Airlift, “Los Muertos” Honored at 1st Sunday Prose

We had a special guest featured reader of sorts in the number two spot for November ‘s “Bloomington Writers Guild First Sunday Prose and Open Mic” (cf. October 1, August 6, et al.), at an otherwise not overly-crowded session. An almost freakish for the season warm and sunny afternoon (as was the case too with October’s meeting), combining perhaps with some time-change confusion may have made the difference.

But that’s the loss of those who missed it, and an only a few days reunion with past treasurer Writers Guild member Annette Oppenlander — living in Germany the first half of her life and recently having moved back with her husband — a novelist with some twenty-five titles divided between books in German and English, and specializing in well-researched historic fiction often aimed at young adult readers. Thus this Sunday’s offering: several excerpts from her latest novel, WHEN THE SKIES RAINED FREEDOM, centered around the end of World War II and the 1948-49 Berlin airlift when supplies had to be brought by air to the English, French, and U.S. sectors of a then-divided city, blockaded by Russia from Western Europe. This followed the curtain-raiser, me (ever notice that I, specializing in short dark fiction, tend to be tagged as a featured reader around Halloween?) with a story-chapter from TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH, “The Last Dance,” as a homage to the Mexican/ Mexican-American celebration of death in the often actually multi-day Dia de los Muertos. Plus, as a small bonus, a chance to announce that TOMBS is now available, as has been for some time THE TEARS OF ISIS, in the “Local Author” section of host venue Morgenstern Books.

And, after the break, an also not overly-long “open mic” slot brought two more readers, plus conversation in what proved to be a pleasantly laid back session ending.