Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

A Family Not Forgotten

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It didn't seem that long ago that the grave markers of this family of four in Mount Avon Cemetery were bestowed with American flags, bouquets of flowers, miniature plastic soccer balls, dolls and butterflies, and the grass around them had been trimmed and tidy. The colorful and playful decorations had drawn me to look closer. I remember being startled to read that Jacob Vaness Young was born the … [Read more...]

Advent Calendar Project

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When my children were little we had a felt advent calendar with a tree and little plastic ornaments with velcro on the back. Each day you took an ornament from the calendar and stuck it on the tree. Its beauty was its visual simplicity as they counted down the days till Christmas, and I didn't have to answer "How many days...?" Over the years,  some ornaments disappeared under the refrigerator … [Read more...]

Love and Loss – The only permanence we know

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Each loss evokes all losses. We long for permanence, for our children to remain cute and lovable, for our parents to never leave us, and for our loves to always stand by our sides. Life is constant change, however, and every change represents a loss of what there was before. Fall has become a difficult time for me. Four years ago today I lost my eldest child to suicide. Two years ago on October … [Read more...]

My Book as a Clutch Purse

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  Since 2009, I've recycled hundreds of dictionaries, encyclopedias, art books, books on Shakespeare, Stephen King novels, and even Little Golden Books into clutch purses and handbags, to sell on Etsy. I've rescued books from dusty shelves, the trash, garage sales and library used book sales. When I finished the first draft of In the Context of Love, I couldn't wait to make my own book … [Read more...]

What, Why, How: Rachael Hanel

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WHAT? Writing nonfiction from the heartland. Unintentionally, my themes seem to center on early, tragic death. It’s not the easiest stuff to write; perhaps it’s time to back away from that? But I don’t envision myself as someone who’s going to write about rainbows and butterflies. My first book, We’ll Be the Last Ones to Let You Down: Memoir of a Gravedigger’s Daughter, addresses my early … [Read more...]