Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

What, Why, How: Sarah Carson

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What:  This neighborhood, our boulevards, neighbor boys’ whose long legs count cement stoops, whose daddies warm motorcycles on the driveway, whose mommas can’t leave their card tables, tell these men to ride along. South of the mailboxes, the box elder tree, the box truck now half empty, there was no justice but one solder burn, one pen knife. Momma held us to her thigh as … [Read more...]

Ch-ch-changes

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How you doing? No, how are you really doing, post pandemic? We've come a long way since 2019, with so much progress in vaccines and treatment, for those of us who believe in science, anyway. A few weeks ago, I got my updated COVID shot, followed by the RSV (I keep wanting to call it RSVP), pneumococcal pneumonia, and the "senior" flu vaccine. I feel like a pincushion. Good Changes … [Read more...]

What, Why, How: Craig Terlson

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What: I’ve always been a maker of things; I actually prefer that moniker to the somewhat loaded term “artist.” The first things I made were illustrations. I was lucky enough to draw and paint for a living for more than twenty-six years. Now, I make stories. I’ve written six novels, a bucket of short fiction (published in literary journals and made into a collection), and one really weird … [Read more...]

Text me. or text me

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Don't sweat punctuation… Michelle Markowitz, co-author of Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails, a book about off-the-rails group messages, is quoted in the WaPo: "We’re done fighting over capital letters and punctuation. Sorry, sticklers — this ship has sailed. A good text makes sense to its recipient, but that shouldn’t require consulting an SAT … [Read more...]

View Master of Worries: 3 am overthinking

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In the middle of the night: I shift positions, check the time, punch the pillow into a fresh shape, and then lay there. The worries begin. Always the same concerns: Will my kids find happiness? Will the planet be hospitable when my grandkids are adults? How will I die? Who will care for the dogs? Did Don remember to shut the refrigerator door before he came to bed? Don likens this fretting … [Read more...]