tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54375752886689556332024-02-07T18:38:00.312-08:00WRITING MEMORABLE WORDS
WRITING MEMORABLE WORDS is about connecting with readers and leaving memories behind.
TO COMMENT, CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THE POST, PLEASE.Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-2461699080490313302020-05-01T15:22:00.000-07:002020-05-01T15:22:00.902-07:00Memorable Meme that Sparked a Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Avenir Book"; font-size: 14pt;">This screenshot of a text message, showing a hilarious miscommunication between strangers, circulated the internet, and I couldn’t resist turning it into a story. I even assigned it to my teenage writing students as a prompt (and I will probably post their resulting collaborative tales on my other blog, at <a href="http://www.susanllipsonwritingteacher.blogspot.com/">www.susanllipsonwritingteacher.blogspot.com</a>). If you already follow me on Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/susanllipson/" target="_blank">@susanllipson</a>), you know that I often see writing prompts in unexpected places because I continually turn Nature images into metaphorical poems. Social media posts sometimes inspire my creativity, too--as you can see in this fictional response to the "text fail" image, above: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">by Susan L. Lipson</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Stan held his breath as he opened the door of the Uber car. After his embarrassing reply to her text that said <i>I am here for you</i>, he wished he could have canceled the ride. This driver probably thought he was a pathetic basket case, unloading on her as if she were a friend offering support. Standing stiffly outside the Honda Civic, he called, “Um, hi. Are you Tammy?” Peering into the car, he gulped as a smirking, but pretty woman, turned toward him and nodded. Her shiny black bangs skimmed long eyelashes, framing dark, black-outlined eyes. Stan hesitated to get in. He looked down at the phone in his hand.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> “Stan? Don’t be embarrassed, it’s okay. Just get in,” Tammy urged, soothingly. “Text fails happen.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Stan slid onto the fabric seat of her Honda Civic and shut the door as softly as he could. “Sorry about that.” He cleared his throat. “I thought you were someone else.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> “Obviously,” she quipped, her eyes smiling at him from the rearview mirror. “You okay?”</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Struggling to muster a smile, Stan saw his own reflection in her mirror. He looked as awkward as he felt. He smoothed down his ginger, frizzy hair against his temples. “Can we, um, listen to some music, maybe?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> She turned on the radio. Demi Lovato cried-sang, “Like a skyscraper…” And Stan burst into tears. Tammy changed the channel and turned up the volume. This time it was a sad song by Post Malone. Stan recognized the voice but couldn’t hear the words over his own sobbing. He hunkered down in the back seat so she couldn’t see him in the mirror.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> “Stan? Stan, get a hold of yourself, would you?” Tammy called out over the music. Her GPS rerouted her, due to excessive traffic, and she snapped at the mechanical voice, “No!” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Wiping his tears on his tie-dyed t-shirt, Stan blubbered, “I’m sorry, but can you just turn off the music? Please?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> She turned off the radio, sighing deeply. Stan could see her frown in the mirror. Her thick eyebrows nearly met in the middle. “Look, just calm down, dude! We’ll be there in ten minutes. Unless you need me to pull over now. You’re not , like, going to be sick or anything now, are you? I just had my seats cleaned.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Her “compassion” stunned Stan and stopped the flow of tears. He sniffed loudly. “Well, aren’t you just the kindest human being?! I THINK NOT!”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> <i>SCREECH!</i> The car jolted toward the curb and slammed to a stop. “Get out, Stan. I don’t need to have compassion! I’m not your freakin’ therapist! I’m not a bartender! I’m not your friend!”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Stan’s eyes bulged, and his puffy lips parted as his jaw dropped. “Wait, what? You’re serious? No, just drive. I’ll shut up. I need to get there on time!” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> “Tough, Stan. And speaking of tough, you have no idea what a tough life is like.” Suddenly, Tammy was crying. Shaking, sobbing, sticking her head out of her open window and gulping air...<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Stan gasped. “Tammy? Are you okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> She didn’t answer, only cried harder. Stan reached across the seat to pat her shoulder and she crumpled over the steering wheel. “I...I need...a hug, Stan. You’re not the only one with problems.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"> Stan got out of the back seat, opened the passenger-side door, and jumped into the front seat. He and Tammy hugged, sniffling over each other’s shoulders. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Strangers acting strangely</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">, thought Stan, feeling her hand against his lower back, enjoying her surprisingly kind massage.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Just two more gentle tugs and I’ll have his wallet, </span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">thought Tammy. But then she stopped herself from giving in to her compulsion. She needed more money, yes, but her driving job was too important to risk getting fired. And Stan seemed like a decent guy who didn’t deserve to be an unwitting donor to her medical fund. <i>Even if he is kind of an emo freak, </i>she thought. She sniffed loudly, patting his shoulder blades, and pulled herself out of his embrace, noticing the mascara streaks she had left on his shirt.