Every time Mr. Stu says “wood,”
I hear word.

“Wordcarving is the process of cutting
and shaping of the word,” he says,
with his thick Bulgarian accent.

“It is a craft with a rich history…”

He has set up a block of word
for our lesson today.
He takes two screws and drills them
to a base to keep the block steady.

“The type of word is very important,” he says.
“Some word is softer than others. Some more
difficult to shape. But all word is alive.”

He shows me how to hold the chisel
and how to apply pressure. I tap it with the hammer
and carve a line into the block,
like pen into paper.