Robert L. Slater's Blog, page 9

GOALS AND DREAMS: Specialization Is For Insects. Robert A. Heinlein.

Here is the apocryphal tale of how I came to create my list of goals and dreams. In 1986 I read an article about Chuck Yeager, the famous pilot. As a kid he had made a list 74[?] things he wished to accomplish. He completed the list at the age of 74. Unfortunately, in this age of the internet, I can find no record of this. Did Chuck Yeager really set 74 goals? Did he really accomplish them? Can anyone help me? Or did I dream it all?

Another inspiration was the followingquote; from which...

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Out in the Communities…

Over the last few months in my role as an author and a Windward High School teacher, Ihave been getting out into communities, near and far,to talk about reading, writing, and reaching kids.

Near the end of last year, the

Reading at my hometown library in Hoquiam.

Mount VernonLibraryYoung Adult Writer’s Group hosted mefor a Q&A writing, publishing and marketing advice at their monthly Thursday night meeting. Though attendance was small, perhaps because of the time of year, I was able to connec...

 April is National Poetry Month: Inspired by Writers-Part V

Pablo Neruda is poet not-so-well known in the U.S. as he is in the rest of the world. Here’s a link to some info and some translated poems. I wrote this after

An Afternoon with Pablo Neruda

Spent I this day lost in a dream of words, of rivers and laughter.
Lost I my way in their beauty,
Two tongues, one well I know and
the other more a beloved stranger,
Known in my heart, yet less known in my head

You helped me to lose my way amongst the river stones
Traced by phrases of love and longing, dea...

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH: INSPIRED BY WRITERS-PART IV

Me, yesterday, on my way to Romeo & Juliet with my students.

On Shakespeare’s Birthdeathday

These two sonnets, even more so than the previous eight that I wrote, where inspired by Shakespeare. In a way they were also inspired by Robert A. Heinlein who, writing the character of Lazarus Long, said, “A human being should be able to… [insert other things] write a sonnet.”

They were written when I was playing in Shakespeare plays for Shakespeare Northwest, now the Skagit River Shakespeare Festival...

April is National Poetry Month: Inspired by Writers-Part III

Here is another poem inspired byMindy McGinnis,this time it’s her second book, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST,a young adult dystopian that feels very real!The Road meets Little House on the Prairie.

Across the Country

Robert L. Slater
Across the country,
All we are in a handful of dust

Dry and dusty, wet and dank
Across the country, sweat soaked stank
Down in dungeons, basements base
In storm cellar’s flooded waste

Across the country seeking sun
Avoiding ghost towns till day is done
They cling together...

April is National Poetry Month: Inspired by Writers-Part II

April is National Poetry Month: Inspired by Writers-Part II

Sherman Alexie’s Ode to Coffeeinspired this, my only ode.

Robert L. Slater
Ode to Water (with a nod to Sherman Alexie)

In the river bank, the long haired native kid
Watches the salmon flow by
“Take my bid,
My brother, my sacred self,” He sighs
As a dump truck driver spills refuse in the watershed–
A blasphemous act—and then tosses his cigarette in too
But hesitates to follow it with his can
Simply squashing it in his ha...

New “Zombie Zoo” Two Review

As some of you may know, the working title of my NON-ZOMBIE apocalypse novel, which includes only a very small amount of human flesh-eating, was ZOMBIE ZOO in reference to the greatest Tom Petty song never–to hit the charts.“Sometimes you’re so impulsive, you shaved all your hair, you look like Boris Karloff and you don’t even care.” That line captured Lizzie for me. So it makes sense that the next book in the series would be “Zombie Zoo Too” or “Two” perhaps. [Bonus points to GenXers who rem...

April is National Poetry Month: Inspired by Writers-Part I.

In April, I am going to be sharing some of my poetry inspired by other writers.Inspired by Mindy McGinnis‘NOT A DROP TO DRINK,a young adult dystopian that feels very real!The Road meets Little House on the Prairie.

Enough

A poem by Robert L. Slater

Water.

Losing it is something to regret

Loss of life is something somewhat less

Enough people, not enough water.

Air.

There’s enough of that with people gone

The empty oxygen fills in all

But the holes in our hearts.

I’ll have another inspired by...

Future Deserted Lands Works – Part II

All Is Silence keeps interesting company.

So, as part of the Murder in March promotion on Facebook, I got to talk about various stories I’ve got brewing in my head. I’m also reminding myself to create a series bible, so here is what I’ve got so far. I have a few more ideas under my hats, but here are concepts six through eleven: [My lists almost always go to Elevensies.]

Setting. My world, THE DESERTED LANDS, is an alternate future with the crux point of separation occurred around 2008. Major...