Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Writers empower, inspire, heal, expose

By

In times of turmoil, writers can affect change with their words, stories and poems. They are a window into the greater truths of the world at large, beyond the minuscule limits of ourselves. Ten years ago Michael Kimball gave this inspiring commencement address as faculty at the Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing, where I earned my degree. Michael kindly gave me permission to share his … [Read more...]

Are You Sure You Want a Corgi?

By

"I want one" Nearly every time I walk Clementine and Cowboy in town, someone says to me "I want a corgi." Do you really? I know they are so stinking cute--those big ears, little legs, and constant smile. They appear in TV commercials from State Farm to Mercedes and Discover. There are corgi sweatshirts, corgi Christmas lawn decor, corgi coffee mugs, corgi slippers.... they are truly … [Read more...]

Stash: you aren’t alone in hiding those special snacks

By

My mother's hidden Hershey's bars In the refrigerator meat drawer, way in the back under the cheese and lunch meat, I found my mother’s stash of Hershey bars. Three of them. I was probably ten years old, innocently looking for a snack. I gasped. Chocolate—a rare treat in our house. We had chocolate chip cookies sometimes, Oreos if my mother bought them, and she baked cakes, but never solid … [Read more...]

To our favorite UPS guy: It’s the giving that matters

By

Small gestures and kind words go a long way We give a Christmas gift card to our regular mailman, and this year decided to give one to our regular UPS delivery guy. He delivered boxes of my first book in 2015. When I told him what the boxes held, he seemed so genuinely excited that I gave him a copy. He smiled as if I’d handed him a hundred bucks and asked if I was going to be famous writer … [Read more...]

The Finnish Sauna

By

What it's not I laughed when I saw this photo in a catalog. How is that even comfortable? Where is she, in her living room? And what happens if she drops the book she's supposedly reading? It couldn't have been easy to hold the book and zip this contraption up. It's so far from the esthetic of an actual Finnish sauna I just can't deal with it. My sauna experience I grew up hearing about … [Read more...]