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">He remained in the front seat, and they resumed driving, in total silence, to his destination. “Should I pull into the driveway?” she asked softly.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">“Sure, that works,” mumbled Stan. “Um, do you mind if I ask you a question?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Tammy shifted the car into Park. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">“Well, that depends… About what?” She stared at the windshield, avoiding his gaze.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">“Uh, about why you were crying and, um, why we...why we hugged like that?" Stan raised his eyebrows hopefully as she looked at him. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Tammy emitted a bitter sniff. “Because life sucks, that's why. How about <i>you</i>?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">“Same.” He forced a grimace-like smile.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">“You gonna be okay, Stan?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">“I think so. The hug helped.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Tammy sighed, mentally patting herself on the back for resisting the urge to rob him. “I’m glad. Take care of yourself, dude.” She watched his stained shoulder as he opened the car door and stepped out.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">“Yeah, you, too. Thanks for the ride.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">After he left the car, Stan concluded the ride on his Uber app, but not before giving her a five-star rating and impulsively adding a hundred-dollar tip. <i>Acts of random kindness deserve rewards, </i>he thought. He felt better already.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-84772480481156418112020-02-03T07:30:00.000-08:002020-02-03T07:30:04.920-08:00Poem Born of Empathy for the Bryant Family's Tragedy<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left;">
I've been meaning to post this poem, which I wrote on the tragic day that Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna left Earth together, along with their friends. As a parent, not even a basketball fan, this tragic news evoked my tears of empathy and words of compassion for the grieving families. Here are those words, as usual, in a poem:</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Arrivals and Departures</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(On the passing of Kobe And Gianna Bryant) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">By Susan L. Lipson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They arrived separately, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">almost three decades apart,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">to begin their intersecting journeys,</span></div>
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<a href="https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignnone wp-image-92478 size-full" height="320" sizes="(max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px" src="https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM.png" srcset="https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM.png 444w, https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM-207x300.png 207w, https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM-104x150.png 104w, https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM-73x106.png 73w, https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM-135x195.png 135w, https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM-118x170.png 118w, https://deanblundell.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-7.42.40-AM-222x321.png 222w" width="221" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">to celebrate living. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They became celebrated themselves,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">as they toured their destinations,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">separately and together,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">making memories and sharing dreams.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They departed together, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">when Life rerouted them</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">into a detour to the Divine,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">disrupting flight patterns,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">cancelling plans,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">and leaving their loved ones waiting at the gates,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">forlorn and incredulous.</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-46410402780006171082020-01-14T07:30:00.000-08:002020-01-14T07:30:10.074-08:00A New Poem that Clarifies Why I Had Bladder Problems During First Grade<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know that the title of this blog post sounds strange, but you'll understand it once you've read my newest poem about one of my oldest memories:</span></h2>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Star’s Shadow</span><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Susan L. Lipson</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSt4MejTc1xOF7ONMBm2nE33cHjsMbEls7KK8ClTV3DpjhuP1ooJ2mdE76CAbBWZLiy1LORZNWeN5GQ4Ynz1xIvGk8qzeF1zLx1eoYVjY7k8sGcpwb7VCNuM8Szs1ZZKo7MuhoSxTTlQ/s1600/IMG_2459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSt4MejTc1xOF7ONMBm2nE33cHjsMbEls7KK8ClTV3DpjhuP1ooJ2mdE76CAbBWZLiy1LORZNWeN5GQ4Ynz1xIvGk8qzeF1zLx1eoYVjY7k8sGcpwb7VCNuM8Szs1ZZKo7MuhoSxTTlQ/s200/IMG_2459.JPG" width="152" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I stared upward at the gold, foil star<br />stuck proudly below my bitten fingernails,<br />to the right of my one wrinkled thumb,<br />and now held aloft in my first-grade teacher’s </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">tight grip.