August 18, 2021

 It was our second meeting back in the Firehouse; it’s great to be home. Eight veterans and a second-timer met tonight. We entertained seven readers and only ran seven minutes long. Not bad for a bunch of old friends.

We began with a discussion about writing tools. As in any endeavor, tools are helpful but not the defining factor in what you do. Would a carpenter allow a saw to make cuts without direction, or would a mechanic set his wrench to work on a vehicle as they take a coffee break? NO! Nor should a writer allow a software tool to change their writing style. Helpful is the keyword. Use every tool at your disposal to make sure you write well. But do not allow it to turn you into an automaton, a robot doing only what the machine directs. The old adage, Rules are Made to be Broken, may not be accurate in all cases, but sometimes it works, especially in writing.

I do break the rules (as evidenced by these posts.) Sometimes I look at my work and think, What idiot wrote this? I run it through an editing tool, whoops! I forgot two commas and a question mark; how’d I do that? Wait, there’s another issue, a semi-colon? Uses those things? What, again! No, I don’t want it to be a passive voice. But now I’m supposed to take out the comma I just put in. WHAT?

Okay, here’s what I want to do. The reader should pause after reading this, right?

You see what I mean. Computers and software get confused, just like the writer. But, when it directs you do something, you will read what you’ve written carefully and fix it. Right?

 

Moving on to the reading portion of the evening:

Seven of our writers had pieces to share with us. Because of the smaller group this evening, the time limit was expanded. Readers were given leeway to read extended excerpts of their work. 

Your host will remind you how much time we can allot to a single piece at the next session. If we have an extended discussion, five or six minutes of reading should be enough to allow for constructive critique from the group.    

Thank You.

 

Leading off our reading period, Peter Frickel introduced an interesting word. WABI SABI, I guess it’s technically two words but pronounced as a single expression. A worldview centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection is one definition. There are others, as there are in most translations of non-English words. WABI SABI is Japanese in origin, as well as I can determine. It is often described as things in nature that are imperfect, incomplete, or temporary. An Interesting Word. Peter read an excerpt from his Travels of Africa, where he begins his journey on a dusty road. He meets a Zulu man walking in the same direction. Fear, curiosity, respect, and kinship rise and decline in their time together. They leave each other’s company and continue their respective journeys. All is well.

 

A change in Tish McAuley’s employment has given her more time to write. She’s once again pounding the keys. Her piece last night took a lot of guts to share. Intuition is part of Tish’s makeup, it’s really more than that, but it’ll do for now. Knowing of an impending arrest, she warned her husband not to travel. As usual, he ignored her and traveled to Texas with their toddler daughter. Arrested in Texas, their daughter was put in the custody of the State. Tish had just a few hours to get her back before they took their little girl away. Such is the life of drug users. You go, girl!

 

By now, you’ve probably heard of GAIA. Bruce Haedrich introduced us some months ago. They have regular conversations, and Bruce shares them with us. This week they talked about the inhabitants living on GAIA. Oh, by the way, GAIA is our Mother Earth. She enjoys her inhabitants and talks lovingly about the Neanderthals and Denisovans people. They lived within their means used only what they needed to maintain Status Quo on the planet. But, she’s not real happy with the newcomers, the Homo Sapiens. They tend to think they’re more important than all the other inhabitants. They are jealous and vindictive. Responsible for the extinction of both Neanderthal and Denisovans races, they have killed off numerous other species. Raping GAIA, ripping the minerals from her core, they gut her. Poison spews from their machines to suffocate the plants and animals lucky enough to escape the weapons and tools of the Sapiens. What’s in our future, GAIA promises to tell us next time. Good work, Bruce.

 

Poetry is a writer making love with words. The subject can be anything, life, death, the wind, the sea, take your pick. Don Westerfield is a poet, among many other things. His words, even about his own mortality, carry the feeling of a person in love. My Time looks back at a life lived, enjoyed, realized, and sometimes even regretted. Twenty lines take us all through our lives. then will the trees sing written in lower case letters only is unique. It does not minimize the content but maximizes the fullness of life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Don! Begin your tenth decade with a new poem.

 

Hailing from Baltimore, the city in which Edgar Allen Poe wrote many of his brilliant stories and poems, Richard Cope brought three poems to share with us this evening. He warned us, the subject matter might be macabre. Vagabond tells of an encounter with a Gypsy girl, tarot cards, and destiny. A chill rode my spine with its reading. Wheat and Chafe depicts the life of a woman enslaved by marriage to John Barleycorn. Her master must die in this haunting tale of hopelessness. A dark meeting with he who was really me is the dream produced by Absinthe. Dark, out of focus, a dream, true in substance haunts the mind. Images still float in my brain, Richard. Good Stuff!

 

Imagine losing your mind, your memory, your being, becoming an infant again. It can happen; just ask Peter McNally. Peter writes about suffering a stroke, two actually. His life is forever changed. He is no longer who he is; he’s back to square one. The remarkable story of a brain wiped clean; and the daunting task of recovery fills the pages of Peter’s story, Rewired. Most people would surrender, but not Peter. Today his is back! Welcome back; tell us how you did it.

 

Closing out the evening, Susan Haley read her poem, Resiliency. How does one face all the trials of today, tomorrow, and beyond? Susan knows. Life isn’t easy, but the resilient press on. A flood of emotion put into words fell upon my ears as Susan read. As always, Susu, keep on, keeping on.

