April 1. 2026

Welcome back. We open the meeting on April 1, 2026, with a promise not to pull off any April Fool’s pranks.

 

Do you use dashes in your writing? There are three popular dashes, em(—), en(–), and hyphen (-). Several articles mentioned that many publishers/editors discourage the use of em dashes in popular writing. They are a legitimate type of punctuation. The em dash is the width of an M in type and is often used to set off additional information. For example:

·         The grocery store—known for its great bakery—was very busy. 

 

The em dash can also be used for an abrupt change in thought or an interruption.

·         I was halfway to the store—but I realized I’d forgotten my wallet.

An em dash can introduce a Summary or an Explanation.

·         We had one goal in mind—making enough money to pay for the car.

In dialogue, it can indicate an interruption.

·         “It was just a—” “No, let me finish!”

Easy ways to insert an em dash in MS Word are: two hyphens without a space --. In some versions, this will work, but not always. Press the Ctrl and Alt keys at the same time as you press the minus key (Ctrl+Alt+- = —.) You can also use the Insert tab and choose the em dash symbol, but for me, this is too time-consuming and difficult to find the proper symbol.

There are other ways to accomplish the scenarios listed above, but you are the author; use whatever method you think is best suited to the work you are doing. Note that the em dash does not have a space before or after it. That is not always the case with the en dash.

The en dash is the width of an N in type and is often used to set off a range in numbers, dates, or times.

·         “Please attend the meeting scheduled for 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM.”

·         “We will discuss pages 19 – 22 in the operations manual.”

·         “The Miami–New York flight has been delayed.”

·         “The Father–Son dinner has been canceled.”

If you are using a Compound Modifier with one of the elements being a compound adjective as a multi-word phrase, use an en dash.

·         The post–graduation party is in Victor’s Hall.

Note the space before and after the en dash in the time and date scenarios (numerical), while there is no space in the text.

In many cases, a hyphen can be used without many readers noticing. Use the hyphen when using compound words or multi-word phrases. Don’t be afraid of the hyphen; it’s a handy tool, a punctuation mark used to join words or parts of words. Be careful, it is not interchangeable with the em dash or en dash.

Have I confused you enough? I think so. Let’s move on to the meeting notes about the readings.

Ernie Ovitz led off the reading session with an excerpt from his latest story, The Crucible. The patriarch of the Chicago mob died at his Florida home. The upper echelon of the organization came to Sarasota for the wake, funeral, and send-off dinner. Ernie gave us an insight into what such a gathering and its almost unlimited financial resources can provide. The alcohol and food were top-of-the-line vintage and prepared by world-class Michelin-starred chefs. Agosto Santino, called El Patrino by his associates, had been the pattern for a typical mob boss. Cruel, bloodthirsty, and unforgiving in his younger days, he changed in his declining years. Using funds generated by nefarious means, he set up a financial program specifically designed to legitimize the questionable funding and use the profits to provide a retirement for his soldiers in the organization. The fund had grown to an enormous amount and was still growing. The fund and its administration were handed over to Leonardo Santino, Agosto’s nephew, the head of a group of Hedge Funds based in Colorado. The problem? Leonardo didn’t want to have dealings with his uncle’s old associates. How’s that going to work out? Look for the book on Amazon soon.

 

When Don Westerfield took possession of the lectern, we knew we were in for a poetry lesson. Having visited the historic battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Don sat down and wrote his verse entitled “Forgotten.” The forlorn message, read with the twang of a real country boy, stirs emotions, allowing us to hear the wind passing over the now-quiet battlefield, to feel the pain of the fallen, and to understand the loneliness of the unknown left behind. In his second verse under the title of “Old Chum.” Don speaks to an old friend from his youthful self. His words bring forth memories of yesteryear for me; for some, the word may apply only days or hours hence. The last line bears an apology for tears wept upon the “Chum’s” stone.

