

Speaking their secrets to the silent depth of the forest.

Pine; sway softly with the wind, creaking their ever changing stories.

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Bright
Bright

Bright lights at night! 😊

Stars and sand and dark,

the wind and the taste of the sea

in the air.

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Balsam
Balsam

Balsam fir candles flicker

and light dances

in every corner.

- Laura Fayer

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Fall Writing Submissions

Fall Westport Writes! submissions
Upon the Trees
Upon the Trees

Once upon a time there was a girl named Amelia. Amelia was walking back from school all alone when suddenly she saw a girl, but the girl wasn't walking home. She took an unexpected turn to the unforgettable and then she started singing. She was a little girl all alone so Amelia decided to follow her.

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Westport River
Westport River

Today I went to school and I saw my friends. I said we should meet up at the park. They all said “Sure!” So after school we met up at the park and I said “We should go into the woods, I heard there is some scary stuff there.” So we ran into the woods and ten minutes later we found the Westport River.

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Fall
Fall

Hi, my name is Ryan, today is Saturday in Westport, Massachusetts. My Dad said we are going to rake the bright orange leaves into one big pile. I asked, “Can I invite some of my friends over after we rake the yard, so we can play in the leaves?” “You can only invite them if you clean all of the leaves up after,” Dad replied.

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How Leaves Change Color
How Leaves Change Color

Ever since I was little I've always wondered two things about fall. First being how do leaves change color in the fall? And second, how do leaves fall off?

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The Fall Day
The Fall Day

“Lily hurry up!” I called from the bottom of the stairs. “I don’t want to be late for the festival”. Lily rushed down the stairs, she was wearing a red long sweater over a red and white flannel shirt with jeans.

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A night beneath the stars
A night beneath the stars

A night beneath the stars.

Love swells in my chest,

Even for just one night.

So few and far between; the moments.

Out onto the roof we climbed

Laying side by side,

Under the late autumn nighttime sky.

Your warm skin pressed against mine.

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Leafjump
Leafjump

We celebrate

Bright Death.

Swirl down;

Yellow, orange, red

Flash—

Brief fire against the blue.

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Fall
Fall

Today is a rare chance for me to go outside. With my busy schedule I never have the ability to truly take in the smells, sounds, and sensations of the outdoors. Fall is the perfect time for this, it’s not too hot or too cold. Fall is also one of the most beautiful seasons. Even after 17 years of life, there is something magical about seeing the leaves change from green to orange, yellow, and red.

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Untitled
Untitled

Leaves are red,

Leaves are yellow,

I was walking in the park and met a fine fellow.

He brought me to a place

And he told me “Look at it, Embrace.”

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The Worst Halloween ever!
The Worst Halloween ever!

On October 31, 2022, it was a Monday. The temperature is about fifty degrees.

I was biking home from school when an older kid (about thirteen years old) named Ice pushed me off my bike and stole my new $200 shoes!

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Untitled
Untitled

Autumn leaves come and go.

Beautiful colors blossom and bloom.

We must savor this beauty and the weather.

Because soon winter will come,

all will be gone.

No leaves on the trees,

no warmth in the air.

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Westport Writes Together in the news!

  • Westport Writes Together featured in local news

    Article: Westport Writes Together shares stories of town's natural beauty

    Read Article
  • Westport Writes Together featured in local news

    Article: Westport Writes Together celebrates the lights of winter

    Read Article

  • Article: Westport Writes Together celebrates gardens for final season of community project

    Read Article

Thank you to all the partners

of the Westport Writes Together project!

  • Westport Land Trust

  • Westport Friends (Westport Quakers)

  • Westport Library

  • Westport Historical Society

  • Westport Schools

  • Wild Honey Cafe

  • Partner's Village Store

  • Westport Council on Aging

  • Hay Ray’s Farm & Feed

  • Wild Honey Cafe

  • Charlotte’s

  • Country Woolens

  • Cat and Raven

  • Westport Point United Methodist Church

  • Westport Wellness Personal Fitness Training

  • Baycoast Bank

  • Town Hall Annex

  • Perry’s Bakery

  • Gooseberry Natural Foods

  • Westport Apothecary

Read more from Westport Writes!

Featured
Westport Writes!
Westport Writes!

You drive down the hill and see the Atlantic Ocean before you.

You walk along the paths at the Town Farm, gazing over the hayfields.

You kayak up the river, watching the ospreys flying overhead.

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Westport Writes Together through the Seasons
Westport Writes Together through the Seasons

It’s hard to believe that September is already here, with the sun setting earlier each day, and the night air — finally — getting a bit cooler.

At Midori Creativity, we’re putting the final touches on Westport Writes! Together through the Seasons, the town-wide community writing experience launching on Sept. 19.

Read More →

Write -- Create -- Connect

〰️

Write -- Create -- Connect 〰️

I’m feeling stuck…

I don’t know where to start, what do I do?

Take a look outside. Look at the leaves, trees, and ground. Are there any vibrant colors that stand out, or is it dull? Do you see anything in your neighborhood that changes with the seasons? Spend a few minutes to take it all in and when you’re done, write about what you saw and how you feel. If you’re feeling stuck, try describing it out loud first and then copy it down.

 I’m not a creative person.

Everyones is creative, even if you think you’re not. Try to write what's going on in your mind when you think of a season. If you’re struggling to put it down on a page, there’s always someone who can help guide you, whether it be a friend, a teacher, or anyone who has the time. Writing in a collaborative environment can help open up the ideas inside you.

I don’t feel inspired. Where do writers find inspiration?

Inspiration can come from anywhere – nature, music, people, or even trying to process a feeling. For these prompts you can think of a song that relates to seasons. Look at how those lyrics transcribe those images and emotions and try to write your own.

Additional Resources

The National Writing Project

Meet Our Team

  • Midori Evans

    Originator of the Westport Writes Together project and founder of Midori Creativity! Midori seeks to bring out the creativity in all of us, and she started this project as an accessible way for the community to get involved with their creative side.

  • Mirina Garoufalidis

    Graphic Designer + Marketing coordinator for the Westport Writes Together project.

Sunset in Westport, MA. Image for Westport Writes Together
Westport Writes Together pier
Westport Writes Together beach
Westport Writes Together rocks