July 2024
July Writers Muse
Published by the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County
“In short, you may actually be writing only two or three hours a day, but your mind, in one way or another, is working on it twenty-four hours a day — yes, while you sleep — but only if some sort of draft or earlier version exists. Until it exists, writing has not really begun.” -John McPhee
The Strathcona Writers Muse is a forum for members of the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County to publish their works. Anything published in our letter is eligible to receive a publishing credit.
Important Dates
Writers Circle Virtual Sharing Meeting
Location in the Birch Room in the strathcona county Library or online
Next date July 2, 2024
RSVP on the website. If you choose the on line option, a link will be emailed to you prior to the meeting. You do not need to be a member of WFSC to attend a meeting.
https://www.wfscsherwoodpark.com/event-details/writing-circle-meeting-online-13
Next Board Meeting: July 9, 2024
Poets in the Park
Poets in the park meets the third Wednesday of every month online.
Reply to the link on the WFSC website
Next scheduled meeting: July 17, 2024
Children's Creative Writing Workshop
Second Monday of each month
Next Meeting (paused for the summer. Will return in Sept)
reply to the link on our Website
www.wfscsherwoodpark.com
This Month's Submissions
Diesel Spill
By Mandy Eve-Barnett
I am drawn by the bright morning sun through my bedroom window, I can’t possibly stay indoors on such a day, so call the dogs to come from their soft beds. I walk into the sunshine and down the garden path. The dogs bounce around my heels, anxiously waiting for the garden gate to be opened, pushing each other for position. Once free of the confines of my picket fenced garden, the two golden Labradors run down the grassy hill toward the woods, always their preferred route.
Following behind, I enjoy the warmth of the early morning sun, but the sudden shade under the tree’s canopy makes me shiver. The dogs playful barking and their progress through the leaf litter echoes back to me. Emerging out of the tree line, warmth bathes my body again. Before me lies the delta flowing into the sea. Gentle waves are washing the sand making it darken in undulating patterns across the beach. On the shoreline Bindy and Bert are already splashing happily together, twisting and pouncing around each other, their fur darkening like the sand as they become soaked.
Dark patches on the sand catch my eye, what could they be? At that moment both animals run excitedly toward me, as I bend to stroke them I see a multi-coloured film covering their fur. What is it? The noxious smell of diesel rises to my nose; realization dawns, a spill from a far off tanker has tainted our lovely beach.
Grabbing the dog’s collars, much to their dismay, I drag them back through the copse and up the hill toward home. Leaving the dogs secured in the garden, I run into the house to notify the life guard station of my discovery and whilst waiting for their arrival, wash the offending fuel from my dogs’ fur with plenty of soap and then rinse them with cool water from the garden hose. Soon my quiet day becomes a noisy one, full of vehicles, men in uniform and concerned neighbors. Men dressed in plastic suits with spray canisters upon their backs follow the first tide of responders and in turn they too are followed by animal rescue personnel. The following weeks follow the same routine with vehicles drawing up in the early morning and numerous organizations coming and going. Luckily, with my quick action and the united efforts of everyone, the spill is contained, the clean up completed within a fortnight. Once the beach is clean again, I gladly release Bindy and Bert for the first time in weeks from their leashes. Being restrained and walked across the top fields instead of their usual freedom had them puzzled for a time. Now, with their new found liberty, they do not look back, but sped toward the copse and the salty water beyond it, their joyful barking echoing once again through the copse.
