A huge thank you to editor Clare MacQueen for publishing my three micros in the new issue of MacQueen’s Quinterly. This journal is very special because of how it is organized on the website. It’s a very creative and thoughtful design. These pieces are a sample of what I am working on for my memoir. You might think of them as a hybrid–sort of a cross between micro nonfiction and prose poems. I hope you like them.
Toasting myself (virtually) with a glass of bubbly ;). Non virtually, we had a little family celebration the other day and drank this special prosecco. It’s called Blumond, and it’s made with blue curaçao.
Congratulations, Luanne.
Thanks, John!
😊
Congratulations! Nice bubbly too!
Thank you, Kate! Oh, that stuff was so good. It has a little citrusy flavor to it, as well as that gorgeous color!
Congratulations, Luanne! Those stories were sad, but the bubbly drink is a happy blue. That’s great that you got to celebrate in person.
We had a wonderful time, and that prosecco is really fun and tasty.
I hope the micros didn’t make you too sad!
I think the prosecoo would be too sweet for me. The poems were sad, but I’m OK. 😀
If you don’t like regular prosecco you probably wouldn’t like it. I’m glad you’re ok :).
😀
Your micros are so well done, Luanne. I enjoyed the way you chose your words so carefully to paint the scene with rich words sparsely used. Excellent writing! You drew out some emotion from me as I read these micros and that’s a sure sign that they are well crafted.
Oh thanks, Anneli. That means a lot to hear that from you! Woot!
Congratulations on the publication! Those are some intense scenes you’ve written. Well done. I like how you used present tense in these pieces.
I first tried past tense, but it wasn’t right. Now I am doing the pieces I am including of my father’s life in past tense and keeping present tense for my own. Thanks, Eilene!
Your micros are beautifully written, and filled with so much emotion. I kept seeing the image of you and your parents all dressed up for your aunt’s wedding. Very incongruous. This is the form that your memoir will type, the linked micro fiction/prose poem?
Oh, thank you so much, Liz!!! Interesting what you say about that photo. I mean, there is never one truth to one’s life, is there? And there were good times. Of course, the focus in the overall book will redefine those early moments, but also I gave the editor 7 and she chose these 3 which were probably the most disturbing in terms of the relationship with the parents.
You’re welcome, Luanne! You’re right that there is never one truth to one one’s life. I came to find that out about my parents when I was an adult, so much childhood pain. It’s interesting that you gave the editor 7, and she chose those 3. When I read them, I was shocked.
Oh my, I’m so sorry you were shocked! But it was shocking as a kid, I admit. I don’t know why . . . . You hint at something very interesting with your parents!!!!!
Hi Luanne, I can recognise the heavy lifting you have done to bring these memories to the surface and imbue them with such meaning in so few words. So evocative and emotional.
Thank you so much, Gwen, for your kind words AND your understanding of the emotional toll. xo
These are so compelling!
So glad to hear that! Thank you, Joy!
Luanne, these are superb.
Woot! Thank you so much!
Congratulations, Luanne! The micro essays are quite moving. Loved them.
Thank you so much, Marie! Love that you love them.
These pieces are wonderful, Luanne. The details you include are just right. Congratulations! I love Prosecco and will have to try some of this lovely Blumond!
Lovely to hear this from you, Carla. Thank you so much. I think you would love the Blumond! Come visit, and I’ll have it here for you :).
I can hardly wait!
Very powerful, Luanne. That first really resonated for me because my father and to some extent my mother both had that ability to be both grandma and the wolf at the same time or at least moments apart. The one clear memory I have of my father hitting me (he yelled more than he hit) was when I, like you, refused to go to bed. I thought it was a game when he chased me around the living room. Until he caught me and spanked me. Sigh….
Wow. I had no idea you experienced the wolf at your house! Mine probably yelled more than hit, too, but he spanked plenty. Your story about him chasing you just goes to show how little adults understand children!!! How does that happen, I’d like to know. Is it a forgetfulness about what being a child is like that is necessary to being an adult? Hmmm.
In my dad’s case, it’s likely due to the fact that he had such a miserable childhood and no male role models. His father was disabled and by the time my father was four or five had to be institutionalized. His mother was hospitalized for mental health issues. So not much joy. Only his grandmother Eva Seligman Cohen seems to have given him a sense of security and love.
What a sad story for your father. My father also had a miserable childhood and no male role model other than a grandfather until my dad was maybe 5 or so.
So I guess we need to cut them both a break. I know I have. He was actually a much better father than anyone might have expected, given his childhood.
Oh, that’s good to hear.
Congratulations Luanne, the pieces are wonderful. They’re powerful and unsettling, the way they juxtapose innocent childish things with darker themes. They’re extremely vivid – it took only a couple of lines and I was there.
Ah, I love reading this. You really got them! Thank you so much, Andrea.
Congratulations, Luanne!
Thank you!
I’ve now read the stories. Wonderful! The attention to detail results in powerful scenes and helps build the suspense throughout.
Oh Cynthia, thank you so much! I love the feedback, and I’m so glad you liked them!
Love your micros! Your writing is sooo evocative! I’m right there with you!
Thank you so much!!!