 

Have you ever dreamed of space travel? Remember those books and television shows that show the wonders of other planets. Well, Gary Conkol is midway through a story of space travel that takes us to Mars. A group of visionaries and brilliant scientists developed space travel so sophisticated that they can reach Mars in mere minutes instead of weeks and have established a colony on the red planet. There, they discover pictures of what may be ancient Martians; they look very much like earthlings, except for their eyes. Their eyes closely resemble…

 

Nadia’s story continues. Bruce Haedrich brings Chris and Nadia back to Chris’s home in Florida. They arrive late at night; Chris is glad he doesn’t have to face Nancy until the next day. Finally, at six o’clock that evening, Chris and Nadia met Nancy for dinner. It was awkward, even though Nancy and Nadia hugged, and Chris gave Nancy a kiss. When asked about the future, Nadia says, “We plan to settle somewhere in the States, far away from a major city.” Nancy sets a trap, “Who’s we?” she asks Nadia. In a private conversation the next morning, Nancy plants a sliver of doubt in Chris’s mind about Nadia being humanized. Is there trouble brewing in paradise?

 

Bob Miller, like most of us, husbands and wives, feels an obligation to attend his wife’s class reunion. In this case, they travel from their home in Michigan to Sidney, Montana, for the big event. Bob, being Bob, decides he’ll take the name tag of an alum they know won’t be in attendance. The highlights of the trip are the rodeo and Bob being crowned the alum who changed the most in appearance. Oh, by the way, Bob, I was looking at the Montana Police Blotter this weekend. There’s a warrant out for someone who looks a lot like you.

 

It’s 1918 in France as James H. Kelly begins to read from Chapter 17 of Advance the Line. A thunderous volley of artillery exploding rips Lieutenant Madkenzie from his half-sleep. The barrage continues walking its way down the trench line of the 102^nd Infantry. The concussions hammered the line. The hands on his watch glowed in the darkness, showing 4:00 AM. Shaken awake, but alert and ready, the men scanned the no-man’s-land for movement. The machine gun posts were silent, men straining their eyes to pierce the darkness. “JETZT!” came the command in German, meaning NOW.

The evening ended with Rod Digruttolo reading an excerpt from Chapter 47 of his latest work, The Garden’s Secret. Dale Anderson is a Special Investigator for the Sheriff’s Department of Clay County, Georgia. He is investigating a 50-plus-year-old murder case in which four young girls were raped and murdered. Dale reports to the Sheriff about his latest findings. A murder in Tennessee, suspected to be committed by the same killer, is proven to be the work of a deranged man who committed suicide shortly after the murder. The chapter moves the story along, keeping the mystery alive.

 

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS, at least for this writing. We hope to see y’all at the next meeting, April 15^th. at the Firehouse in Nokomis. Until then, READ, Read, and read some more. Then WRITE, Write, and write some more great stories.

March 18, 2026

Hello, once again from Sunny Sarasota. Our co-host, Ernie Ovitz, is not with us this evening. He and his lovely wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

It was a tough winter all over the country, even here in the warm enclave of the central Gulf Coast. But Spring is upon us, with mild evening temperatures in the sixties and warm days reaching the low eighties with clear skies. It is probably the best time of year, as it meets the weather preferences of most people. It will soon be hot. For those of us who enjoy the warm weather, we will be happy for a long time until it cools off again in the Fall, well, maybe around Christmas. Whatever the weather, enjoy it–we can’t change it.

 

After a brief update on each attendee's activities, we got right into the reading portion of the meeting, starting with Don Westerfield. Don is a poet and writes about the world from his point of view as a senior citizen, pilot, aircraft mechanic, and career military veteran, among his many roles in life. Tonight, he regales us with three offerings: To Race the Wind, Echoes, and Night Flight. His poetic descriptions of soaring above the clouds, drifting with the gale, and approaching the ‘gates of Heaven’ take our breath away and let us feel the joy of flight. Poetry allows Don to tell of the past in a way that lets us hear the Echoes of its passing and feel it in our hearts. When darkness overwhelms us, the analogy of flying through the night sky, trusting the machine and our pilot's skill to get us to our destination safely, allows us to relax and engage in introspection of our soul.

 

Already an accomplished Haiku author, Scott Anderson recently completed a course hosted by a Haiku master. Having picked up some important tips, he presented us with a collection of poems he had written during and after the course. How many different ways can a reader interpret a Haiku? We find out that it may be unlimited.