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Look at this! This is <i>yesterday’s</i> star for spelling!” she announced.<br />Everyone looked at my treasured sign of specialness.<br />Except me.<br />I looked at the teacher’s downturned lips and her wrinkled nose. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My skinny arm trembled in her grasp.</span></h3>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She clucked her tongue and asked, for everyone to hear:<br />“Why did you leave it on your hand? Don’t you <i>wash</i> every day?”<br />Everyone looked at our teacher’s grimace.<br />Except me.<br />I looked down at my desk, where a big teardrop had just plopped<br />onto the math quiz she had just delivered,<br />marked with a few red x’s, and no smiley face.<br /><br />I <i>had </i>washed my hand.<br />But I had washed <i>around </i>the star.<br /><br />“Children,” she asked with scary sweetness, still gripping my wrist,<br />“remember our lesson on the importance of cleanliness?”<br />Everyone nodded.<br />Except me.<br />I was clenching my teeth, trying not to blink,<br />so that tears wouldn’t spill.<br /><br />My teacher clucked her tongue again,<br />dropped my hand, and strutted off to the next desk,<br />to deliver the next graded math paper.<br /><br />Hiding my right hand under my desk,<br />I pinched off the star,<br />folded it into itself,<br />hid it in my pocket,<br />and then tried to rub off<br />its grayish, adhesive outline.<br />I wanted to go wash off the star’s shadow in the girls’ bathroom.<br />But I was too afraid to raise my hand to ask permission.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Have you ever dug into your past as I have in this poem, to examine the profundity of relatively mundane moments that influenced your evolution? Try walking in your smallest shoes again so you can see your little child self with new empathy.</i></span></h2>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-40845115763146923182019-12-13T15:52:00.004-08:002019-12-13T15:52:51.303-08:00New Poem Birthed at Breakfast <br />
<span style="font-size: large;">At breakfast with two artistic friends this morning, we discussed the importance of encounters, either unplanned or planned (like ours), in nurturing creativity. Artists create works for the purpose of catharsis or connection, and too much alone time can lead to blocked artistic flow. Our meandering discussion touched the topic of worrying, and the notion stayed with me for the next few hours, finally crystallizing into the new poem below. I don't usually post a first draft, but I am doing so today to convey how connections can catalyze creativity and compel communication (not to mention excessive use of alliteration). So, here's the poem that enables me to justify a fun morning off with extraordinary friends. I hope you'll let me know if it moves you. And if you do connect with my words and wish to read some more polished poems, check out my newest published book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disillusions-Grandeur-Other-Eye-Openers-poems/dp/1688599053/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=disillusions+of+grandeur+and+other+eye+openers&qid=1576279558&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Disillusions of Grandeur--and Other Eye-Openers</a> (</i>click title for more info).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">Worry Walls<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">by Susan L. Lipson</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: cambria, serif;"><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">Worrying is a symptom </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">of our sick need for control—<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">control over all that occurs outside of our own actions.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">Worrying has no power to change circumstances, events, or others’ decisions; <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">no power to heal, show support, or remove pain; <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">no power to maintain a dependence upon our input. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">Worrying disempowers us,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">erecting walls around our crumbling castles of control,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">blocking our view of the reality beyond our courtyards. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">If we summon the strength <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">to climb over those Worry Walls, <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">pausing on top to regain balance, <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">we can see what IS,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">not what “should” or “could” be,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">and if we the summon the faith<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">to take a leap into the reality,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">causing the walls to collapse behind us,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">and land on our feet--<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">shaking, perhaps--<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "applesystemuifontbold"; font-size: 17pt;">but ready to walk forward.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-35791018777410405032019-10-17T09:00:00.000-07:002019-10-17T09:00:05.103-07:00Have You Seen My New Book Yet? Poetry for Adults and Young Adults! <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So excited to share my news:</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disillusions-Grandeur-Other-Eye-Openers-poems/dp/1688599053" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">New poetry collection about sometimes ironic, and always eye-opening realizations... </span></a><br />
