Channeling Your Inner Mary Ann

RIP Mary Ann Vinciguerra

L-R: My grandfather, my aunt Tippy holding me, my mother

March 2, 1934 - October 1, 2018

Aroma: A Poem

Although I've never been drawn to to poetry as either as a reader or a writer,  Henry Hugh's reading at the Country Bookshelf back in September had gotten me thinking about poetry. I've been working on my writing practice in recent years, taking classes, reading books on the craft, and trying to mimic styles and articles that capture me. There's something in the way poets use a brevity of words and the artistic layout of their work that I feel certain can help my writing. Maybe I should write a poem? 

The few poems I painfully wrote in an undergraduate creative writing class were my last attempt at poetry. What makes a poem? Certainly they are more than the rhyming mess of words I typed out all those years ago. It was time to write a poem so I sat down and did it. Reading up on how to do it can come later.

~

Writing Exercise: Youthful Job Aspirations

I have never really known what I wanted to be and still don't. Early aspirations included driving a school bus and working at Dairy Queen. Once those goals faded, I wanted to be a novelist. After that, I never had an answer to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" 

I did know I wanted to be important and powerful with a sophisticated sense of style. 

~

Postcard from Slovenia

Triglav Summit

My trip to Slovenia ended weeks ago and I am finally getting around to posting a few thoughts. Such an inspiring place, so much to say about. I'll start with these few words and hope to post more later. 

Writing Exercise: Write About Yourself as a Character

Even on a good day, the director's temper could flare up at the slightest provoking. Today was muggy, the air still and stifling. With the air conditioning out, the creative team know it was going to be a trying meeting even before the director stormed into the room.

Writing Prompt: Describe a Moment of Awakening

Today's exercise...

The Demise of the Missoula Independent

Rambling Thoughts on Alt-Weeklies

Some folks will tell you that these days “everybody” gets their news online. With that in mind, it is no surprise newspapers are closing their doors on a regular basis. Montana suffered the loss of a newspaper when the Missoula Independent shut its doors unexpectedly on September 11. The fact that this was Missoula’s edgy alternative weekly paper that had been around since 1991 makes the news a real bummer.

Recalling a Dream - Too Much Stuff

Some day I'll get around to chronicling the chapters in my life by writing about the reoccurring dreams corresponding to each time period. I wrote about one reoccurring dream here, and below is another, one about too much stuff. 

Lifestyle Apparel Alert - Kitsbow Cycling Apparel

Although biking isn’t my primary passion, I guess I’ve ordered enough biking gear over the years to be labeled a biker and as a result, a Kitsbow catalog arrived in my mailbox. Founded by mountain bikers in 2012, the company aims “to create the riding apparel we couldn’t find: A perfect balance of technical performance, timeless design, and impeccable tailoring.”

Sprinter Vans are So 2016 - Bliss or Die

By now, many mountain town dwellers are familiar with Sprinter Vans. These vehicles, sometimes regular van size, other times behemoth, are popping up like balsamroot on summer hillsides. They cost a pretty penny and are often further pimped out for tens of thousands more. We call these Sprinter vans whether they’re the Mercedes Sprinter version or some other type. A Sprinter van unlike all others showed up in Bozeman the other weekend and was parked a few blocks from my house.

Look Who Made it Into a Literary Journal!

Stoked to have my work in appear in CutBank, the literary journal of the University of Montana. They were founded by William Kittredge 1973. Wendell Berry, Louise Erdrich, Richard Hugo and more have appeared in their pages so I'm in good company. I received excellent editorial advices from their editor, and they did a great job with the layout.