Red Room | Where the Writers Are

Poetry success, gardens and a birthday lunch

Some good news today - my poem about the litany (how perfect for a Sunday really) is now published and can be found here. You can even give it marks out of five and leave comments if you like - so go for it is what I say! I've also heard that The Battered Suitcase webzine will be publishing two of my poems in June, so I'm thrilled about that too.And talking of poetry, here's this morning's ...

Stars and Athletes Are Not Contracted to...

by Heather Catherine Hogan

Michael Phelps bong smoking incident has brought out the cry for lynching once again, because Michael failed to live up to their standards. Give me a break!My question is when an athlete is five years old and training every day for their sport to one day be an Olympian should they be told, "make a decision now,you will have to live a perfect life if you want to have the accolades that go ...

Virtuous Women!

“Time’s wingèd chariot is bringing Maria back to my door! How sweetly she has capitulated, Fred.” It was November, a month of thickening fog. The Prince of Wales had received the Earl of Berkeley in his silk-panelled bedchamber, attired in a Chinese kimono figured with bamboo. The remains of an epicurean breakfast were spread on the lacquered table by the window. He was as gleeful ...

Blogging for Bucks

I love seeing posts about why blogs are a waste of time. Are they? They can be! If you don't have the right audience. I mentioned the importance of targeting your audience earlier. If I write on a military-oriented site, I make my "talk" military-related. If I want to sell my teddy bears, I put them in a teddy bear magazine, Teddy Bear Review, or as in the case of selling them in ...

Revising in the Jungle

by Jessica Barksdale Inclan

Another student and I in my personal essay writing class have gone rogue, leaving the class site to communicate via personal email. We are continuing to work in the class, but we want more criticism, more critique, 24/7. We are giddy with the process, over-the-top, happy to be whacking at each other's essays, finding the spots that need to be cut, shaped, pruned, ditched. Then we move on to ...

Good Things Come in Threes

by Diane Chamberlain

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No, I didn't just become the lucky owner of three Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (aren't they adorable?), but I did just sign a new three-book contract with my publisher. I knew it was coming and have been at work on Book One for quite a while, but it doesn't feel real until I actually sign that legal document. I'm thrilled. And these books will be rolling out fast! I don't know the pub dates ...

Excuses, Excuses!!

by Cathy Bryant

I'm a teacher by profession. It's part of who God gifted me to be.One thing I've had to deal with as a teacher is excuses. (The most recent ones seem to be about why my piano students haven't had time to practice. Believe me, I've heard 'em all!)Even though I've heard millions of excuses (some of which were very creative), I know God has heard even more.Let's look to a giant of the ...

Back to Work!!!

by Quenntis Vernonn Ashby

Sigh! I took 4 days off from my writing to attend to some other major changes in my life: namely getting back into shape! This week I pushed weights instead of words and cycled to work and back on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. But today it's back to work! I finished Chapter Two and I even started Chapter Three of Part 1! So we are back on track, although a little behind in the wordcount area. ...

Octuplets' birth spawns outrage from public.

by Pat Montandon

There has been so much anger and animosity directed toward Nadya Suleman and the birth of her Octuplets, that I’ve become offended by it. I surprised myself recently by defending the woman. A group of us were having dinner together when the subject of the Octuplets came up.“She’s crazy,” one friend said. “We’re having litters now, like animals. She should be in a psychatriic ...

"Love is not an act based on...

by Barbara Boyer

"Love is not an act based on conditions. Love is the condition all other acts are based on. Love for our Creator. Love for others. Love for ourselves." Courage of FearIf I remember correctly it was early in the morning and I was just finishing up with the details of chapter three in Courage when the phone rang. On the other end was a woman I had been working with (I met this woman ...

How Disabled IS She?

Wednesday morning, I took KidThree to an orientation meeting at the office of the State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in the town up the road. There were half a dozen other people there. One woman walked with a cane; one woman had hit her head in some sort of accident and now her head went, "ding-ghee, ding-ghee, ding-ghee," (her words); one young woman just appeared to ...

When you look at the color blue...

by Barbara Boyer

"When you look at the color blue do you see the same color as I do?" Courage of Fear I believe Jennifer was in tenth grade when she arrived home that day. She appeared disgruntled and edgy. "What's up?" I asked. "What has you so on edge?" It appeared that day in one of her classes they were discussing abortions. The teacher had asked the class to take their stance ...

Expectations

by Barbara Boyer

"Expectations imply that one knows best." K, where this quote came from is short and sweet... yeah, right! I once dated this guy (yes, i used to do that too.) Sometimes he would initiate conversations like: Him: Why do you hug so many guys? Me: I hug everyone. Him: It is obvious that guy has a crush on you. Why do you talk with him? Aren't you just encouraging him? Me: If I ...

"God's will for us is to have...

by Barbara Boyer

"God's will for us is to have peace, joy, fulfillment and love. Whatever that is for us, that is what He wants for us. Remember, He knows our hearts. Do we?" Courage of Fear That's right folks, I am a Jungian. Maybe that is so because Freud was hooked on cocaine and penis'. Maybe because through practice it was my experience that success follows those who followed Jung's teachings and ...

