Illness in the Family

The brain of my poor pc is infected by what my internet provider and the pc specialist say is one of the worst replicating viruses around. I'm typing to you from my brother's system to let you know I'm anxiously awaiting the results in the bosom of my family - not even a five minute visitation every hour to my adopted daughter as she struggles to survive under the pc surgeon's skilled hands.

I'm stunned by the sadness and fear I feel as I pace the floor in anticipation of the outcome. Isn't it amazing how dependent we all are on our favorite communication system? I stagger into my office with my cup of tea every morning and stare at the empty space where usually with the push of a button the whole world comes right to my door and gently wakes me up every day. My office feels empty in the hush of the missing hum and the clicking of keys.

Here's praying the pc surgeon can work another miracle and save my baby.

Mahala

Congratulations to cj

Summer is upon us. You can feel the excitement in the air as neighborhood children squeal and ride bikes till almost dark. The same excitement filled the air last Friday night when the spring Oracle 2011, the fine arts review for the University of South Alabama, made its appearance.

cj has not one but TWO piecies in the publication. She read one at the reception held last week amid the grins and "atta-a-girls" of her two sons and a roomful of people.

One is a humorous and moving, nonfiction piece about the wedding of her son, Mark. The other a noir, fictional short story with exceptional details, draws the reader into the character's life and leaves you guessing. Nothing like an O'Henry ending.

The Oracle 2011 is jampacked with well written stories and poems, a few by other writing friends, Terry Rozum and Sue Walker, plus unique artwork.

It's always a joy to see new pieces created by budding writers mixed in with the pieces of already published writers. Congratulations to Frank Ard, Editor-in-Chief, for an excellent edition of Oracle and to all the writers and artists. Mahala

Power Writing

This summer I'm offering a new creative writing program for teens rising into the 10th - 12th grades. We will meet once a week for six weeks to share ideas on the writing process. Our focus will be the basics of plot, developing characters, and grounding the reader in the setting. My hope is that not only will these young people challenge their imaginations, but learn how to create a logical progression in telling a fictional story. This will be an advantage when they return to school, take the ACT and SAT, and so forth.

I particularly enjoy working with students and their active and creative ideas. We will be reading Tuck Everlasting, a beautifully written book, that, although a little below their reading level, is an excellent book to easily see the craft of writing in one of its best forms.

Along the way, we will write and critique our work and have a lot of fun in the process of discovery.

I hope you will share this opportunity with friends and family. I can be reached through this blog or at mahalachurch@gmail.com.

Mahala