Riehlife Responds to 8 Random Facts Meme: Tag, I’m It–Background and Okay, NINE Facts

Susan Tweit and Jane Kirkpatrick tagged me for the EIGHT RANDOM FACTS meme which, upon doing a google search, I discovered is going around the blogging world like measles. Who knew?
What’s a Meme, Mom?
Here’s how Susan Tweit defines a meme:” The word originated with British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, who used it first in his [...]

Riehlife Interview with Velda Brotherton, author “Fly with the Mourning Dove”

Velda Brotherton, originally from Winslow, Arkansas has been writing fiction and non fiction for 20 years. She studied her craft through workshops and mentored by other writers. Velda is a little like my father, in that the formal education for both ended at high school graduation–in a day when that was solid schooling. Both have [...]

Riehlife Interview with Suzanne Woods Fisher, author “Copper Star”

Suzanne Woods Fisher, member of Women Writing the West, shares a few thoughts on the release of her new book, Copper Star (see link below).

Copper Star is a World War II love story set in 1943, as theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer smuggles a young resistance worker, Louisa, out of Nazi Germany. Louisa waits out the war [...]

Women Writing the West Members featured this week on Riehlife: Brotherton, Connally, Dawdy, Fisher, Kirkpatrick, and Tweit

A big round of applause to Comedian-Poet Daniel Holland for being my guest blogger while I was settling into my new digs at West End Terrace in the Central West End of St. Louis. I’ll be posting more about that process next week, but this week Riehlife features six members of Women Writing the [...]

Editing Tip by Nancy Connally: Recording and Listening–with an addendum for MAC Users

Nancy Connally, a member of Women Writing the West, gives a few editing tips, including her technique of RECORDING AND LISTENING to help with crafting authentic dialogue and editing. –JGR
During many years of editing, I received some fine tips, such as:
- Read a document backwards to catch typos and misspellings.
- Set a manuscript [...]

“I Am Gardener,” by Daniel Holland

I eat,
smell,
inhale,
and cling
to the dirt.
I am gardener,
feel my grit.

“Heartstrings,”–a poem by Daniel Holland

In the early years of my relationship with Daniel–we were together for nine years–we went up North to a weekend Sufi dance camp, invited by a friend. This is in fact, how we met. We met on Valentine’s Day in 1998 at Sandra Wade’s healing arts studio where Barbara Christwitz led circle dances. Daniel couldn’t [...]

“Writing Dollars and Sense,” by Daniel Holland

Should I write a story
with big words that pays big money?
Or, should I write this story
that is worth only five cents
but makes sense to me?

“Traveling Blister,” by Daniel Holland

When the blister wants to come out, there’s no stopping it.
Walk too much–the blister can come out.
Use your hands a lot–the blister will come out.
“Me, Blister, I will travel.”
Sit down a lot and see what happens.
The end.

“Snow Story Lies,” by Daniel Holland

I always lie when I tell snow stories. You say you walked to school as a kid in two feet of snow. I say I walked in three feet of snow. Not only that–it was 20 degrees below zero. There were no bathrooms in sight, a lot of people around. I was pee-shy.