[Please click on the words above to shop for this book online! It costs only 9.99 and is guaranteed to compel you to either read one aloud, or smile or chuckle, or raise your eyebrows at least three times!]<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-63022512742006206522019-03-26T10:00:00.002-07:002019-03-26T10:00:52.825-07:00WANTING (a new poem to be read aloud after a deep inhalation)<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Wanting </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> by S. L. Lipson </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: large;">I am sick of mediocrity<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> and superficiality <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> and damn conditionality <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> rewarded by society,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> more so than humble piety<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> or dignified sobriety,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> or earnest dedication,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> while valuable education<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> is devalued in this nation,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> and money is equated<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> with all that’s highly rated <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> by teachers who have stated<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> that they define what’s best<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> with mere numbers on a test,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> scores higher than the rest,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> as if that is a measure <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> of what we all should treasure<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> over intangible pleasure—<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> like laughter shared with friends,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> warm hugs that make amends, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> mere awareness that transcends<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> the tangible into gratitude,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> becoming a blessed attitude;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> and this is no mere platitude!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> It’s a call to all to reassess<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> the key to peace and happiness:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> to value more while wanting less.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-38540155908517454932019-03-04T18:35:00.001-08:002019-03-04T18:35:08.765-08:00How Novels, Like News Stories, Grab Readers with the 5 W’s<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">In revising the opening pages of my current YA manuscript, I reminded myself that the strongest first pages of novels should provide the same information found in a compelling TV or movie preview: a glimpse of an intriguing character (or two) with an implied back story, an interesting setting, and a vividly engaging point-of-view. Similarly, the first page of a novel, like the lead of a news story, should give the reader <i>a sense </i>of the Who, What, When, Where, and Why, with the promise that the story will unfold the How. But the “lead” of a novel should never turn into an information dump. The W’s should reveal themselves through implication. When authors resort to info-dump openings, they probably believe that readers require copious details for a clear understanding of the world they are entering, even though, ironically, the superfluous details actually muddy the readers’ perceptions. Authors who want to establish strong relationships with new readers should expect those readers to have the intelligence to discern the W’s within subtly and concisely crafted openings. Info dumps are, in a sense, condescending to readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The following story openings, from some novels I’ve recently enjoyed, clarify the way carefully chosen details can reveal—or artfully conceal—enough W’s to keep us reading: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhD9eo7kAxTohZY6DA6Il782-4Ax5mh0jO8ukLyoinI5AoWrvXYCie91DR-INIUMPWWBjp7d5KvfgS4AcRK2aDDO2JpGATU-nIWHToO7wAeL97N3Wl_V3JGxZzlDRkqtldTH9fWZbpFo/s1600/IMG_3106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1585" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhD9eo7kAxTohZY6DA6Il782-4Ax5mh0jO8ukLyoinI5AoWrvXYCie91DR-INIUMPWWBjp7d5KvfgS4AcRK2aDDO2JpGATU-nIWHToO7wAeL97N3Wl_V3JGxZzlDRkqtldTH9fWZbpFo/s320/IMG_3106.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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(Links to buy each book listed below are available by clicking on the highlighted titles.)</div>
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<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dear-martin-nic-stone/1125531425?ean=9781101939529#/" target="_blank">Dear Martin, </a></span></i><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dear-martin-nic-stone/1125531425?ean=9781101939529#/" target="_blank">by Nic Stone</a>, begins:</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<b>“From where he’s standing across the street, Justyce can see her: Melo Taylor, ex-girlfriend, slumped over beside her Benz on the damp concrete of the FarmFresh parking lot. She’s missing a shoe, and the contents of her purse are scattered around her like the guts of a pulled party popper. He knows she’s drunk, but this is too much, even for her.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> “Just shakes his head, remembering the judgment all over his best friend Manny’s face as he left Manny’s house not fifteen minutes ago.