 

In a rare incursion into the world of fiction, Roberta Molaro shared a rewrite of Chapter Two of The Reluctant Heiress. On a trip to rural Pennsylvania, our adopted heroine encounters several residents of the small town where her birth mother once lived. Roberta crafts a story that gives us all a chance to look into the lives of people in small-town, rural settings, as one might find across our country. We get the opportunity to see what we do not experience daily. That is the joy of reading.

 

Was, or is, Ursula Wong an experienced spy, or is she just a damn good writer? One might draw either conclusion while reading her soon-to-be-published novel, Strategic Deception. Now, reading from the rough draft of her newest book, the installment following up on her previous book, she sends Grace back into the fray in Lithuania. Having developed an AI program called Eparlay, she destroyed it in an attempt to prevent it from being used improperly. But a single copy survived and fell into the hands of a Russian politician/espionage director. Oh, what webs we weave.

 

How many of us had paper routes back in the day? I suppose, somewhere, there are still youngsters out there peddling on bicycles or walking the streets delivering newspapers. Danny Spurlock remembers and tells us about it in That’s the Job. Saving up for a new bike, the newsboy collects 35 cents a week from customers, then pays 24 cents a week to his route manager. Saving all 11 cents, he earns $4.07 per week. A new bike costs almost $40, two and a half months’ work. But ‘That’s the Job.’

 

How’s your memory? In Nadia by Bruce Hadrich, Nadia has some blank spots. We all do; our brains discard useless material sometimes, or at least, files it away where it won’t get in the way until it’s needed. Wait a minute, wouldn’t we remember something as important as our birth? Apparently not, at least according to Nadia’s dream. Hold on here. Nadia wasn’t born; she was manufactured, destroyed, and remanufactured in a different form. Look, you’ll just have to wait until Bruce publishes it and then read it for yourself. It’s worth waiting for.

 

Bob Miller is writing a memoir; his working title is From Nowhere to Somewhere. Your life is a straight line from nowhere to somewhere, OOPS! Wrong! Look back from where you are. Connect the dots. Up, down, sideways, in circles, that’s nowhere. It’s where we are today, that’s somewhere. But we’re still traveling. Take any time frame, and you can say you traveled that path between nowhere and somewhere. Bob, keep going toward somewhere; you’ve already been nowhere.

 

Advance the Line by James H. Kelly follows a young man into the chaos of war. The latest chapter is from the viewpoint of the German command in Metz, France, on 15 April 1918. Knowing American troops have arrived and taken up positions on the line in an area that has been quiet for some time, the German commander plans to launch a push to break through the untested newcomers to the Western Front. Marshaling three battalions of Stormtroopers (not like the ones in Star Wars), the German forces hope to break the untested Americans and force the French and English to stop fighting. The Stormtroopers creep forward toward the American lines. Advance the Line is the latest in the saga of the Mackenzie family of soldiers.

We did it! Another interesting journey through the works of some fine authors. We meet again on April 1^st at the firehouse in Nokomis. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM but come early. There is usually somebody there around 6:00 PM. Get on the sign-in sheet as it’s first-come, first to read.

We look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, READ, Read, read some more; then, WRITE, Write, and write some more.

 We look forward to seeing you at this event in March

February 18th, 2026

Welcome back. 

Here we are nearing the end of February, and our winter season is drawing to a close. We may have another cold snap or two, but spring in Florida comes early, especially on the southern Gulf Coast.

It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of one of our founders, Susan Haley. Susan was instrumental in forming our group along with a small cadre of fellow writers, all of whom are no longer with us. Her poetry was inspiring and sometimes brought us to tears, but it addressed the issues important to her life. She was a loyal friend and supportive to all of us who knew her. May the Writing Dieties embrace her and welcome her to the afterlife.

Stories abound all around us. The baseball teams are in town for their annual Spring Training. Tourists flood the highways, and each one of them has a story to tell. Take time to look and listen to those old men gathered in the coffee shop, the women chatting as they get their hair done, and young couples walking on the beach. They are all stories. Use your imagination. What do you see? What do you hear? That old man with the walker may have been wounded fighting in Asia or Europe. That woman with the freshly coiffed hair, was she a nurse responding to the Twin Towers? Maybe she said she was from ‘New Yawk.’ Ya’ll are writers, so write.

 

Of the twelve persons attending this meeting, ten of us had work to share. 

