Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Simple beliefs that hold true

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A journaling exercise When cleaning a deep, dark and very dusty closet recently, I found a little blue notebook that I wrote in when my friend Rebecca Vlasic and I conducted journaling workshops at a women's shelter in Pontiac, sometime around 2000. In the workshop, we discussed the value of keeping a personal journal of goals, aspirations, accomplishments, likes and dislikes, and good … [Read more...]

Adjustments: Do dogs grieve?

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Life without Clementine: I’ve been watching our 3-year old corgi Cowboy carefully since his buddy Clementine traveled over the rainbow bridge on February 8th, 2024. After all, she was there since the first day we brought him home. Now his morning routine has changed. His walk routine changed. Feeding routine, bedtime, playtime.... all changed. I tried not to project my own feelings of loss … [Read more...]

When Words Find You: The Magic of Found Poems

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Crafting a found poem is a wonderful way of transforming ordinary language into something more magical. All it takes is finding text that resonates with you, a little bit of intuition, and the ability to make significant line breaks that slow the reader down and offer impact to the words. Astro-eclipse-ology A Found Poem Because the North Noderepresents the energywe, as a collective, are … [Read more...]

What, Why, How: Children’s Author Rebecca Weber celebrates neurodivergence

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Discover how Rebecca Weber writes magical middle-grade adventures that celebrate neurodivergence, helping kids see their differences as strengths. What: The Painter’s Butterfly is a story about a foster child who finds a magical easel that brings paintings to life. I addressed heavy themes, like grief and belonging, but also infused magic into the story to counterbalance the heaviness. My … [Read more...]

How do you hang up the phone?

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Hang ups: We end phone calls with the mere tap of a finger. When I was young, it was exciting to hang up on someone by slamming the receiver down. Slam your cell phone down and you might shatter the screen. I still hang up on solicitors. I hang up on political calls, too. What do you say? End the call, or hang up? Some of us remember when we used to dial a number. A recent WaPo … [Read more...]