Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Speak without Shame: Sexual Assault

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TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains details which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault. Admitting that you've been sexually assaulted isn't easy. The shame, the self blame, and the humiliation over being violated runs deep. For some, it's easier to pretend it didn't happen, until something jolts your memory and it all comes rushing back. Was it that … [Read more...]

Frustration, or Lost in Translation

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When imagination is bigger than the child It’s important to teach children that when you reach a dead end, it’s okay to set the project aside. Sometimes the solution comes when you’re not even looking for it. Dead ends aren’t failures—they are pauses. Step back, breathe, return later. The process matters more than instant answers. The other day, my seven-year old granddaughter and I … [Read more...]

What, Why, How: Joy Gaines-Friedler

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WHAT? To live is to be creative – we are all creatures of creativity. I mean, I remember figuring out how to tie my shoe laces. That’s creativity. The ants figure out how to get into the hummingbird feeder! I’ve worked cleaning common areas of an apartment buildings, as a phone solicitor, in my father’s manufacturing plant, as an office manager, and for one day at Burger King where I (creatively) … [Read more...]

No Need to Say I Love You – My Father

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An endless source of amusement: He always had a joke to tell, a funny story, or did something to make me laugh. He could take the two parts of whatever it was that I was crying over and make them whole again. He could fix anything from the tiny earring post to a motor. He taught me the value of epoxy glue and needle nose pliers. He taught me to tinker with things until they worked. He also … [Read more...]

Necking in the Willow Theater: First Kiss

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Fiction draws from real life The small town of Nopiming in In the Context of Love is loosely modeled after my hometown, Independence, Ohio. Characters Angelica and Joe's first date are to the Maple Theater, based on my hometown theater, The Willow. Their first kiss is in the parking lot after their date. Independence was proud of The Willow Theater. It was built in 1950 in Art Deco style with one … [Read more...]