Opening up the reading portion of the meeting was Ernie Ovitz. Ernie writes under the name E.G. Ovitz. You can find his work on Amazon. If you are a fan of historical fiction, especially the Roman Empire, his trilogy, Emperium Books I, II, III, will give you a glimpse of what it was like in the court of Constantine, the first Christian to rule Rome. Ernie shares his latest work with us tonight, delving into international financial espionage, crime, and violence. No stranger to the genre, the working title for this work is The Crucible, a follow-up novel for The Penitent Man. The characters are strong, driving these books through the maze of international money traps and government interference aimed at undermining the stability of Western Financial Institutions. Follow Lee Santino, Marco Rossi, and Lee’s beautiful wife, Maryam, as they spar with Yan Qing and his Chinese Secret Agency while under the threat of the Chiago mobsters. This book has it all–Mob ties, Spies, Corrupt Politicians, and Murder.

 

An expert in exotic plants, especially bromeliads, Dennis Cathcart is writing a memoir following his previous two book editions Koule’v–a Haitian word meaning ‘Snake’. He includes observations of his life with his lovely, vivacious wife, Linda. He has titled it The Edge of the World. While traveling in Ecuador, the couple encounters rare plants, some of which are unclassified. When Linda asks, “What is that plant?” Unfamiliar with the genus or having never come across a similar species, Dennis answers, “I don’t know.” Observing a crestfallen expression on Linda’s face, he asks, “What’s wrong?” She answers, “I thought you knew everything.” How does a man handle such a blow to his ego? Linda rebounded from her disappointment and made up for it by gifting the children and the people they encountered with lollipops and small, useful gifts for the remainder of their travels.

 

Roberta Molaro is a poet and a fiction writer. Tonight, she graced us with two poems. When We Were Only Kids highlights the 'different kid' in the neighborhood, the one who rarely comes out to play, the one who rides the special bus to school, the one who can’t tie his shoes. The ‘Special Kid,’ whom those of us who are older remember, how often we ignored that kid, and sometimes we made fun of them. Now we embrace them, as Roberta does, and we support the Special Olympics. Her second poem is very personal, a remembrance of a child taken from her, as she reads, Legacy, what a way to remember a love of your life.

 

James Harold Kelly continues the MacKenzie family story. This edition is titled The Tip of the Spear. Tonight, he reads from Chapter 13, “The Quiet Sector.” Newly minted Lieutenant MacKenzie arrives in France in 1918 and is assigned to lead his men into the trenches of an area designated The Quiet Sector. Arriving at his destination, they find the remnants of a village with only a few standing buildings, none of which are undamaged. Only a few residents remain; the rest have left or have succumbed to the intense barrages of Bosch artillery. The French and German forces have come to a stalemate in this sector. The troops MacKenzie’s men are replacing have enhanced the trenches into an almost permanent home. But will General Pershing allow the stalemate to continue?

 

As another poet takes the floor, Don Westerfield remembers in a piece he titled “Me”. The poem speaks of memories. Memories that become golden as the poet ages. A second piece titled “Another Me” explores the person within. The person whom the poet wishes to be but cannot find in the instant, the suave, witty, and debonair person, is desired. Maybe someday.

 

Bruce Haedrich is attuned to the world and watches its development, or at least that which is deemed “progress” by many. Robots? Are robots going to take over for mankind? In the story Bruce is composing, “Nadia,” society faces a flood of humanoid robots becoming increasingly human-like. Nadia started out as a replica of a beautiful, intelligent woman, a companion to a socially inept man who purchased this machine to fulfill his desire to have a companion in his life. However, after an upgrade or two, the company recalled the model for reprogramming. Now Nadia is nearly human and almost impossible to classify as a robot. The government has deemed them to be “Terrestrials,” another form of life. Some groups, the oligarchs of society, are set on eliminating these beings from the earth and have empowered humanoid robots with the authority to destroy those terrestrials they find. To combat detection, terrestrials are enrolled in schools to teach the skills needed to survive in a hostile environment. But what about the men and women who the terrestrials replace as lovers, boyfriends, girlfriends? Will they survive the wrath of the jilted?

