Daddy

Good literary nonfiction is difficult to find.  I discovered this while searching through large quantities of non-relevant links and , I’m sad to say, either uninteresting stories or interesting stories told in an uninteresting way–which is pretty much the opposite of what creative nonfiction should be.  Until I found it, the needle in the haystack, the shining [...]

Strong Verse

In keeping with the Orson Scott Card theme of the previous post, did you know this best selling author also publishes a poetry ezine?  Strong Verse publishes new poetry every 3 days by various authors, including a few by Card himself. Here is part of a poem called “Blood Sucker” by Catherine E. Bollinger: “And Mama, she was a [...]

Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game is the best novel I’ve ever read. Hands down. No contest. If you’ve never heard of this best-selling Hugo and Nebula Award–winning novel by Orson Scott Card before, I have two things to say to you. 1) Where have you been? And 2) don’t let the plot description deter you from reading it. [...]

The Tell-Tale Heart

First published in 1843, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” is perhaps the greatest piece of “flash fiction” ever written.  One of the best known stories in the English language, it has inspired various tributes, both serious and silly, in other areas of creativity, including music (The Alan Parsons Project, among others) and television (The Simpsons [when Lisa hides [...]

Did Russian Poet’s Writing Get Him Killed?

Vladimir Mayakovsky was an early 20th century Soviet poet and playwright who died when a bullet pierced his heart at age 37.  Here is an excerpt from a translation of his poem “My Soviet Passport”: “With what delight that gendarme caste would have me strung-up and whipped raw because I hold in my hands hammered-fast [...]

Edie’s Journal and Office Gossip

Since I’m running short on material to post today, I thought I’d draw your attention to my own blog.  Here is an excerpt: “In other office gossip news, one of the managers sent an email to a client who was already unhappy with our company. In the email, she meant to write ‘sorry for the inconvenience,’ [...]

Empathic Painting Project

In the future Today you can look at a work of art and see it change in response to your mood, thanks to the Empathic Painting Project.  A Tech News Watch article states: “Using images collected through a Web cam, special software recognises eight key facial features that characterise the emotional state of the person [...]

Boy’s Heart is on the Outside of His Body

“Boy’s Heart is on the Outside of His Body” is an oddly plain title for a wildly creative poem.  Here is an excerpt: “He carries his heart  like a backwards rucksack full of books; a bad shoulder strap that keeps slipping, unhitching, and he has to keep propping it back up awkwardly, hoping no one’s looking.” This [...]

Between

I’m categorizing this under ”short shorts” or flash fiction because that’s how it appeared on the original site, but it feels like more of a poem to me.  “Between” by Nathan Alling Long tells the story of a child’s brief and awkward visits to his father behind bars.  “From where I sat, Dad’s face fit just between [...]

Hockey Fighting Class for Kids

A story ran today about a recent camp taught by hockey players and brothers, Derek and Aaron Boogaard, where kids are taught how to fight on the ice.  The story appeared on an online news source based in (surprise) Canada — www.cbc.ca.  The story states: “The one-day academy is more or less what its name [...]