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>WHO: </u>Justyce, a young man (“he” indicates his gender, and the fact that he has an ex-girlfriend who can drive and has been drinking, suggests that he is not a kid). Melo, a possibly rich young woman (“Benz” suggests an expensive Mercedes Benz car) who is a reckless partier (given her drunken state) and still matters in some way to her ex, Justyce (“…this is too much, even for her. Just shakes his head…”).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHAT: </u> Justyce seems to be contemplating a rescue of his ex-girlfriend, risking the disapproval of his best friend, Manny, whom we readers will surely meet since he’s important enough to mention in the opening.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHEN: </u>Contemporary time, due to modern diction, and references to a current car and store name. We can also guess that this scene takes place just after a rain (“damp concrete”).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHERE: </u>Urban or suburban neighborhood, suggested by a parking lot and a grocery store, and a neighborhood (where Manny lives) within a 15-minute drive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHY: </u>Justyce is witnessing a dangerous situation—his ex-girlfriend might drive drunk—and that seems to compel him to play hero now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-love-and-lies-of-rukhsana-ali-sabina-khan/1128563763?ean=9781338227017#/" target="_blank">The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali,</a> </span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-love-and-lies-of-rukhsana-ali-sabina-khan/1128563763?ean=9781338227017#/" target="_blank">by Sabina Khan,</a> opens:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>“No parties, no shorts, no boys. These were my parents’ three cardinal rules. But what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them, right? I quickly changed out of my NASA pajamas and into my favorite black crop top and dark blue vintage jeans, liking the way they accentuated my curves. According to my Mom no one needed to know that I had boobs, much less a belly button, except for me, Allah, and my future husband. Of course, the whole “no boys” rule was a moot point in my case, but fortunately my parents didn’t know about Ariana.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>WHO: </u>A teenage girl named Rukhsana Ali (the title reveals her name, and her gender is revealed by the fact that she has “curves” and “boobs.” She is either into space exploration or astronomy or physics, or she is close to someone who has such interests, since she wears NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) pajamas. She likes to show off her body—more than her strict, conservative parents do! She is likely Muslim, given the reference to “Allah.” And she is possibly a lesbian, unbeknownst to her parents, given her line: “the whole ‘no boys’ rule was a moot point in my case, but fortunately my parents didn’t know about Ariana.” We can infer from the word “fortunately” that the narrator believes that her parents would disapprove of her being gay.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHAT: </u>Rukhsana is a rule-breaker, about to sneak out of her house, possibly to a party where she will meet up with Ariana. This seems to be a story about a girl trying to be herself within the confines of a rigid home, where she is expected to marry a man and dress modestly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHEN: </u>Modern times, given the narrator’s diction, her unflinching candor about being into girls, and the clothing style references. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHERE: </u>A family home, with enough luxury that she can have a “favorite” top (so, in other words, not poor), and in a neighborhood (because parties are an option).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHY: </u>Rukhsana resorts to rule-breaking out of fear or respect for her parents and her Muslim background, and she rationalizes that she is deceiving them to keep from hurting them (“But what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them, right?”). She mentions “my future husband” because she knows her Mom’s expectation, and Rukhsana is acknowledging that she will have to break that rule along with the three much simpler ones that she lists in the first line. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/leah-on-the-offbeat-becky-albertalli/1126314327?ean=9780062643803" target="_blank">Leah on the Offbeat, </a></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/leah-on-the-offbeat-becky-albertalli/1126314327?ean=9780062643803" target="_blank">by Becky Albertalli,</a> starts:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>“I don’t mean to be dramatic, but God save me from Morgan picking our set list. That girl is a suburban dad’s midlife crisis in a high school senior’s body.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> Case in point: she’s kneeling on the floor, using the keyboard stool as a desk, and every title on her list is a mediocre classic rock song. I’m a very tolerant person, but as an American, a musician, and a self-respecting human being, it is both my duty and my privilege to blanket veto that shit.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>WHO:</u>A teenage musician, probably Leah, of the title, who ironically calls attention to her tendency to be dramatic by saying “I don’t mean to be dramatic….” She does not refer to herself as a “girl,” only as a “self-respecting human being,” but she does identify Morgan as “that girl…a suburban dad’s midlife crisis,” thereby acknowledging that Morgan is a “hot girl,” while revealing herself to be amusingly sarcastic and judgmental (even though she calls herself, ironically again, “tolerant”). She is not a “girly girl,” so to speak, and she uses coarse language, letting the reader know that she is not someone who censors herself. She also has very strong musical preferences and disdain for her band mate Morgan’s taste (we can infer that Morgan is a band mate because the narrator mentions “our set list”).