Inspired by the toast from the groom to all the guests at a wedding I attended over the weekend, this piece is called “I Want.” The groom is one of the most genuinely kind and generous people you’ll ever meet, and when he said friends and family are everything to the newly-wed couple, he meant … Continue reading I Want
Good readers – Writers Vineyard
My July contribution to the Writers Vineyard, the blog for Champagne Book Group authors, is about reading, the joy and power of it. It's this week's Project Create, and I should really dedicate it to the Ellensburg Public Library, one of those magical places that lets you take books home for nothing but the promise … Continue reading Good readers – Writers Vineyard
You, Jane: The Pitch
The PNWA writers' conference is coming up, and here's a draft of a pitch for novel number two, You Jane, first constructed in 2010's NaNoWriMo frenzy. I'm not sure I've got it right yet - tell me what you think: Jane’s a frustrated writer who’s been in love with her best friend Charlie since their … Continue reading You, Jane: The Pitch
The gods remind us
A poem inspired by a full day of celebrating a life, listening to music, meeting new people, and watching a magnificently furious electrical storm at midnight: this week's Project Create. One Indian flute, played in honor of the dead; A second, played to light a doorway. Lightning without thunder, rain blown through the open window … Continue reading The gods remind us
Gremlins 0, Music 1
The Fourth of July in the United States is “Independence Day.” So it’s a nice ironic joke to find oneself attacked by the gremlins of loneliness on that day. (They taunt us, convince us we are doomed to be alone, forgotten, left out, unwanted, now and forever, amen. (There are also Gremlins who whisper and … Continue reading Gremlins 0, Music 1
Be Independent
It is the Fourth of July. What sort of independence are you celebrating today? Forget politics and nation-founding. Try finding your independence from fear, doubt, shame, worry, anger, self-medication, boredom. Imagine your independence from judgment and cynicism. Picture a world independent of violence and conflict. Be independent of all that; celebrate your dependence on love, sunshine, … Continue reading Be Independent
But your dog can fly you like a kite
These signs communicate the rules for Iron Horse State Park, which contains our little section of the John Wayne Trail. The haiku is this week's Project Create. No cars are allowed But your dog can fly you like A kite, if it sits.
Storm Takes the Valley
There was a gorgeous thunder and lightning storm that swept across the Kittitas valley this afternoon. I was out walking the John Wayne Trail, and got soaked, and happy. This poem is this week's Project Create. The light turns funny from the impending storm You know, how it can be dark and heavy and bright … Continue reading Storm Takes the Valley
Commencement 2012
This week's Project Create, inspired by graduating students everywhere. This is the moment. Standing at the entrance to an upper-level aisle, gazing down on the Key Arena floor, where everything is set up for the commencement ceremony that will start in about two hours. No one’s seated yet, the staff’s still working last-minute details while … Continue reading Commencement 2012
Letter from Earth
I’ve been reading Mark Twain’s Letters from the Earth, a series of short pieces edited by Bernard DeVoto. In the title story, Lucifer goes to Earth and writes about his observations to the other angels; he is shocked to discover that humans praise a concept of heaven that includes everything they do not like on … Continue reading Letter from Earth
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 