Going Backwards
by Karen Probert
Deep blue sky, almost navy blue with a few stripey clouds. A light wind, not the Chinook that had been predicted. Arly walked slowly, feeling the warm of the late winter sun on her back. Maybe she had overdressed by putting on her puffy down-filled jacket with a scarf wrapped around her neck. She had already stuffed her knitted cap into her pocket and removed her suede gloves. It actually felt like a spring day. Arly did have to watch her steps as the deep snow, even here on a well-worn path, had softened as the days warmed up. She'd brought a trekking pole to help her keep her balance. After about half an hour Arly felt a change. She stopped to look around. No one else was on this trail. The whole area was open and bright to her right and the bush was on her left. She turned around slowly looking into the forest. She listened but all she could hear were cars on the nearby road. Walking on, Arly thought about the change. She knew in her gut that something was different. A prickling sensation on the back of her neck was also an alert. Had she heard something? Perhaps there was someone on one of the trails that intersected with the one she was on. In a minute or two she would come to the open meadow at the lower end of the trail. If she decided to turn right she'd come out to a narrow road up the hill. There was no sidewalk there. If she chose to turn left the trail would lead into a heavy wooded area at the base of the mountain. The snow would still be thick and heavy in there. The trees close to that trail would shade all the sunlight. The warmth of the late winter sun was what she craved today. She would not choose that route for this first walk in a long time. As she stood still to make her decision a movement caught her attention. It was off to the left and up along the side of the benchland trail along the edge of the forest. Before her accident she often hiked up there but for now she was confined to the lower, flatter trails. In this bright light she had a difficult time focusing on the movement. Arly scanned from right to left in that area. She spotted the movement again. A tail twitched. A very long tail, tawny brown and attached to a long body the colour of dirt on the hill. A cougar! It raised it's feline face to look around. It's chin was spotted with blood. Now Arly could see a deer carcass the cougar was feeding on. Arly stayed perfectly still. She took a deep breath as her mind whirled. "Don't ever run or turn your back on a large cat. They always attack from the rear." That was a memory from a Parks Canada seminar several years before. But Arly couldn't remember if they'd been told what they should do. The cougar lowered it's head to continue feeding. Arly took two steps backwards. She stopped to see if there was a reaction from the cat. None. She took four more steps, then stopped to wait. Nothing happened. After twenty-two steps back along the trail she'd come on she could no longer see the cougar. Could it still see her? She kept going, a few steps at a time, staying on the trail while hoping no one else came along, maybe even with an unleashed dog. Walking backwards is difficult especially in lumpy snow. Arly's breathing had slowed so she could finally hear the sounds around her rather than just the pounding of her heart. A magpie sat on a branch flicking it's wings. Some smaller birds twittered in the pines. Knowing that cougars are silent stalkers, their large padded feet supporting them on top of thick snow, Arly stopped often to peer into the stands of pine and balsam. Under the power line cut was more open space which made walking easier. Her knee was aching seriously now. She knew it was swelling with the constant pressure. Startled by the sound of a truck engine close by she stopped to turn around. Relief flowed through her as she spotted the wildlife officers in their truck. Someone else must have reported a cougar sighting. As one officer came towards Arly she saw the rifle he held. "Oh, don't kill it." she blurted. " It's beautiful. It's just hungry, just trying to get through this harsh winter." "Where exactly did you see it?" "On the first bench, just below the trees. I was on the edge of the meadow where the trails converge." "Are there any other people or dogs down there?" "Didn't see any. Hope not." "What did you actually see?" " A cougar. On a kill. It looked like maybe a deer. I know it was a cougar because of it's cat face and long tail." "Thank you. You're safe now. Do you need help getting home? You look like you were doing the right thing by walking backwards but that's hard. Do you think the animal saw you?" "Yes, it did. It looked right at me but I didn't make eye contact. I waited until it went back to feeding before moving slowly away. It was scary but I'm fine. I'll just rest here a minute and then the ten or so minutes to get home. You won't have to kill it, will you?' "Not likely, ma'am. Another hiker reported it so we came to check. You've helped us pinpoint where to look. We'll probably cordon off the area if there's a fresh kill. Stay safe." The two officers walked briskly down the trail carefully watching both sides. Arly leaned against their truck taking deep breaths. Later, as she sat with her knee supported by a hassock with an ice bag sitting on top of it to lower the swelling, she watched the local news. Arly saw that the area had been closed to hikers and trail riders so the cougar was to be allowed it's hard-won feast of a fresh deer. The situation would be monitored for a few days. In an interview with the officer she had spoken to, he said, "One woman was close enough to tell us the exact location of both the cougar and the deer carcass. She had slowly and quietly walked backwards away from the area so did not disturb the cougar. She did exactly the right thing in the circumstances and we're pleased that there was no confrontation." Silent tears escaped Arly's eyes to drip off her chin.
