My weekend photo collages are some of the most popular posts here, but this is the first time I’m showcasing an entire week. Why? I just finished one of my busiest weeks of the year. Yes, a regular day-in-the-life of a writer is bursting at the seams, so you can imagine how one day after another quickly unravels into…this:

Knowing how busy I was going to be during the week, last Sunday I took off to Raven Rock State Park, which is about an hour south of Raleigh. The drive is just as enjoyable as the hike, and I had to stop to get a picture of pony that kept trying to kiss me.

Monday I went to a SPARKcon meeting. It’s a fantastic four-day festival every September in downtown Raleigh where the streets are literally painted. I’m helping to organize poetrySPARK 2012. (Remember last year one of my poems inspired a marriage proposal?)

…so on Tuesday we had our poetrySPARK planning meeting. If you’re in the Raleigh area we have a Call For Poems! This year we’ll have an open mic contest, erotic poetry reading with burlesque dancers courtesy of circusSPARK, poetry on demand, youth poetry readings, and lots of fun!

I met with a local artist-turned-children’s-book-author Wednesday morning to discuss her manuscript targeted at autistic tween girls. On Wednesday night, after a summer hiatus, I returned to my writing critique group. I’ve been busy organizing a new writer’s group in Western North Carolina, so if you know writers in Asheville, you can direct them here. (I’m hosting a free writing seminar in the morning and a class in the afternoon on SEO Writing on Saturday, August 4.) Also, I’m about to reserve space in Savannah for a writing class this fall!

Thursday I trekked out with fellow Living Poetry member Bart Barker to hear our buddy (and also LP member) Glenn Cassidy read at Lazy Lion Books in Fuquay-Varina. Glenn attracted a big crowd–it was standing room only!

Friday I breakfasted at La Farm with editor and Triangle Writers member Belea Keeney. She is planning a series of author events at Eva Perry Library in Apex. Okay, Friday night I had the best intentions to make it to downtown Raleigh for a free comedy show, but instead I finished the final prep for Saturday’s writing workshop. (And played guitar.)

So, yes, Saturday’s writing workshop! It was the inaugural Write Now: Sensory Prompts workshop, which had prompts that appealed to every sense. I organized taste prompts ranging from 100% dark chocolate to coconut water, and offered musical prompts that focused on specific music notes. Throughout music history there is a consistent record that the majority of popular/successful love songs are written in the key of B flat. It’s known as the “magical key” of music.

To cap off the full week of writerly goodness I spent today at the grand opening of the NC Art Museum’s new exhibit “Word Up: The Intersection of Text and Image.”