We welcomed Keri Dieffenwierth back after an absence as she healed from a surfing accident, we missed her. Jim Kelly was in attendance; he was honored by the Suncoast Writer’s Guild in Englewood for his work with students in the local school system. Jim has introduced elementary school students to poetry for several years now and many have shown a true gift for it. Congratulations, Jim, great work!
With 22 in attendance and 12 writers wishing to share work with us, we moved directly to the reading portion of the meeting. Peter Frickel opened the session with a piece he calls The Vixen Pub. A man remembers the time he spent with an old flame as they are reunited. This reunion has a surprising twist as the evening wears on. His old love is not as she once seemed. Look for this piece on Peter’s web page or on Amazon in the future.
After his book giveaway, Bruce Haedrich shared an original piece documenting 175 Million years of change by giving a personality to The North American Plain. Speaking as the plain, Bruce takes us through the millennia as seen by the virtual eyes of what is now a large section of North America. Unique and informative, his piece might be the best simplification of tectonic plate movement I’ve ever heard.
A change of pace in Scott Anderson’s work is seen in his 3 poems presented here. First; Pride and Gluttony depicted the sins of a proud glutton as his confession unfolds. Second; Envy and Greed come to the fore in a second confession and the reader can feel compassion for the unforgiven. Third; Lust rears its ugly head as base instinct rules in the life of one seeking forgiveness.
Who knows what will come out of Ed Ellis’s mind when he takes up the pen? A true story with a well-learned lesson enthralled us as Ed and a buddy take a ride on their brand-new Harleys into the California mountains. All goes well on the way up the mountain, after a stop for refreshment the return trip gets exciting when his buddy misjudges a turn and crashes. Thrown from the bike, he lands upon a rattlesnake. The upset snake shows its displeasure by burying its fangs in the biker’s leg. Ed was adamant it was the leg, not his ass that was bitten. If it was the ass, it would have been ‘TOO BAD.’ Ed uses poor judgment in sucking blood and venom out of his friend’s leg when the paramedic mentions how cavities in one’s teeth would be the same as being bit. Both men spent time in the hospital receiving antivenom.
Chapter 6 of Barb Marvin’s mystery novel, her fifth or sixth book, follows an unnamed character out Fruitville Road in Sarasota. Development springs up in an area he chose to hide secrets, anger rises as he flees the area set on getting retribution for losing his valued secret place.
Everyman, Don Westerfield’s poem about the average person’s life hits a nerve for every person who hears it. Poignant, none escape the insight of this poet. My Poem as a Painting, his second offering, puts words in a new light with a comparison of art forms. Great work, Don, can’t wait for more from you.
What was it like to be a slave on a slave ship? Jim Kelly gives us a possibility in his poem Darkness. Listen carefully and you can taste the fear, shiver with cold nights, sweat in stagnant heat, and breath secondhand air as the imprisoned cargo is swept away to the unknown.
Castro’s Cuba is home to a growing lad. Jeff Kutcher tells of Amauri nearing the age of 15. He has an appointment with his father to discuss his future. An older brother has a job and lives an independent life, what does the future hold for Amauri? Sleep eludes him as scenarios fill his young mind on the night before the meeting.
Tales2Inspire is a creation of Lois Stern. Lois read a winning tale from her latest edition entitled The Swan by Linda Bond. Linda read us the rough draft before leaving the area last year. A kitchen remodel job causes excess anxiety in a woman who seeks to find calm in watching the swan on a lake behind her home. Well written and deserving of publication, this story shows how the simplest things can bring calm to a hectic life.
Already hard at work after publishing his two-volume work about the Distinguished Career of Winfield Scott Hancock, James Kelly has begun another saga, this time it takes place after the civil war. Entitled, McKenzie’s Plan, it follows the life of a career officer and his family.
Another chapter in Jane Forgey’s Life Altered memoir brings a story of an early snowfall resulting in a rare snow day off from school in November. Fun for kids, but what about Mama and Daddy? Keep it coming Jane, most enjoyable.
Moving away from his Si-Fi genre, Ian Schagen brought us a poem entitled Life Drawing. An art class is presented with a nude model posing for their assignment. Once the artwork is complete there are as many interpretations of shape and scale as there are students. Perception is studied in this wonderful offering. Great job Ian, looking forward to more from you.
That’s about all for this week, folks. Remember, Ed Ellis will present his program MODELS FOR MARKETABLE WRITING at our next meeting, February 19th. Ed says it’s about an hour or so, depending on how long the question and answer portion takes. Until then, KEEP ON WRITING!
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