Today, at the CCCC in St. Louis, I had the opportunity to learn about dekaaz from the inventor, Rachel Bagby.  Simply put, dekaaz is a poetic form similar to haiku.  The basic format of a dekaaz is ten syllables on three lines.  The first line has two syllables, the second has… Read full post »

At the College Composition Conference in St. Louis this past week, I had the opportunity to record my own literacy experience.  A literacy experience can involve writing, sharing writing, reading, or anything having to do with your own experience as a writer or participating in the writing proce… Read full post »

In the next month, Fat Daddy's Farm with be releasing an e-book version of "Insanity: A Love Story" --it is a memoir about dealing with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the hospitalization after a manic-induced psychosis--below is an excerpt from the book

Want to win a free copy?  … Read full post »

Greetings from the AWP in Chicago-- for those who don't know, we are at the Association of Writers & Writing programs conference.

When we get back, I will convey all the lessons and advice I think you all might be interested in.

Here are some highlights so far:

Getting to see Nikki Giovani (poet…

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Two years ago, I decided to self-publish my book, "Insanity: A Love Story" through the Createspace program, which allows writers to sell books via Amazon and Amazon's Kindle program. I considered other POD (publish on demand) programs, such as Lulu; however, these/… Read full post »

Call for essays, creative writing and art for a new anthology dealing with motherhood and loss:

The topic of motherhood has been addressed in terms of feminism, politics, pedagogy and other issues particular to the experience of raising a child as a woman.  There have also been many nonfiction ex… Read full post »

Associating the TLC reality show "Sister Wives" with any version of feminism might seem counter-intuitive. However, this real life version of "Big Love," that chronicles the marriage(s) of a polygamist family in Utah is only possible because of feminism. Specifically, this newest addition to the cabl… Read full post »

I DVRed the new television show "Work of Art" because I was curious about what sort of show Sarah Jessica Parker would executive produce, especially on the cable channel Bravo.  I like many of the shows on Bravo because of the sensibility they share with SATC--flashy, dramatic, and a lot of… Read full post »

During the season finale of United States of Tara, I thought I was watching the series finale.  Soon afterwards, I found out that US had already gotten an early season renewal and would be coming back next year on Showtime.  However, I can’t really fathom what new directions this show/… Read full post »

I wonder if Flashforward fans are going to gain any momentum now that the finale has actually happened in their efforts to undo ABC's decision to cancel the show.  Now that "Lost" fans are mourning the loss of their favorite show, is there now more room for an obsessive recovary of… Read full post »

The "Lost" finale episode took a turn at the very end that is sure to move fans emotionally while disappointing others.  Many answers were given in the show, but the most remarkable resolutions involved reconnections among all the different characters, especially among "Lost" loves.  *If yo… Read full post »

I could name my ovarian cyst, but I don't think I am going to get too attached to it.  The next step will most likely be surgery to remove it (him?)

Apparently these things are common--nurses, doctors, my mother, all say they have had one.  One said theirs had teeth,… Read full post »

Last night I was watching Conan and he said that this weekend would be the biggest drinking binge anyone has ever had.  It seems that Conan has admitted defeat and is willing to walk away like an adult.  Or maybe that is Conan's schtick--being a wuss who isn't worthy.  Personally, I… Read full post »

According to Joan Walsh on the Rachel Maddow show, sexism may have played a role in the loss of the Senator seat by Martha Coakley, but other factors like poor campaigning and the political culture in the state were more important. 

I have to disagree with Walsh.  If Democrats had… Read full post »

It seems that we are becoming somewhat ritualized in our national reaction to disasters.  This is what the recipe seems to be:

Numerous celebrities to urge us to donate, perhaps even in the form of a celebrity driven telethon, concert, or some other way to entertain us, guilt us, and promote… Read full post »

Tonight, while eating Mexican food with my husband, I commented that the whole Leno/Conan saga was a metaphor for our economy.  Leno represented the baby boomer generation and Conan represents the Gen Xers. 

The baby boomers/Leno are expected to retire or want to retire, or perhaps transit… Read full post »

According to OMG! on Yahoo.com, the latest example of a photoshoping mishap brings up the issue of whether this editorial practice is harmful to women's body image or simply bad alteration of photos. In a recent campaign for Burberry, actress Emma Watson's leg appears to be missing. According to OMG!… Read full post »

If the health care bill is passed by the Senate with the Stupak-Pitts amendment included, women's reproductive rights will be infringed upon.  This fact is not disputed by those who support this amendment.  The intent is to circumvent the rights protected by Roe vs. Wade and other s… Read full post »

Texting is an emerging type of communication that has its own rules, but its use does not mean an end to correct grammar use in written English language.

Whenever a new literacy develops, whether it is the novel, the television script, or the blog, questions are always raised whether the new… Read full post »

A family in Minnesota got a returned letter stamped deceased intended for their son in September 2006.  Problem is, he wasn't dead.  After an internal investigation claimed the Post Office did nothing wrong, the mother, Joan Najbar, filed suit against the USPS.

My question is, what… Read full post »

One man is trying to make this a reality.  It doesn't really matter whether or not one California man's effort to get a divorce ban voted on as an amendment next year is a farce or the result of a sincere desire to protect marriage.  Attacking divorce reveals the flaws in Prop… Read full post »

In today's news cycle, after Obama speaks to the nation, there might be three black men off the radar. 

I noticed this weekend that three black men were making headlines, all very different in social standing and occupation, but all seemed to have stepped in it.

One was Tiger Woods. … Read full post »

It got cold on Thanksgiving here in the Ozark mountains of Missouri so we welcomed the idea of using our leftover turkey in the comforting dish of Turkey and Dumplings.  Here is the recipe for making this great dish:

After you have eaten your fair share of turkey, you cut… Read full post »

I watched the finale of Jon and Kate Plus Eight and was bothered by many parts of this episode.  As a casual watcher of this show over the years, I had stopped being interested in this TLC staple when the show stopped focusing on the children.  Ever since the drama of… Read full post »

A local STL had to resign because he posted a comment on the St. Louis-Dispatch newspaper's blog.  According to editors, it is against the rule to use profanity on their blogs, so they traced the offender to his work place, a local school, and notified his boss.  After being confr… Read full post »