 

Is AI dangerous in the wrong hands? Ursula Wong thinks so. A program written by a programmer in the USA, designed to help handicapped persons, has been corrupted by an unscrupulous and ambitious Russian agent who sees himself as the next ruler of his nation. He has used the program to alter speeches and comments made by the Secretary General of NATO in an attempt to discredit the powerful organization. Will it work?

 

Don’t Tell Me No! is the poem Anne Moore reads tonight. Don’t tell anyone they can’t do something based on their race, sex, or physical makeup; that’s the message this powerful poem, Anne will be reading to a group that has invited her to share it. Great job, Anne.

 

Bill Elam says there is something special about being High. Oh, no, not high as in intoxicated or stoned, but high as being at 20,000 feet looking down on the clouds. Above the earth is a special place that draws millions of people into its mystery. From the heights, a person can see things they miss by being too close to what’s happening. Being on high gives us a different perspective on the mundane and ordinary. If you can, give it a try, start with an easy way. Go to the top of the tallest building you have access to.

 

Some critics say every chapter of a story must drive it toward a conclusion. Probably a good idea for most chapters. However, writers must show, not tell, their characters’ personalities, and a short chapter that describes the feelings and emotions of important characters can do so. Rod Digruttolo brought such a chapter to read this evening. His newest work, The Garden’s Secret, Chapter 41, reveals the human side of a minor character as the protagonist assesses the man’s words. A character who has been seen as a resentful person shows his true self by forgiving those who injured him by accepting his role in the incident.

 

Well, I guess that about does it for this session. Stay tuned for more insights into the minds of writers, poets, and everyday people. Take time to read. Take time to write; stories, letters, poems, or anything that meanders through your mind. Readers are always looking for something new to read. SO–KEEP ON WRITING! We hope to see you again at the Firehouse on March 4^th. at 6:30 PM. 

February 4th, 2026

 

It’s good to see all of you again. It has been a little too chilly for my liking, but it’s nothing compared with the temperatures north of Tampa, you know, in that part of the country called Canada. Why, it even got chilly south of Fort Myers, you know, in Cuba. Oh well, spring will be here soon.

We opened the meeting with a question: “Do You Title Your Chapters?” Some do – some don’t, about fifty-fifty. Why?

1.         1.  More information for the reader

2.         2. To let the reader know what’s happening in the chapter

3.         3. To set a time frame

4.         4. It allows the chapter to tell its own story

5.         5. To allow a table of contents

6.         6. How about both? Chapter 1, Bob meets Sally

All good reasons. It boils down to a matter of personal preference. Do you like titles, or will numbers do the job? I have used both methods, Titled and Untitled, but always with Chapter Numbers. 

I’ve even gone so far as to have it look like this, Chapter One, Bob meets Sally, June 5^th, 2025. To be honest, do whatever you wish in this instance; there are no complex rules unless your agent or publisher sets them. Bestseller lists break down into three major categories.

1.         1. Chapter (sometimes called parts) Numbers but no titles

2.         2. Chapter titles but no numbers

3.         3. Combined numbers and titles

Remember, you are the writer, the author of a story. If you want titles on your chapter, if you want a Table of Contents, it’s your choice. Oh! Don’t forget, what are your chapter headings going to look like? Please be consistent; style all your Chapters the same in your book.

1.         1.  1,2,3

2.         2.  I.II.III

3.         3.  Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

4.         4.  Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III

5.         5.  One, Two, Three

6.         6.  Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three

Note: Chapter numbers are rarely followed by a period unless a chapter title follows on the same line.

 ***  

As we moved into the reading portion of the meeting, Don Westerfield led off by reading two poems, The Park Bench Poet, and The Park Bench Poet II. Sitting alone on a park bench, our poet watches the world go by. People, creatures, the weather; nothing escapes his attention. As he ages, his view of all changes he may be a bit more understanding of faults, of the good, of the strengths he sees, but he is constantly aware.

 

We live in a world that is constantly changing. Politics, Social changes, and greed work their way into our daily lives. Every few decades, we go to war with people of different ideologies. Who would know more about this than a soldier? James H. Kelly writes of a family, the Mackinseys, who are soldiers. His latest chapter, of Advance the Line, follows the Mackenzie boys to France during 'The War to End All Wars,' WWI. A charge forward as the troops go over the top, rising from the trenches to assault the enemy, fear, religion, panic, and every emotion screams in the minds of the men as they face death or worse on a battlefield.

