Linda K. Sienkiewicz's Blog, page 12

Lawsuit Takes Aim at Book Bans

Don’t tell me what my kid can’t read

“It’s one thing for you to say, ‘I don’t want my child to read this,’” mother Lindsay Durtschi said. “But if you take it from the library altogether, you’re also telling me that my child can’t read this.”

To prevent overzealous book censorship, Florida parents filed a lawsuit in federal court on May 17 to stop book bans in school libraries in red-leaning Escambia County, Florida. The suit could become a model to challenge unfounded, lopsided bans in...

Spelling matters

You want a bar with that bra?

“You need a bar that suits you…” with an attractive senior woman next a row of lacy, front closure bras.

I spotted this ad on my computer and took a screen shot (note I did not write that I screenshotted it. Screenshotted has to be the most awkward made-up word I’ve ever heard.)

Screen shots aside, it’s true you need a bar that suits you as well as a good fitting bra, no matter your age. By the way, the ad is clever in that the text doesn’t read “no m...

What, Why, How: Shannon Bowring

What:

Like a lot of aspiring authors, I used to have that dream of one day sitting down, writing a novel, and becoming an instant success. But that’s not how it goes. You’ve got to work your way up to a novel, and I believe writing short fiction is the best way to do that. So many of the basics begin with the short story: Sense of place, tight dialogue, surprising twists, subtle yet poignant character development, carefully chosen prose… I could go on and on. Besides what it can teach yo...

What, Why, How: Randy D. Pearson

What:

I write fiction, pure and simple. Creating new worlds, or inventing weird stuff to happen in the old world, is where my passion hangs out. For the longest time, I used to exclusively write short stories. This was primarily due to my WADD (Writer’s Attention Deficit Disorder … Dog! I see a dog! He looks so cute. I wonder what type of dog that is?) I’m sorry, what was I saying? Oh yeah. I used to get so distracted by acute, shiny new idea that I couldn’t complete the equally awesome ...

I or Me: how to tell which to use

It’s not I – believe me!

I overheard one of the moonshiners on the Discovery channel TV show say, ”Billy trusted Joe and I to keep the mash warm.” What kind of highfalutin’ language is that for a good ol’ boy?

He should have said, “Billy trusted Joe and ME to keep the mash warm.” Not because he’s a moonshiner, but because it’s grammatically correct.

Yet I’ve heard professionals and even writers mix up the use of me and I so often lately that it shocks me.

Note I did not say it...

Who Cleans Your House?

Bad housekeeping:

A friend asked me if I had a housekeeper.
I said no.
So she asked, “You clean your own house?“
I said no.
She asked, “Wait… Who cleans your house?”
I laughed and said no one.

I also told her I was three winters behind in my spring cleaning.

Joking aside

Actually I’m not that bad. I keep my kitchen counters, stovetop and sink clean, but they’re used on a daily basis, so you have to keep up. That and I simply cannot abide a dirty sink. Ask the husband. I scold him all ...

Dress like a Poet for National Poetry Month

The Red Scarf:

A dear poet friend laughed as she told me the story of feeling a little chilly went she went to the gym. She wore her red scarf while working out, just until she warmed up. Someone who knew her said something like, “Oh, you poets. Always have to look different,” as if wearing a red scarf was only an affectation. How pretentious to wear a scarf in a gym. Only a poet.

So my friend now proclaimed her red scarf to be her poet scarf. She’s thinking of wearing a black beret to...

Writing Morally Grey Characters

Paul Newman in “Hud”Squeaky clean:

As a child, unlike my younger brother who always seemed to be in some kind of trouble, I was the “good son.” From his school teachers, my mother would occasionally receive a list of my brother’s latest transgressions. He crawled under a desk and made believe he was a dog and wouldn’t come out. He refused to stand for the pledge of allegiance—he claimed he was Italian and didn’t have to stand for the American pledge (for the record, although it turns out...

What, Why, How: Hiram Larew

What?

What’s my poetry? Well, it’s slanted. It’s made of roundabout and surprise. And, it’s surely implied rather than outright.

I’ve always relished, even worshipped, the unexpected in poetry. In fact, I want words, lines or hops in poems to launch me into some skyward place I never knew existed. Yes, poetry is my passport.

Such an all-askew point of view depends upon a life of guessing and imagining. Straightforward isn’t how my poems dance. Images are also a key tool. So are...

Writers, Respect What You Do

As if…

When I was an aspiring writer, I didn’t always prioritize my work.

One conversation changed that.

Years ago, I told my therapist I often felt guilty when I was writing.

He drew back as if startled. “Why?” he asked, frowning.

I shrugged, said “Like I should be cleaning or something…” and then stopped. I was about to say “more constructive.”

As if my writing isn’t constructive. As if.

I saw it all in my therapist’s face, too, that if he could write, that’s what he wo...