April 2022 Muse
April 2022
“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.” — William Faulkner
Editor's Note:
The Strathcona Writers Muse is a forum for members of the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County to provide an opportunity for members to publish their works. Anything published in our letter is eligible to receive a publishing credit. We accept poems and short stories of 1000 words or less normally but longer pieces can be accommodated if they can be published in parts. We are always in need of new items for each month so don't hesitate if you have something we can put into our publication.
Send submissions to wfscsherwoodpark@gmail.com care of Henry Martell, editor.
Important Dates
Writers Circle Virtual Sharing Meeting online
Next date April 4, 2022
RSVP on the website and the link will be emailed to you prior to the meeting.
https://www.wfscsherwoodpark.com/event-details/writing-circle-meeting-online-13
Next Board Meeting: April 11, 2022
Newsletter Submission Deadline: April 25, 2022
Poets in the Park
Poets in the park meets the third Wednesday of every month online.
Reply to the link on the WFSC website
www.wfscsherwoodpark.com
Next scheduled meeting April 20, 2022
Children's Creative Writing Workshop
Second Thursday of each month
Next Meeting April 14, 2022
Reply to the link on our Website
www.wfscsherwoodpark.com
This Month's Submissions
A Pirate’s Way By John Wheeler
Gather round children, and let me regale A seafaring yarn, of brave lads who sail. These men were pirates, scoundrels, and trickster. A treacherous bunch, a nasty mixture. But they had no ship, not even a raft. To sail the High Seas, they needed a craft. Took two days of sweat, and scheming and pain! It was decided, “We’ll steal one from Spain!” The plot succeeded; they came in the night. All hands made it out,with hardly a fight. The ship was now theirs, but hot in pursuit, The Spanish took sail, their mood ill repute. But Pirates are smart, and they sailed away. The Spanish lost them,the very next day. The pirate’s vessel, was renamed “Sea Beast.” On Spanish shipping, the Pirates did feast. Cruising the high seas, questing for treasure. Killing and maiming, gave them no pleasure. They just wanted gold, and things that glitter. The frantic Spanish? They became bitter. So,Spain put a price, on the “Sea Beast” crew. “Expecting answers!” The Spanish felt due. But nobody spoke, none would step forward. No whispers, no sounds,to drift in shoreward. The routing went on,for many a year. The “Sea Beast” was grim. Was something to fear. They sank many ships,slew many men bold. Ill-gotten profit? Put down in their hold. Then sadly one day, they’d just disappear. The “Sea Beast”, the crew, and all of their gear. Some said she’d been sunk, by Spanish gunboats. Or lost in a storm, to somewhere remote. Now comes to an end, this pirate tale told. Of galleon ships and Spaniard gold. Life as a pirate. There’s no easy day. Finding the treasure. It’s A Pirate’s Way.
Summer Road Trips
by Mandy Eve-Barnett
I long for the summer warmth to descend on Alberta, releasing its inhabitants both human and creature from the icy grip of winter and the dirty slush of spring. For summer is the time for road trips, allowing me to explore hamlets and ghost towns, forgotten historical sites, local artisan workshops and bookstores. Hidden gems bypassed by hurried highway drivers fervently heading from point A to point B. They miss the beauty; the conversations and the wildlife as the mile’s blur pass their vehicle windows. Not for me, a hurried drive, but the back roads and gravel trac