Fearless as a Mango

I had the honor of leading AWA’s March Online Write and am happy to share the prompts here. Truly the most challenging part of participating in Write with us…to a prompt is carving out the time and space to write. So if you are here and have a half hour or so where you won’t be interrupted, thank yourself for that!

First, a quick note about AWA

If you’re new to Amherst Writers & Artists, here’s the heart of it:

We believe everyone has a strong, unique voice. Writing isn’t something reserved for a few people. It belongs to all of us. If you write, you’re a writer.

When we write together, we focus on what is powerful and strong in each other’s freshly written words. If you’re doing this on your own, bring that same energy. Be on your own side.

The stakes couldn’t be lower. You’re just saying hello to the page and recording what comes up.

Before we get started, take a moment to get comfortable in your space. You can take a few deep breaths, grab a glass of water, roll your shoulders. Whatever you need.

Five-minute write: Arriving on the page

Set a time for five minutes and start writing. You can begin with either or both of these prompts:

• Arriving today, I realize…

• Today I suspect that I might want to explore…

The stakes couldn’t be lower. You’re just saying hello to the page and recording what comes up.

First fifteen-minute write

Dreaming of one day being fearless as a mango is the first line in Chen Chen’s poem “Self-Portrait as so Much Potential,” which we read together in the workshop. What does it mean to be fearless as a mango? I have no idea either, but I invite you to play around and see what happens.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and start writing. Choose one or more prompts from the list below:

• Dreaming of one day being fearless as a mango or…

• The poem contains the line “I am not the heterosexual neat freak my mother raised me to be.” The prompt is to fill in the blank and go from there: I am not the _______ my mother raised me to be but…

• The first time I tasted it, I wasn’t sure…

• What I really want to say…

Write without stopping. Don’t edit. Don’t reread. Just keep your pen (or fingers) moving.

Second fifteen-minute write:

Either keep going from your previous write, or start fresh:

• I’m no mango or tomato. I’m a…

• More than anything…

• I don’t remember…

In our workshop, we had the option to read our work aloud. And when we responded to each other’s writing, we focused on what we loved and what stayed with us.

If you’re doing this alone, you can still try a version of that. Go back and read what you wrote. Underline a few phrases or sentences that catch your attention.

We ended our workshop by each contributing a line to a collaborative poem. If you’d like, read it and play around with where you’d add a line or two of your own.

Fearless as a Mango

Birdsong mornings foggy with hunger

It was the day where the sun gazed down on me full of promise.

Ah, that’s where it gets juicy like a fresh peach –

and she was as mute as a turnip

…some days sunny and delicious …

I exist to survive.

Sweet, bitter, thorny, enjoying a deep purple gothic slant to creativity with some seeds of humor.

I am an exclamation point!

And four decades pull the sand through her toes as she stands in the same place, carrying the

loss, the grief, a yearning that is slippery as stiff Jello.

I still delight in knowing that my mother and I took flight into the night

The tomato slice slid out of her mouth down her front to her lap.

Share hymnals

more than anything, I hope for peace,

I will not fit nicely into your China fruit bowl.

Not remembering enough words is not a great symptom for a writer to have, but the possibility

that I could wander around for days, even hours, lost and unable to pull myself back into the now

of the driver’s seat is a bleak possibility

The ambivalence about life itself, ah, indeed, therein lies the bleed out artery

I think she still wants me to be that mango, but I prefer to be a kiwi instead.

Finally, many thanks to writer Nancy Day, who generously shared this wonderful piece she wrote from the prompt “I’m no mango or tomato…”

I’m no mango or tomato. It’s a romaine lettuce I more resemble. At my core, the tender, pale leaves are delectable, crunchy yet easily digested. Layers of darker, greener layers surround the baby me. The once was. They clutch at little-me, protecting and suffocating in their silly pursuit. The very outer leaves are tattered, browned, tougher. They rip easily away and are tossed into the compost bin on the counter. From there, Helmut will walk them out to the garage to await Friday, garbage pickup day. It’s terrifying when there isn’t a romaine in the fridge, in some semblance of being used up.

-Nancy Day

If you write from these prompts…

I’d love to know:

What surprised you?
What stuck with you?

Get in touch at karen@karenrosenberg.com.

And remember, you don’t have to be fearless like a mango.

You can just show up, write a few lines, and see what happens.

Karen Rosenberg is a writing coach and workshop facilitator based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Amherst Writers& Artists’ next online write is on Friday, May 15, at 1 p.m. Eastern with Pennie A. Nichols. All are welcome to experience the magic of an AWA workshop. Join us

PENNIE A. NICHOLS is a Louisiana-based author of literary fiction whose novels and stories explore the intersections of identity, community, and connection. Alongside her own writing, she facilitates in-person workshops, meetups, and retreats that help writers tap into their creative flow. Recently certified as an Amherst Writers & Artists affiliate, she plans to offer online InkWell WordShops and Draft and Craft series. A regular contender in flash fiction and poetry contests, Pennie is passionate about fostering safe spaces for creative expression.

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