Thursday, June 9, 2011

Michigan Black Writers workshops and book fair


Michigan Black Writers workshops and book fair, Saturday, June 11, 1-6 p.m. at the International Bazaar in Detroit's New Center area, 742 Lothrop near Third Street behind the Fisher Theatre.  The event will include workshops on editing, self-publishing, book illustration and writing children's books.  Workshops are scheduled for 1-3 p.m.

For additional information or if you are interested in having a table to sell your books, contact Geneva Phillips at (313) 854-1452.
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Monday, June 6, 2011

346

The ORIGINAL PLAN was to see if I could publish one Twitter-length story per day for one year.

That's 140 characters times 365 days, which equals 41,100 characters (if I did the math correctly).

...Or...I could try writing a novel....

...hmmmm....

(I use ellipses a lot, don't I?)

Anywho, the following is as far as I got....

*****

ChixBet-Jo lost a bet snuck in the hold put a red X on the Diva’s pup 
& waited for Phil to call the Papps. 
It was a long, cold trip to Titan

Che longed for adventure, but avoided risks. 
On a whim, he decided to visit the “bad” side of town. 
He choked at the tracks and drove home

Kitu saw Lion, who’d smelled him first.
Each thought of his family, then attacked & died from his wounds.
The Hyenas fed well that night

Waving thanks to the paused cars, Al lunged at the dog.
It fled to the sidewalk.
Honking salutes the traffic resumed-stranding him midstreet

She was wrong but to keep the peace Raj apologized with flowers. 
She flounced past with smug galpals.
He went home & watched the game-happy!

May thought she was ready for the digital conversion,
but she didn’t realize she needed a converter box. 
Her body still aches when it rains.

Fed up, Marc phoned his pal “Now!” 
Ty unveiled a new, shiny thing and the crowd ran to see. 
Unencumbered again, Marc went back to work.

Pockets! Drawers! Trash! Jas finally found his cell phone between the cushions!
Smiling, he turned it off 5 minutes before his show started…

As a new Angel, Bob earned his wings in spite of himself. 
Running with a lightning bolt, he tripped into a cloud. 
Three Magi saw the light.

The Gunman barricaded himself in his home. 
He’d stocked up on food, water, ammo & batteries.
No one cared. 
He came out & held a yard sale.

Leo was pathologically helpful. 
One day he said “No” and they all dismissed the outburst. 
But, he’d said it & pondered the possibilities…

“Join Us!” 
“Not my idea of fun.” 
“Fun is Fun!” 
They gathered to rescue him from himself. 
Anticipating, Nate made himself scarce.

Iola was lonely. 
She longed to be loved despite her Appearance & considered changing her face.
Instead, she settled for a rich husband.

J had problems with dairy.
When his bosses told of his trip, he thanked the staff with ice cream cake. 
They sent Buck while J ran his course

Less now, grown Porch Girl remembers that one kid’s attempt.
But he’d been enticed away to play by others.
She’d gone inside & stays…still…

Judson advertised for a virgin that could cook & keep house.
He found one, but she refused to do windows, so he sent her back & tried again.

Margie heard a strange noise & went to check it out.
Her husband smiled to himself, turned over & waited till morning to report her missing.

Carly sent her robot for a swim.
As expected, it sank.
The Brat laughed so hard she fell off her yacht. 
Her kin fished the bot out. 
Only.

“You can’t say ‘POOMPF! back,” Chip told his Gramps’ new galfriend. 
“She’s screwing with you,” Gramps said.
She waggled brows.
Aha. 
Family.




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Friday, June 3, 2011

Rights versus Responsibility

Now I understand that current culture says that everyone has the right to indulge in whatever recreational activities one wants to as long as no one is hurt, but whatever those folks are burning stings my nose and suffocates just about the same way being around burning tires does.

I know yall GOT RIGHTS, but what about my right to be able to breathe comfortably?


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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Fast Break!

     Friday morning, first break.
     I ducked downstairs to the lobby store for a carbo-charge and encountered this little fellow (couldn’t have been much more than four), who decided to block my way.
     Four-years-old him.
     Two-hundred-plus-pounds me.
     ...okay...
     I took one step to the left.
     He took three hops to his right.
     I took one step to the right.
     He took three skips to his left.
     I faked a half-step left, cut back around his open side and took off at a fast walk!
     He started after me, but pulled up at a woman’s call!
     When I came out of the store, I slipped the lady a bag of cookies to give to my tiny challenger.
     That had been the most fun I’d had all week!
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I'm Odd


I admit it.

It's because I was never properly socialized.

I have never acquired that inability to check, first, to see if the toilet seat was still up and, if it was, to reach over and put it down.

I only own four sets of footwear:  dress shoes, street shoes, house shoes and winter boots.

All flats.

All black.

I prefer not to go to the rest room as part of a group.

I think purses are evil.

I generally say what I have to say…once…then go back to whatever I was doing.

If the trash can is full, I take it out.

I think that "Chatter" is what a pack of hyenas do just before they rip you to shreds and eat you.

I think that the combined odors of sweat, armpit deodorant, feminine hygiene deodorant, hair products, perfumes, mouthwash, make-up, dry cleaning fluid, fabric softener, dry cleaner sheets and menstrual flow are noxious, especially in a warm elevator, and should be banned by the CDC.

I think that whoever invented panty-hose should be strangled with a robe made with braided panty-hose.

…oh, wait…

That's a common opinion.

Maybe I'm not so strange after all.