Sioux's Page

A Winner...and a Reason to Squeal

2013-05-19T08:10:00.001-07:00

First of all, it's been a tough week, work-wise, so I am behind in posting this...Jennifer Brown Banks, of Pen and Prosper, won the book of poetry Gemini/Scorpio/Capricorn by Shay Simmons, Kelli Simpson and Joy Ann Jones. It is phenomenal poetry--you won't regret purchasing it. (Jennifer, send me your address and I'll put it in the mail sometime this week.) Also, one of

Listen to These Writers...And Happy Mother's Day

2013-05-12T07:27:00.002-07:00

I went to see the St. Louis show for Listen to Your Mother yesterday. Even though I had submitted a story and had not been chosen, two of my writing friends had been chosen. And since Lynn and I were the only WWWPs (Wild Women Wielding Pens) who were in town, we had to represent our critique group. 'Cause that's what writers do. We support each other... One woman--a young

A Treasure Chest--And It Could Be Yours

2013-05-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

My favorite poet is Mary Karr Adrienne Rich Emily Dickinson . Okay, I have many favorites, and it depends on my mood. I have many collections of poetry on my bookshelf. But daily, I turn to Shay and Mama Zen for their mind-blowing poetry. Every day--sometimes twice a day in Shay's case) they post poetry. Shay's is sometimes whimsical, sometimes sharp but always inspiring. Mama

Donna Volkenannt: MY Inspiration

2013-04-30T04:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got my copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul Inspiration for Writers. Cathi LaMarche has a story in this collection. I won't give away too many details of her tale, but I will say I was yearning for a particular ending, and shazam! It finished just the way I wanted it to...it ended up being a combination memoir and fairy-tale-come-true. Cathi is one lucky lady. (

Something Old, Something New

2013-04-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Getting new fronts for your cabinets gives a whole new look to your kitchen. And getting a writing piece resurfaced and the rough edges sanded off makes all the difference in the world, too. I had a story that I wrote about 10 years ago. I had sent it off, but got no acceptances. It was a tale about an experience my family had back in 1968. Ten years ago, I was a lot more

It Ain't Got a Thing If It Ain't Got That...Rhythm

2013-04-24T13:31:00.001-07:00

Every almost every time I hear a singer from England or Australia or France or any other foreign place, I am always amazed by the fact that any trace of an accent has disappeared. (The most recent time, it was Chris Martin of Coldplay, who's married to Gwyneth Paltrow; he's the son-in-law of the late Bruce Paltrow, the man who brought us "St. Elsewhere," one of my favorite TV shows.)

With a Little Hindrance From My Friends

2013-04-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

This week we had our writing critique meeting. The meeting of five wild women wielding pens. The WWWPs. Three of us had submitted to the same anthology. Two of us had not heard (or so I thought) . Privately, a couple of weeks ago, I had told the more brazen of the other two of the submitters that I had already heard. I heard the next day--the day after I had submitted my

Kill Your Inner Critic

2013-04-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

cartoon by Doug Savage, of Savage Chickens fame Everyone has one. Everybody has an inner critic. Sometimes they rear their ugly head when we look in the mirror and spy the two honkin' huge zits that sprung up on our face. (What kind of cruel god would give me hot flashes AND zits at the same time?) Sometimes they tromp on in when we're writing. And instead of saying, "

Finding What's Missing

2013-04-09T18:51:00.001-07:00

Oh, many things are missing these days. My youth. My skin's elasticity. My once-perky parts' perkiness. Viggo from the newest Hobbitt movie. (No Viggo? What's the point of watching it?) And this morning, I found part of a rough draft went AWOL. Last night, I guess I fell asleep in front of my computer. When I shut my laptop down, I must have neglected to save the work I had done. (

Take a Few Whacks At It--Like a Pinata

2013-04-04T04:15:00.001-07:00

Late last week I had a critique night looming over my head, and nothin' to share. Wednesday evening would be here all-too-soon. Also pushing my procrastinator's button was an anthology's deadline. I wanted to submit something, but had not started anything until Saturday night, when I sat down and wrote...a whopping three sentences. Crapola. On Sunday evening, instead

My Mama Didn't Tell Me...

2013-03-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, my mother told me all about becoming a woman. At least, she told me about what becoming a woman would be like when I was a teenager. What she didn't tell me was what it would be like in my 40's and 50's. For example, my mom didn't give me a refresher course on gravity. What was once high and perky...eventually falls. Droops. Hangs in pendulous rolls. I would

Let It Snow, Let It Snow...And Let the Words Flow

2013-03-24T11:09:00.003-07:00

As much as I've joked about snow storms in March and April and even freaky ones in May (in my hope that we get another snow day or two we get enough precipitation to help our plants this spring), I did not want this one that came in the middle of the night (and it's still snowing). After all, my spring break begins tomorrow and I have family in town and things to do and places to see.

