Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Had enough of These Unprecedented Times?

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Please stop saying that: Every year since the mid seventies, Lake Superior State University in Michigan's UP takes nominations for overused, misused and useless words to dump. The goal is to "uphold, protect and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of words and terms that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, cliched, illogical, nonsensical and other wise ineffective, … [Read more...]

Blizzard: a poem

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Blizzard by Linda Pastan the snowhas forgottenhow to stopit fallsstutteringat the glassa silk windsockof snowblowingunder the porch lighttangling treeswhich bendlike old womensnarledin their ownknittingsnow driftsup to the stepover the doorsilla pointillist’s blurthe weddingof form and motionshaping itselfto the wish ofany object it toucheschairs becomelaps of snowthe moon could bebreaking … [Read more...]

Let’s hear it for screaming

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Not feeling it This year my husband and I won't be hosting our annual neighborhood Christmas party, which involves weeks of decorating, planning, hand-wringing, fears that no one will actually show up, not to mention dusting the baseboards. We won't be driving to Ohio with thousands of other highway travelers in a possible snowstorm to see relatives for a traditional Polish meatless Christmas … [Read more...]

What, Why, How: Patricia Clark

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What? I write poetry. Well, I've also written a few short stories and published them. But poetry is my main genre. Why? I'm really compelled by two things with poetry: its emotional undercurrents and its musical qualities. Both keep me interested, and I just published my sixth book. There is always something new to do with sentences and with sensory details. Why do I keep writing? … [Read more...]

Creative Pursuits

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My friend Desiree Cooper shared this post on Facebook. What memories it brought back to me! Without doubt, my creative pastimes as a child shaped who I am today. Solitary Play For hours, I would lay on the living room floor and stare at our stucco ceiling. I conjured an old man's face, a horse's head, a fish jumping out of its bowl.... It's a wonder my mother didn't ask me what I was doing, … [Read more...]