Tag Archives: writing

LILIAN POMEROY EDMONDS: The Power of Touch

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , , ,

The woman strokes century-old, burgundy-colored poems on crumbling letterhead to time-travel. Memories magically appear. She is five years old standing behind her beloved grandmother, watching while the poet writes. The child wants to be old too, an author, like her idol. Not a lost ghost visiting from the distant future.

Former journalist and technical writer Lilian Pomeroy Edmonds is working on a poetry anthology with braided essays inspired by her grandmother’s poems written from 1899-1932. You can browse her work on Substack at wavingfromadistance.substack.com.

JOHN HOLMES: Punctuation Sale

Amusing, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

I was disappointed, discouraged and sad to miss out on last weeks Black Friday Bonanza at the Oxford Comma shop. However, my brothers friends mother said theres a closing down sale at Berts Apostrophe Store. Apparently its going into administration, but Im not that bothered; I never go there anyway.

John has recently had stories published in People’s Friend, 101 words, Paragraph Planet, Westword and FFF. He’s the author of ‘Rough Rides’ and ‘Short and Sweet and Sour’. Previous winner of The Times short story competition.

KEN GOSSE: A Writer’s Walk Around the Block

Amusing, Poetry, Submissions, , , ,

I’ve noticed that on many days
my muses, in their varied ways,
amuse themselves at my expense
and leave me in a hapless daze.

To compensate, I make them wait
and while I do, I contemplate—
when I unfaze in future days,
might they catch up a bit too late?

Ken Gosse usually writes whimsical, rhymed verse. First published in First Literary Review–East in November 2016, later in Pure Slush, Home Planet News, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Spillwords, and many others. Raised in Chicago suburbs, now retired, he and his wife live in Mesa, AZ, with rescue dogs and cats.

STEPHEN TILDEN: Knife’s Edge

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

I write each piece as if making a knife. I grind it into shape, polish the surfaces, maybe cut some fancy scrollwork into the sides, and then hone the blade edge with a precise discernment, enabling its power to slice the topic so thin as to be transparent to all.

Stephen Tilden is retired in Brooklyn and carries this knife wherever he goes.

BRIAN MAYCOCK: Genius Poised

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , ,

He stares at the blank page, trying to think of the perfect first line. Once that’s down, the rest will flow. A masterpiece will be unleashed.

There will be acclaim, awards, royalties. Appearances at literary festivals

He stares at the blank page, for fifty years now, squinting more and more.

Brian Maycock’s short fiction has appeared in Planet Paragraph, 101 Words and The Drabble. He lives in Scotland.

BRENDA LEE CARLSON: I’m a Writer

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

I love being ejected from coffee shops for staying past my welcome. So, I pour the brandy generously into my coffee from my flask. When I take a sip, I sigh, then open my laptop, calling myself a writer. The manager opens his flip phone and calls himself the police.

Brenda Lee Carlson is a writer from Minnesota. She has an MA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing. She’s devouring YA novels and collecting The Phantom of the Opera memorabilia when not building libraries for those in need.

JAMES MENGES: Not Yet, But Soon

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

The headline “ChatGPT eliminates need for writers” has him nervously type the prompt: “write a fifty-word story about love lost”.

Within seconds, ChatGPT spits out prose in any style: gothic, sci-fi, even hipster slang, but to his delightful surprise, it never gets the word count right.

He is temporarily relieved.

James Menges is a writer and photographer who keeps one eye looking over his shoulder at the approaching AI future. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

SAAIQA MALIK: Too Late

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Today she endeavours to write something beautiful. She searches her heart and plumbs the depths of her soul. Her late desires and long regrets pour into her pen, but it won’t write.

Unopened, so many letters before had drizzled back: RETURN TO SENDER.

How many can a broken heart take?

Saaiqa has always been interested in writing, and is finally having a go.

GENE NEWMAN: Near Fatal Bytes

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

The old novelist was poised to write his next masterpiece,
completely composed and waiting in his brilliantly creative mind.

Ready before him were his trusty typewriter, carbons, white-out and eraser.

Then his adoring fans surprised him with a computer,
laser printer, scanner, and writing software.

His complete recovery is uncertain.

Gene Newman is a retired old guy (90 yrs) and former New Jersey journalist and columnist. Read more at GeneNewmanImagineThat.com.

DAVID HOLLOWAY: Rejection

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

For my first personalized rejection, I received a postcard with a single handwritten word. “Sorry”. On good days, I think of it as an apology. On bad days, I’m sure it was a critique. But on any day, it’s better than nothing, because an editor read my work and responded.

David Holloway lives in Savannah Georgia and has had work published in Gargoyle, The Antihumanist, and Agnes and True.