Using Evil for Good Purposes

2013-03-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

The old adage--"If you've got lemons, make lemonade"--can be applied to writing. Really. photo by Herman McLeod I'm working on a longish project that's still shortish. It's a midget that has dreams of being as tall as an NBA-er. But it's, sadly, still 3'6". Stuck in a rut, I recently had a couple of unpleasant-bordering-on-awful events slam into me. The first one I'm

Things Learned From Our Four-Legged Friends...

2013-03-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

This evening Jean Ellen Whatley did a book talk at Abode Coffee House. I'd heard her speak at an earlier event at one our local Humane Societies, so I figured this would be the same. It wasn't. Jean Ellen Whatley at a book signing at the Humane Society in St. Louis Focusing on the things she learned from Libby, her mutt and travel companion during her 8,600 mile

Take a Break...and Zentangle

2013-03-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

When I am writing my fingertips off, I do weird things. I will "role play" a movement, to see how my rolls roll, so I can describe on paper how my character rolls. I drink a lot of water/tea so I have to void a lot, so I can avoid getting stuck permanently to the couch in front of my laptop. And sometimes I take a break from writing and Zentangle. What in the he**

Getting Better Mileage

2013-03-08T04:28:00.000-08:00

photo by ladybugbkt This week at our writing critique meeting, one of the WWWPs had a problem. A sticky wicket was in her hands. She was faced with a dilemma. One writing piece that could be sent--in its entirety--to a literary magazine (it was that mind-blowing) and then if she chooses to use her mental scissors and glue and red pen, she has at least two other pieces.

Off the Leash Could Be On Your Doorstep

2013-03-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

Right now, I am 22 pages away from finishing Jean Ellen Whatley's Off the Leash. And yes, I counted. I've sprinted through it. Brief, read-as-much-and-as-fast-as-possible sessions before going to sleep. Unfortunately, since I never get enough sleep, every evening, my drooling and snoring took over before too many pages could be inhaled. Taking a nap on a Saturday

Tidbits 'bout Tammy

2013-02-28T04:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, there has been lots of frothing-at-the-mouth lately. So much, in fact, that a puddle of spit has formed at my feet. After my shocking, explosive expose' on Beth M. Wood, the crowds of my followers (all 7 of them) have clamored for more details about the other elusive WWWP--T'Mara Goodsell She and Beth are the blind albino newt twins--they live in caves and are only lured out

Vive la Difference!

2013-02-23T10:25:00.001-08:00

My favorite place on this planet is southern France. The meals last for three hours (lunch) or more (dinner) and there is a sense of joy that is at the core of everything they do--baking bread, making salad dressing, setting the coffee table for aperitif (a set time for drinks and appetizers before dinner). When I retire, and when I can convince my husband to discontinue his

Revealing Tidbits About the WWWPs

2013-02-22T06:07:00.000-08:00

Many people are clamoring about details about the twice-monthly meetings of the infamous writing critique group, the WWWPs. Oh, some of you try to namedrop, saying, "Well, I know Linda O'Connell," because Linda does lots of book talks, book signings, workshops and so on. When Chicken Soup clucks, there are at least a few feathers left fluttering around from Linda's backside plumage

Where is That Darned Horse?

2013-02-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

I recently submitted a piece to "Listen to Your Mother." They're doing shows in 24 cites. Stories were due by February 15, and yesterday, it was announced who would be making it to the audition phase. The live show is going to be in May. photo by createsimona I had a prior committment (nothing major--a mini workshop that was non-work related) on March 2. Since that is one of the

Twists and Turns

2013-02-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

I love twists and turns. I love roller coasters. I love Palahniuk's novels, and I love books by Sandra Dallas and Jodi Picoult because of the twisted plots they create. Recently, Lisa Ricard Claro shared her super-short (under 150 words in length) prize-winning story. Not only did she win the competition in her category, she snagged a Pushcart Prize nomination. (Sioux said, after

Looks Can Be Deceiving

2013-02-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

Huey, a dapper, at-least-ten-years-old gentleman Yesterday I was at a meet and greet event at Wolfgang's new location on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis. We are trying to find Huey a forever home. (If you're interested in a handsome, well-behaved senior fellow, go to Love a Golden Rescue. He's a wonderful dog.) There were two other (younger) dogs, who

Shake It Up

2013-02-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

I was working on a submission for Publishing Syndicate's NYMB's series today. (I have a day off from teaching today, due to having parent-teacher conferences this week, which means I have a four-day weekend. Ssssh! Don't tell Val. She will come to my house and poke holes in my tires with an out-of-ink pen.) I haven't done much dating in my life, but not wanting to miss a chance at

Sunshine Award

2013-02-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I received the "Sunshine Award" from fellow WWWP-er Tammy. She had the audacity to say I am sunshiny, but not in the Brady Bunch way. Apparently she doesn't know me. I can be just as full of unicorns and prancing kittens as the next crab***. Read along, and you'll find the deep, thought-provoking answers I gave to the hours and hours of questions that accompany this