I hate carnival foods and even more so food from carnivals
Corn dogs, bleh!
Popcorn, meh!
Cotton Candy, Neh!
Maybe as a slushie like a Cotton Candy Lemonade slushie, yeah!
Fried cheesy pickles, hell yeah!
Fried Apple Hand Pies give another hell yeah!
Mini chicken and waffles never tried I’ll give it a try, yeah!
Soft pizza pretzels give me a beat, yeah! To form them into that pretzel shape to eat, yeah! With cheese and tomatoe sauce to reap the beats of the meats on the pizzas, yeah!
Carnival eats, hell yeah!
Asher Cromack
Cotton candy, giant fluffy ball of pink
Wash it down with rootbeer, I think
Churros next, sweet cinnamon dough
Then off to the ferris wheel I go
I need something salty for my tummy
A corndog or two with ketchup - yummy!
The house of mirrors is a lot of fun
And when I come out - cinnamon buns!
And funnel cakes heaped with whipped cream,
Is certainly my childhood dream
My tummy’s feeling a little funny
So maybe I need a stick of honey
And then a ride on the tilt-a-whirl
But the spinning makes me want to hurl
Nachos and cheese will be the cure
But that just makes my tummy feel poorer
Another ride might be the thing
So up I go in the giant swing
No, that just made things worse
What is this, my fairground curse?
Hot chocolate might clear my tummy and head
Oh no, I’m sick, guess I’ll just go to bed
Alana Gueutal
The Fair
By Guy Chambers
sunny day
at the fair way
people everywhere
covering all the surrounding
the smell of popcorn all around
and even all over the ground
squeezing between the toes
in one’s sandals
kids with excited feet
and swirling eyes
smiles through the cotton candy
and sticking to the faces
candy apples to keep
the bad things away
beware of the puke
from people on the rides
special when you hear
“ wholly sh_t”
the fear of some rides
keeping the eyes bugged out
and death-defying curling screams
but with an awesome excitement
why we do this to ourselves
but love the food
to stuff my face
'If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write' - Stephen King
What Are You Reading?
The Muse wants to know what other writers are reading! Are you doing research for a story? Are you reading a great book that you want to tell others about? E-mail the editor and let us know about your book. wfscsherwoodpark@gmail.com
The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner
Review by Mandy Barnett
An exceptionally well crafted story through several character's POV's. You immediately get a sense of the time period, the séance mania of the time and the startling exposed secrets and revelations of the cast. A great twist near its end as well.
THE FURY (2023) by Alex Michaelides
Review by Lana O’Neill
Is it normal to give a book a slow clap standing ovation? If I wasn’t bleary-eyed by the time I finished in the wee hours of the morning, I would’ve done so. From the start, Alex Michaelides’ murder mystery provided twists, turns and many surprises. The least of which was his breaking of the fourth wall using narrator and protagonist, Elliot Chase. The dialogue from Elliot, directed at me, was a bit off-putting because I was distracted by it and felt I couldn’t objectively collect my ducks, aka suspects, and put them in a row. An added surprise was the appearance of a major character, and Hollywood superstar, sporting the uncommon name of yours truly. The time-tested Agatha Christie formula figures prominently in setting: several suspects together on a secluded island, all with secrets and all with motive. Hercule Poirot would be chomping at the bit. However, there is no detective to uncover a culprit, just a group characters fortifying the plot. Needless to say, I was challenged, baffled and second guessing throughout the novel. But most of all, I was entertained.
Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick
Review by Mandy Barnett
I enjoyed this gentle narrative revealing how core friendships can last over time and become a solid base for us all. Each character was well rounded and their personalities shone through. It was a glimpse of their life courses and changes experienced.
A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick
Reviewed by Mandy Eve-Barnett
A delightfully charming small town narrative, with complex characters becoming friends through life struggles. I enjoyed the symbolism between the craft of quilting and how life can bring unexpected challenges. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
Publications available from our foundation.
Anyone can purchase these works through our website at wfscsherwoodpark.com
NEW PUBLICATIONS
We are excited to announce new publications through the Foundation.
A Creative Mind: Poetry Anthology III
The WFSC challenged its members to write a poem-a-day for 30 days and the poetry shared in this anthology are part of the results. Participants were allowed to submit up to five selections with others chosen at random to fill the book as needed. We think you’ll enjoy reading the as much as we did. We have selections from 14 poets offering 81 selections ranging in styles, voice, and direction, but all focused on the title / theme of the day
Contains the works of the winner's of the children's creative writing contest in 2020 and 2021
“Creative Writing Workshop Facilitators Kelsey Hoople and Mike Deregowski instituted a challenge to participate in national poetry month.” As part of Poetry Month for April 2020, the challenge was to write to the overall theme - The Great Escape. A different title posted each day provided inspiration for writing a poem a day for thirty days. It was a challenge worth taking up as many of the participants could no longer meet in person due to COVID-19 measures, but they could support one another online! This collection of poetry includes submissions from qualifying WFSC members for 2020. Challenge yourself! Enjoy!
From the Stars: Poetry Anthology IV
The newest edition is now available in Amazon:
“Creative Writing Workshop Facilitators Kelsey Hoople and Mike Deregowski continued their challenge from 2020 to participate in a second poetry anthology for 2021. As part of Poetry Month for April 2021, the challenge was to write to the overall theme - When Life Changes. A different title posted each day provided inspiration for writing a poem a day for thirty days. Amidst the COVID-19 challenge, getting creative was an outlet for our writing group, which enjoyed connecting online and being inspired. This collection of poetry includes submissions from qualifying WFSC members for 2021. Challenge yourself! Enjoy!
Available for purchase:
DWP WFSC's publication prior to the Writing Prompts book shares stories of Canadian writers.
We write from the heart about people who are important and things dear to us.
We write with a spirit that leads us to explore and explain.
We write. We are passionate.
We are Canadian.
Postcards from Canada proudly features the words of members from the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County in celebration of being Canadian – during this 150th year of Confederation. Share with us as we take you on a journey across Canada with our words, our images, our verse, our prose… Postcards from Canada - Wish you were here! Get your copy for $14.95 through the following:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1044815
Amazon POD:
Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08JPKPV62
Available for purchase:
Writers Foundation of Strathcona County
2022 - 2023 Board Members and contact information:
Joe McKnight President jmcknight2@hotmail.com Bethany Horne Vice President cbhorne@shaw.ca Never Been Better - Editor Linda Pedley Treasurer Web Site Administration wildhorse33@hotmail.com 780-445-0991 Mandy Barnett Secretary mandybar@shaw.ca Writing Circle Host/ Writing Prompts/ Newsletter Editor Karen Probert Past President karen@lumevision.com 780-464-6632 Beth Rowe Director Your Lifetime of Stories Coordinator bethrowe1@telus.net 780-718-7253 Henry Martell Director Newsletter Coordinator wfscsherwoodpark@gmail.com Amanda O'Driscoll Director
Coordinator Children's writing workshop Instagram Coordinator Library Liaison odriscoll.amanda@gmail.com
John Wheeler jbywheeler@gmail.com Email: wfscsherwoodpark@hotmail.com wordsinthepark@hotmail.com Website: (wfscsherwoodpark.com)
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Writers Foundation of Strathcona County All rights reserved.
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