 

From a battlefield filled with men facing the worst moments of their lives to an equally stressful situation for a young woman. On the day of her graduation from the University, Jennifer’s parents gave her a nondescript manila envelope. Inside are the adoption papers and birth certificate she had never known existed. Why did they wait until today? Do they still love her? Do they want her to find her Birth Mother? Roberta Molaro gives us this story to ponder in Chapter One of The Reluctant Heiress.

 

Remember? In an essay about the music of past decades, Bruce Haedrich asks us to remember what many consider the Silent Generation, those born between 1925 and 1945, and their music. Among many of the great songs written during that era, 1940’s thru 1960’s, he focuses on a particular song that topped the charts in 1962. Where Have All the Flowers Gone, by Pete Seeger. Have you ever pondered the meaning of this lyric?

 

To open a novel about international intrigue, runaway Artificial Intelligence, and soul-crushing government, Ursula Wong starts her latest story in a setting where young immigrants live, meet, court, and marry without ever leaving the neighborhood. How does this take us to Russia and the former Soviet Bloc, where an AI program developed by an American is creating chaos in the delicate political balance of the region?

 

Gary Conkol is a technical powerhouse. Most of his writings are technical and very precise. However, he has now ventured forth into the world of Science Fiction. Tonight, he brings us Chapter XXX, Nancy’s Brother, from his new novel. A group of free-thinking scientists formed a group they call “Emerging New Age Technology Assisted Utopia” ENATAU, which has enabled faster than light space travel and established a colony on Mars. Earth is ruled by an Emperor/Dictator who has issued a proposal and sent an ambassador to negotiate who will rule the colony. The Ambassador has chosen the name, Hunttu. He is a ruthless man known to have caused the death of numerous citizens of Earth, including Nancy’s brother. What will happen? Stay tuned. I’m not sure this is all fiction.

 

When Bill Elam took the floor to read his Untitled poem, which became his mantra for entrepreneurship, we listened intently. The attributes of Honesty and Reputation took the forefront in how you must do business.

 

Anne Moore took a break from her interviews of mature women to delve into poetry. Reading her favorite poems, The Cows Are All Gray. The Twenty, and Then the Bird

Anne will be reading on Feb 16, 7-8 pm, Florida Studio Theatre https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/

Doors open at 6:30.

Several of us were selected to read a favorite poem; mine’s “The Night House” by Billy Collins.

 

Feb 22, 5 - 6 pm, Arts and Central Restaurant https://artsandcentral.com/happenings/

I’ll be one of two poets, plus a visual artist, speaking at their monthly arts reception. I’ll read four or five original poems.

Can I bribe you with (the restaurant’s) free wine and appetizers? And if you’d like to stay afterwards and enjoy dinner with a 15% discount, let me know before February 15th so I can include you in the reservation.

 

I hope you can join me at one, or both, events.

And if you can’t make it, I know you’ll be there in spirit.

 

Well! There you go. That’s about all I have to say today. We had a great time as always, and I learned something, as always. I hope you can join us at our next meeting on February 18^th, at the firehouse. Until then, READ, Read, read some more, and WRITE, Write, and write some more.

January 7th, 2026

 

I must be getting old. It seems like just last week we held our writer’s group meeting at the Nokomis Firehouse Training Room. Wait a minute, it was last week, but I didn’t have time to sit down and write this blog until today, Jan 17^th. Sorry if you were looking to read it sooner. I hope to do better in the coming weeks.

We started off with a discussion about using timelines as we write. Most of us do, in one form or another. I use an Excel spreadsheet, as do several others. Other spreadsheet programs work just as well. 3X5 cards work well; if you so choose, any note-taking program will also work. The least reliable is the memory method of keeping track of the story arc and times. But if you have a good memory and are not easily distracted, go for it! Remember, keeping your story on track is a must. If the reader can’t follow the story arc or finds glaring errors in your timeline, they will put your book back on the shelf and not look for your name on the author’s page again.

Opening up the reading portion of the meeting, Ernie Ovitz read an offering from Linda Ovitz. Linda jotted down some interesting recollections of our own, Peter Frickel. Some of you were not privileged to know Peter. He, along with Don Westerfield and Rod Digruttolo, was among the early members of our group. I’m breaking my own rule and printing the entire piece as Ernie gave us.