 

The evening ended, as did the pouring rain outside. We ran a few minutes over; it saved us from a drenching as we raced to our vehicles. Our next meeting is on September 1, 6:30 PM, here at the Nokomis Firehouse. We hope you can join us, and until then, KEEP ON WRITING.

 

AUGUST 4th, 2021

Overcast, muggy, and wet. That’s the best way I can describe the weather at 5:00 PM in Nokomis this evening. Not really a good setting for an outdoor meeting. I was there and was joined by Peter Frickel and Dennis Cathcart. I took a few minutes of the misty air to drive us inside the firehouse. By 6:00 PM, we were joined by Ed Ellis and Don Westerfield. The inside venue was much more comfortable. By the time our regular meeting began at 6:30, eight members were in attendance, and two newcomers joined us. We welcome Richard and Cindy Cope to our group; I hope you enjoyed the meeting.

 After introductions and a brief summary of what’s happening in our writing, we began to read. As this was the first of our regular venue meetings, it was somewhat a recap of work in progress or catch-up on what we’ve missed.

Dennis Cathcart chose not to read tonight, he is deep into getting his memior ready for publication. Good Luck, my friend.

Peter Frickel lead off with four short works. His first was entitled What It’s Like To Not Write. As usual, his presentation was descriptive in his literary style and sonorous delivery. When describing the writing process as “hearing the drumbeat of words that come from within,” my heart quickened. Desire conjured pictures in the mind of dreams but offered the chance to trust in luck. A question posed in Riding the Clouds, when does the spirit leave earth? Age was the subject in Life Widdened. (yes, it’s the British spelling in this case.) Peter, your words are unique, but the order in which you place them is genius.

 Two poems and a request for help on an opening paragraph came from Ed Ellis. Ed gave us a copy of his opening paragraph and a list of yes or no questions. I hope the feedback he received is helpful. His two poems need little help as Guardians of the Sky poses a dilemma many face in today’s world. A search for God amongst the numerous deities offered by civilizations across the expanse of time. Ed’s love of music shines through as he reads The Blues Guitar. Good work, Ed.

 Short stories from Don Westerfield are always fun. This week’s offerings were no exception. Clap, Clap, Clap takes us to the Philippines, where Don is a guest of a family engaged in farming fish. His host takes him to a pond teeming with an abundance of food-fish. Clapping her hands three times, the fish boil to the surface. She slings handful after handful of food to the fish crowding the pond. They gobble it up in seconds. Witnessing the process, Don is impressed they’ve trained the fish to respond to the triple clap. Later in the day, he hears the triple clap and thinks, “it’s not feeding time; why would anyone fool the fish like that?”  The evening meal was a delicious banquet of fish and vegetables. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP. After traveling across the world, Don returns to his hometown. In Morning in Small Town America, he revisits a town frozen in time. The diner is the same even after multiple owners. The enjoyment of watching people begin their day as they have for over half a century brings joy to the reader and the writer of this story. Thanks, Don.

 Following the recap mode, Bruce Haedrich read from his latest work, Gaia. As the earth speaks to us, she explains the reasons for changes she must make to survive. Questions are raised, and a debate among people is sure to begin. But, this is an entertaining way to look at Science. Keep up the good work, Bruce.

Chris Henderson did not read, but she did ask for advice on building a book cover compatible with the requirements of Amazon and other publishing entities.

 Richard Cope joined us for the first time tonight and brought a couple of things to share. Richard was active in a group in Maryland for some years. He shared two short works with us. In Night in Segovia, Richard mourns the loss of a friend with a well-written metaphoric piece. As Segovia is in Spain, his use of a bull and matador facing the darkness of death conjures visions in the reader’s mind appropriate for the wake honoring his friend. A Tennessean by birth, Richard shared a more light-hearted story entitled Toby got Loose. A church revival meeting turns into a memorable event as a one-eyed hound dog spies a stray cat just as the soloist is about to give her rendition of An Old Rugged Cross. A fun read; we hope you choose to join us in the future, Richard.

 Bringing the meeting to a close, Rod Digruttolo read an excerpt from his book, Snakes, Spiders, and Palmetto Bugs. The Great Mouse Escapade tells the tale of three boys on a mission of revenge as they release twenty mice in the girl’s locker room on the morning of the big game.

Peter McNally chose not to read tonight. Welcome back Peter, we missed you.

 Well, that’s it for this meeting. We’ll be back at the firehouse on August 18^th, beginning at 6:30 PM. Until then, remember to KEEP ON WRITING!

How do you feel about it?

 It's come to my attention, several people question the return to indoor meetings.

I wish to keep our group functional and together. Here's what I propose:

I will arrive at the firehouse early, 5:00 PM. If you so choose you can come at that time and, weather permitting, we can hold an outdoor meeting under the trees behind the firehouse. Bring your lawn chairs because I'm not aware of seating availability. 

At 6:30 PM, those who wish can attend an indoor meeting in the firehouse proper with masks optional for vaccinated people. We would ask that those not yet vaccinated take the precaution of wearing a mask to protect the unmasked in the group.

Please, let me know what you think  by sending a reply to me at rodshs62@hotmail.com

 

Thanks,

Rod