Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Wading into Writing for Children

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It began with a Ghost Crab Incident On a family vacation last summer, my daughter took my then 8-year old granddaughter and 3-year old grandson to the beach after dusk to look for Atlantic ghost crabs (they're most active in the evening). Dozens of them were skittering around, and it was fun watching them until a large crab startled Oliver by running across the top of his shoe. That was it. From … [Read more...]

The Cold War: Bomb Shelter Drills

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Memories, not so fond I read this post on Twitter: Making America Great Again. Bringing Families Closer Together. Bringing back the #NuclearFamily   And it brought back memories of the bomb shelter drills when I was in elementary school. They were frightening, to say the least, and they certainly captured the Cold War feel of the time. As a child, I didn't understand why our teacher … [Read more...]

Did you know these emotions actually have names?

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  Have you ever felt monachopsis? I have! I bet you have, too. This list of unique, strange and unsettling, but common emotions was compiled by Tickld, via the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. They seem oddly fitting for the dead of winter. 1. Sonder: The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own. 2. Opia: The intensity of looking someone in the eye, … [Read more...]

Bandit: A Daughter’s Memoir by Molly Brodak

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Bandit, a Daughter's Memoir is such an exceptional memoir that I'm not sure I can do it justice. Memory comes back to us in bits and pieces, discordant vignettes that we try to stitch into a narrative that makes sense. Poet Molly Brodak spills all she has about her family history and her place in this narrative, beginning with the first thing she had stolen as a child — a book of baby names — that … [Read more...]

Anticipating a holiday family food fight?

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In this heated political climate, I don't want to be in the middle of a family food fight during the holidays. When I visit relatives who have a vastly different stance on the election than me, I will need to leave two expectations behind: That there will be a reconciliation or meeting of the minds. That my views will validated or affirmed. It ain't happening. Knowing this fact has … [Read more...]