Linda’s recollections of Peter Frickel

January 17, 2023

 

Soft spoken…orator’s voice—makes me want to listen. Graphic

writing…feeling and visualizing his words—gracious in every sense of the word, whether speaking casually as a friend or reading his words.

 

Body language - thoughtful. Acknowledging the other person always. Walks in

his “garden” bringing peace to his thoughts. Adventurous. Wishing I had heard more of his stories about Africa.

 

Wine connoisseur. Always knew what went with which food.

 

Discernment. When it came to eating. Same as my E.G., Peter enjoyed really delicious dishes and let you know it.

 

Conservative … voiced opinions on current U.S. policies—never seemed

“worked up.” But, very true to what he believed and not afraid to state it. Good

listening skills. Would pick out things said by others and use it as a topic of

conversation.

 

Concerns for others ideas and feelings, supportive. Finding the right words to

show his for others thoughts.

 

Loving. You could always see it in his eyes for Barbara. Her achievements and

knowledge were a source of great pride. His sons … so extremely proud of them.

 

Grandchildren … instant smile and thoughts all over his face—in complete awe of their inquisitiveness and energy.

 

Lucy … our dog who loved Peter and him speaking to her in French—

mesmerized her and me listening in. So gentle.

 

Love, Linda

 

 

Thank you, Linda. Those of us who knew him miss his spot-on suggestions and satire.

 

 

Don Westerfield brings insightful poetry to our group regularly, and tonight was no exception. Listening as he read, Shadow Song, I felt a twang in my chest as his words brought back memories of my own past. As he embarked on a journey to A Place Called Loneliness, I traveled with him, realizing that one can stand in a crowd and still suffer the pangs of loneliness.

 

Dennis Cathcart is a world traveler and an expert on tropical plants like bromeliads. How did he establish his reputation? Well, we heard the first chapter of his newest work, entitled The Woman Who Changed Everything. The opening chapter tells of the first encounter the world of exotic plants had with Linda Cathcart, Dennis’s wife of only five days. And that was only the beginning, even as we know Linda today.

 

 

Memoir writing can be a ticklish task. While listening to Bob Miller read an essay that may well be a prelude to his actual memoir. I realized he has made a good start. He knows things he wants to write about in the memoir; he simply has to tell the story. Leave behind the good times and bad times, but tell your story in a way that someone who reads it gets to know you.

 

 

Bruce Haedrich took the floor and read what might be a prologue to his latest work, Nadia. The summary describes a futuristic world that may well be evolving in the near future. Humanoid robots are being developed by a host of manufacturers to supplement the single-task machines now used in manufacturing. As builders tout the need for tireless workers, stress safety concerns, and seek to reduce costs, they turn to machines rather than humans to perform repetitive tasks. Bruce’s work looks at what might happen as man tries to replace humans.

 

If you enjoy reading Hiaku, Scott Anderson is your source. Tonight, we heard Scott read 14 of the verses he’s penned recently. These little three-line verses, with as few as six words, tell a story describing a multitude of things we see in our world. The blanket of fog, an image in a mirror, a bird stalking its prey. The world, the heavens, and Scott’s imagination are revealed.

 

From the fertile mind of Danny Spurlock, we hear a story of a suspicious husband, a take-charge wife, and an online book order. When a book entitled The Art of Embalming is delivered, and the husband asks his wife if she ordered it, her response of “I’ll take care of it” sets off a chain of events only a writer could think of.

 

In our daily routine, it is not unusual for us to encounter someone who appears to act differently from what we expect of those around us. Beth Socha brought us two poems depicting people who seem different, some might even say odd. In Rascal, a young man who danced to a different music, he and his girlfriend set up housekeeping in the desolate woods. With a new baby, what would happen when winter set in? As Beth read, Linda, The Galloping Horse, we could see and hear the girl’s footsteps as she galloped up and down the street, pretending to be a horse. In her mind, she was.

 

It was a great meeting; we heard some amazing work, and we look forward to the next one, 6:30 PM Wednesday, January 21st, at the Nokomis Firehouse. Until then, READ, Read, read and read some more, then WRITE, Write, write, and keep on writing.