< Back #11 Alan Watts, "Six Men" April 2, 2024 "Smartphones brought the internet everywhere. Many times I’ve walked into a public bathroom and everyone is simultaneously using a urinal and staring at a screen. - Ezra Klein, NY Times, Aug. 7, 2022 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Thanks to J.P. Tilleman for collaboration Alan Watts - Six Men 00:00 / 05:42 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

< Back #19 Bernie's "All of Me" Dream March 27, 2025 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman & David Ford Bernie’s Dream - All of Me 00:00 / 03:56 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Announcements #1 Don't postpone writing your memoir! Say What You Mean Before You Die New session starts May 1 #2 Join me on Saturday, April 5th in the "Hands Off!"National Day of Action to oppose the dismantling of essential programs and the billionaire power grab. Be part of it Previous Next

< Back #8 Bernie's Henry Kissinger Dream December 14, 2023 Written by Charlie Varon & David Ford Performed by Charlie Varon Bernie's Henry Kissinger Dream 00:00 / 03:24 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Use code BONBON and save $25 on the Intensive Previous Next

< Back #7 Poetry Unwound December 7, 2023 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Poetry Unwound 00:00 / 02:00 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Previous Next

< Back #16 Election Anxiety October 27, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Special thanks to David Ford & J.P. Tilleman Feeeling a tad anxious about the election? Click here Election anxiety 00:00 / 03:54 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

< Back #13 Alan Watts, "Puzzling Evidence" June 28, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman Alan Watts - Puzzling Evidence 00:00 / 06:00 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

< Back #15 Bernie's Dream - Oct 2024 October 10, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman Bernie's Dream - Oct 2024 00:00 / 04:50 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

The art of revision allows us to go deeper, think in ways we otherwise could not, and make our writing better. 7 Rules for Revision Revising our writing allows us to go deeper, think in ways we otherwise could not, and make our writing stronger and more readable. RULE #1: Eliminate restatements (unless there’s good cause)   RULE #2: Stop at the top of the mountain No plateauing, no slow “leaks” of energy True of sentences, paragraphs, sections RULE #3: Keep looking for better language Circle obvious or familiar words or phrases and find fresher, more vivid replacements Beware descriptors of emotion or diagnoses (“Show, don’t tell”) The struggle for better language can open new discovery   RULE #4: It’s always too long. Cut too much and see what you miss. Trick: use a highlighter, and make a version that has only what you've highlighted. See what, if anything, you miss. (You can always put it back in.)   RULE #5: Make two kinds of cuts... Pare away at language within a sentence Cut (or compress) entire sentences, paragraphs, or sections   Another way of thinking about this... Can a section become a paragraph? Can a paragraph become a sentence? Can a sentence become a phrase? Can a phrase become a word? RULE #6: Read what you've written out loud and see if the voice is true to you.   RULE #7: You’ve cut and compressed; what else do you want to say NOW? Having revised your work, look at it with fresh eyes and ask where else the piece could go. Switch from Editing mode back to Generative mode; start writing and go as far as you can.

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< Back #2 Bernie's Dream August 23, 2023 Of all the voices I do, none gives me more pleasure than that of Bernie Sanders. I cooked this up yesterday and sent a draft to David Ford, my collaborator and director for 30+ years. David listened and asked the question that unlocked the piece. I recorded again this morning and sent it to him and then to Joe Dunn, who told me to post it right away. Bernie's Dream 00:00 / 02:47 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Previous Next

Your first words as a canvasser are the most important (W hat I learned knocking on doors for Democratic Congressional candidate Adam Gray in Modesto 2024) My opening Hi my name is Charlie Varon I'm a volunteer I'm with Adam Gray and the Democrats Adam is running for Congress and he's asked us to talk to every voter in the district He wants to know what's most important to you Like, if you were in charge and could change one or two things, what would they be? I had one woman open her door partway She seemed preoccupied I knew she wanted to get back to what she'd been doing But she answered the question - Homelessness, there are all these homeless people nearby I said, "Tell me more about that." She did I took notes, I drew her out, I repeated what she said That went on for a minute or two Then I said: "Would it be okay if I share what you're saying about homelessness with Adam Gray?" Yes And the conversation continued for another 5 minutes Only after listening to her with complete focus and respect, until she had said her piece, did I even find out her name. After that, I told her why I'm volunteering for Adam Gray and why I'm excited about him Then I began filling out the PDI survey When I said, "Can I put you down as a supporter for Adam Gray?" I showed her my phone, so she essentially was helping me fill out the form By the end of the convo, she said she would fill out her ballot, mail it in, and tell three friends about the election and about Adam The reasoning My opening is kind of a run-on sentence I don't rush through it, but I don't stop either I don't ask if I'm talking to the right person I don't try to bond about the weather I don't talk about the candidate I don't want any give and take yet I am trying to get as directly as I can from saying my name to asking my question a question that gets the voter talking a question that treats the voter as the expert - the more important person in the "scene" Changing the game The question changes the expectation of what happens when someone knocks on your door I am not a salesman going door to door selling a candidate I am an ambassador from the candidate A candidate who wants to know what voters are thinking I am a listener, a note-taker, in a way I am the voter's secretary taking shorthand as they dictate Respect The more I can let go of my agenda, the more I can treat the voter as the most important person in a democracy, the more effective I am. Some things I notice when I do this: People's body language changes once they start saying their truth They become less defensive People long to be heard They listen better after they have been heard and feel respected I didn't come up with this approach Here's where I learned it I've also drawn on the ideas of my friends Elizabeth Chur and Jackie Tulsky (talkwithvoters.com )

< Back #14 Poetry Unwound: "Circling" August 28, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman Poetry Unwound - Circling 00:00 / 02:28 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next