"We should live everyday as if it...

by Barbara Boyer

"We should live everyday as if it were everyone else's last." Courage of Fear We became great friends fast, Robert and me. We met through mutual friends sometime after 9/11 (so, if you have read previous posts you understand my state of mind at the time.) He was a tall, lanky guy with hair down to his shoulder blades. His face aged and rutted; you could truly see the life he lived ...

Feathers

by Barbara Boyer

"Throughout our journey, many people will fly in and out of our lives. What glorious feathers they will leave behind! " Courage of Fear I hung on to that relationship like no other in my entire life. I fought hard for its survival and once beaten and torn I was forced to admit defeat. He was gone and gone for good this time. Unable to accept its ending I didn't believe life could get ...

Courage of Fear Inspirational Blog

by Barbara Boyer

Hello All: If you have gotten to this blog than you are familiar with my novel, Courage of Fear. If you are not, please visit the pages of my website (www.beboyer.com) to review info on me and Courage of Fear. The daily inspirational quotes got so popular on myspace I decided to start a blog to allow others to participate, share, comment, or just get inspired. My website blog has grown to over ...

Writing from Nowhere?

by Kathryn Stripling Byer

Several years back a poet who was connected at the time with the Warren Wilson MFA Program, but from the hinterlands of what we call in the South, "up there," talked with me at a party. She had not wanted her children baby-sat by a local woman because they might pick up some "local" dialect. Nor did she understand how our state could have voted in Jesse Helms for Senator. I didn't vote for ...

complaint department

(image from wikimedia commons)Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to post nasty reviews on Amazon. The same person used 4 (and counting) different names to give poor Fireside 4 low ratings. I’m very flattered by the attention!Three of her fake personae were invented just to trash Fireside. The other has posted nasty reviews for Madeleine Albright, Condoleeza Rice, Bill Clinton, labor ...

POOR PEOPLE HAPPIER THAN RICH PEOPLE FOR...

by David Henry Sterry

New Huffington Post publication:POOR PEOPLE HAPPIER THAN RICH PEOPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORYhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-henry-sterry/poor-people-happier-than_b_164772.html

Writing on health issues

by Evelyn Sharenov

My first column on health issues is due at the Oregonian newspaper Monday - a gig I've wanted for a quite some time!

No one ever told me my computer...

by Miriam Forster

Quote from my last post: "We'll be back with more No One Ever Told Me on Wednesday!"Yeah, I meant Saturday. Dang. But here I am as (kind of) promised. And with a brand new problem on my hands.My computer hates my writer's group.Seriously. I sent out an email with all of their addresses for last week's meeting. No one got it. I sent out another one a few days ago. No one got it. My ...

If Facebook's got your name...

by Evelyn Sharenov

If Facebook wants 25 random things about you, go to:The random beauty of "25 Random Things" at www.Salon.com.

Classics Re-Visited: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll...

Words slide across the page, an imprint of dark symbols upon off–white paper that whispers with each turn, hinting at meaning unwritten. One sees into an author's heart with each word absorbed, each sentence processed. Your eye finds the page bottom, yet wanders back a paragraph or so as you wonder how the meaning passed you by. You struggle until understanding arrives. Robert Louis Stevenson ...

High Cost Blues

by Marilyn Kallet

High Cost Blues You know you're lost when you buy his ex-wife's parfum, graze yourself lightly under your dress. You're resorting to trickery and ruse, slipping his name into random sentences with office staff. You graze your inner thigh with scent, drop his name as if it held no weight, slip it into random sentences with staff, hope they ...

world's youngest transsexual, aspiring pop singer

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German-born Kim Petras may be the world's youngest transsexual. Wanting to be a woman since the age of 2, she began taking female hormones at 12 and had gender reassignment surgery at 16. She's also an aspiring pop singer.

A-Rod, of 104 MLBers + for steroids

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In 2003, Major League Baseball ran a testing survey to see if they had a steroid problem. They did, but the names of the 104 players testing positive were kept secret. Today, one of the names was revealed: Alex Rodriguez.

Keeping Your Valentine Forever!

Here are some little known facts about Valentines Day:1. Nationwide, 6,000 couples will tie the knot on Valentine’s Day 2009. Even when that date does not fall upon a Saturday, February 14th is consistently one of the most popular days of the year to wed.2. 255,000 other couples will become engaged for Cupid’s favorite holiday. No wonder that date is beloved by greeting card shops, romantic ...

So, Do you know a good agent?

by Brenda Youngerman

We live in a time when self-publishing has become a means to an end. I really believe in my work and my words; therefore I put them into print - If you write it, they will come. I am still waiting for 'them' to show up. Don't get me wrong, I'm not slowing down on the prose, the novels are still being churned out, the messages still being sent, and my zeal is still strong. BUT I think I might ...

Citadel of the Spirit - an anthology...

by Evelyn Sharenov

Oregon is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its statehood this year - from February through July - in statewide events, including readings from 'The Citadel of the Spirit,' an anthology of writings from Oregon authors new, old, young, deceased, and residing in otherwise non-classifiable states of being.I am pleased to be one of the contributors. The editor, Matt Love, challenged his writers ...