Hello out there! March ends and April begins. Poetry Month starts tomorrow--be prepared to celebrate whether you want to or not! It's also April Fool's Day so pay attention and don't fall for any malarkey. Kudos go to several contributors to Solace in So Many Words, including Michael C. McConnell whose short story, "Dancing," about recovering from Guillian-Barre Syndrome, was named as an honorable mention in the 2017 Literature and Medicine writing contest for Texas … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2017
Spring cleaning? Here’s where to donate books
Hey there Chicagoland book lovers. Is it time to make more room on your shelves? Consider donating your old books to Open Books. They have collection centers in various locations and will also come to collect your books, if you make arrangements. Open Books has two used book stores, one is in the West Loop and the other is in Pilsen. The profits from selling used books are then used to fund writing and reading programs for Chicago kids. We had snow here last week and … [Read more...]
Happy St. Patrick’s Day (row, row, row your boat)
“Nodding the head does not row the boat.” That’s an Irish proverb tweeted by writer/farmer Martin McConnell (@spottedgeckgo) that has stayed with me. I nod my head and say to myself that I better get to writing. How about you? Are you rowing or nodding these days? It's St. Patrick’s Day, which is a holiday around here. I know many people celebrated last Saturday when the parade marched and the river flowed green. I am not much for green beer or green tchotchkes these … [Read more...]
The solace of circumstance
Hey, hey, hey. Last night I went to the Raven Theatre to see The Assembled Parties, a play written by Richard Greenberg (directed by Cody Estle). It’s about relationships over time. In Notes from the Dramaturg, I found a paragraph that had to do with solace, which I will share with you. Here’s what Stephen Johnson, the dramaturg, wrote: “As time wreaks havoc on our dreams we have no choice but to adjust our dreams to take account of the reality of our history. And … [Read more...]