Writing Archives - Page 5 of 18

Three Shining Stars

Nancy Flynn March 17, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Cooking, Writing

The composition was a trattoria in a shadier part of a somewhat upscale (in parts) college town. Tre Stelle, three stars in Italian, because initially there were three and then there were two. The things seen were art on the walls, sculptures scattered across the floor, copper counters, a wood-fired pizza oven, an Illy espresso machine. A a Hobart dough-kneading machine in the kitchen with the face of a pig painted on it. A Hobart dishwasher. Choice bottles of Italian wine cellared in the dank and cobwebbed cellar down a flight of rickety steps…

Preparing To Be Dazzled…

Nancy Flynn March 13, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Gardening, Musings, Neighborhood, Writing

We are still a week away from the official vernal equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator making its way to the north. I just learned from a Duck Duck Go search that spring arrives a half-day or so earlier than usual because 2024 is a leap year. It will be dark when it finally hits, just after eight p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Unlike today, the first bright one after what felt like a forever of gray and cold and windy and wet Pacific Northwest days. Walking around, celebrating an afternoon of sun, the streets are muddy, littered with fallen branches, matted leaves along the curbs and in the storm drains—the detritus of a winter that had its moments of harsh and formidable patches, that ground me, for one, down, made me want to hide inside with book after library book…

Publication News: riverbabble 28

Nancy Flynn March 12, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Gardening, Neighborhood, Publication News, Writing

Over the years, a number of my poems were featured at riverbabble, a literary journal that unfortunately is no longer online. riverbabble was founded in Berkeley, California in 2002 by Pandemonium Press and published twice a year—once in June, the Bloom’s Day Issue, and once in January, the Winter Solstice Issue. Every month, the Press also curated a reading series at the Spice Monkey Restaurant in Oakland, California…

Spring Ahead

Nancy Flynn March 10, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Film & Movies, Musings, Writing

The clocks do their foolishness also known as moving one hour ahead tonight. This late winter in the Pacific Northwest has been unseasonably cold; the first daffodil in our garden—opened today—is usually parading its yellow trumpet many weeks earlier than this…

The Honor of Being Nominated

Nancy Flynn March 7, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Awards, Writing, Writing Contests

What is a Pushcart Prize and what does it mean to be nominated? According to its website, The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, “published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America – including Highest Honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.” Their annual nomination process is pretty straightforward…

Publication News: “Evidence, Occurrence”

Nancy Flynn March 4, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Art Exhibit, Publication News, Writing

This ekphrastic, free-verse poem was inspired by Dianne Kornberg’s photographs of kelp from the University of Washington’s marine algae Herbarium in her exhibit “evidence of its occurrence” at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 2005…

Travel without Traveling: Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy

Nancy Flynn March 3, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Cooking, History Lessons, Travel, Writing

I have spent the past few days attempting to fit random-shaped jigsaw pieces into a puzzle. My back is to the television set where my convalescing spouse watches the second season of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy for the second time; we originally saw them during the pandemic when they first migrated from CNN (which we don’t get because we don’t have cable) to HBO…

Acceptance News: Poemeleon’s “Happy Poems” Issue

Nancy Flynn February 26, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Publication News, Writing

True confession right off the bat: I have not written very many happy poems. But I really like the literary journal, Poemeleon, and when the call came for their upcoming issue with a theme of “Happy Poems” well I searched the archives and dug a few out. Poemeleon: A Journal of Poetry was founded by Cati Porter in December of 2005
…

Better Reading through Poetry

Nancy Flynn February 25, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Book Report, Reading, Writing

I recently read Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Pádraig Ó. Tuama, the host of the podcast of the same name. Tuama introduces each poem, then offers his thoughts on both the art and craft of what the poem and the poet is attempting to do in that particular poem and why. He offers insights on each poem’s use a particular form as well as metaphor, rhythm and repetition, recognizable patterns, and poetic devices.

Wisdom from a Poetry Mentor

Nancy Flynn February 23, 2024Apostrophe Blog Archive, Poetic Form, Wisdom, Writing

I am a firm believer in the value of finding a poetry mentor, someone who will encourage and push you to the next necessary steps in finding your voice, in doing the creative work. When I first returned to writing poetry, way back in 2005 and 2006, I took a series of classes through an organization called Writers on the Net. I was incredibly lucky to stumble on an outstanding teacher, Bob Haynes and his courses, Daydreams I and Daydreams II. …

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