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHAT: </u>The narrator is asserting her control over the musical choices and possibly starting a power struggle with Morgan, for whom she expresses disdain, but the reader may read between the lines to guess that Leah is jealous of her band mate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHEN: </u>Today’s American suburban world, given the casual diction and the coarse language (“blanket veto that shit”).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHERE:</u>The setting seems to be an American suburb, due to the reference to students as “seniors” (an American term for the final year of high school), and the word “suburban.” We can also surmise that the band mates are in some form of music practice room, because of the presence of a “keyboard stool.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHY: </u>The conflict between the musicians is based not only on differences in musical taste, but possibly on an unstated jealousy between them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/on-the-come-up-angie-thomas/1127458061?ean=9780062886408#/" target="_blank">On the Come Up, </a></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/on-the-come-up-angie-thomas/1127458061?ean=9780062886408#/" target="_blank">by Angie Thomas,</a> begins:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>“I might have to kill somebody tonight. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> It could be somebody I know. It could be a stranger. It could be somebody who’s never battled before. It could be somebody who’s a pro at it. It doesn’t matter how many punch lines they spit or how nice their flow is. I’ll have to kill them….”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>WHO: </u>A narrator of any possible age or gender, who at first seems to suggest the possibility of homicide, but then reveals that the narrator is about to engage in a battle of words, possibly a rap battle (“how many punch lines they spit or how nice their flow is”). The narrator, we can assume, is not a “pro” because the narrator implies feeling intimidated by “somebody who’s a pro at it.” The narrator is someone very determined to win (“I’ll have to kill them”). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHAT: </u>A verbal war is about to ensue, “tonight,” with unknown competitors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHEN: </u>Contemporary time period, based on language (the casual use of “kill” to mean “defeat”). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHERE: </u>No setting established yet, only a future setting is implied: possibly a club where a rap battle will take place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHY: </u>The reader doesn’t know why the narrator is so determined to win, but the reiteration of the desire to “kill” compels us with the passion behind that repeated hyperbole.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/youll-miss-me-when-im-gone-rachel-lynn-solomon/1126512010?ean=9781481497749#/" target="_blank">You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, </a></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/youll-miss-me-when-im-gone-rachel-lynn-solomon/1126512010?ean=9781481497749#/" target="_blank">by Rachel Lynn Solomon</a>, </span></div>
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has two openings, in essence, because the story has two narrators. So I will look at both Chapter One and Chapter Two as individual openings within the same novel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Chapter One: Adina<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> “I used to think his touches meant nothing. We brushed arms in the hallway of his apartment, and I let myself believe the space was simply too narrow. Our hands tangled and I figured it was because we reached to turn the sheet music at the same time.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>WHO: </u>Adina (probably female, given her name) is a musician (because she refers to turning “sheet music”), age unclear. She seems to suspect that the male musician, with whom she plays music, is intentionally touching her. We can’t be sure from this first paragraph whether she likes or dislikes the idea of physical contact with this man or boy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHAT: </u>Adina has been playing music with this male musician for a while (“I <i>used to </i>think…”), and she plays with him at his apartment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHEN: </u>Not clear, could be almost any time period.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHERE: </u>Probably the USA or Canada, because of the reference to an “apartment,” rather than a “flat,” as such a home would be called in other English-speaking countries.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHY: </u>Adina is concerned because her relationship to the other musician seems about to change dramatically.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b> Chapter Two: Tovah<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> “I used to think being a twin meant I’d never be the center of attention. That I’d always share the spotlight with my sister or fight for control of it. For a long time, I didn’t mind sharing. I hid behind Adina while others praised her for her music, her poise, her looks.” <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>WHO: </u>Tovah, a twin who feels less important or worthy than her sister (“I hid behind Adina”), and is tired of that feeling (“For a long time, I didn’t mind sharing” implies that NOW she does mind). Tovah immediately mentions Adina in her introductory words to the reader, whereas Adina only mentions herself in the previous chapter’s opening. That says a lot about their respective feelings about each other. The fact that her tone sounds bitter in her reference to Adina’s “poise” and “looks,” suggests that they either are not identical twins and look different, or they are identical but insecure Tovah doesn’t see herself in Adina. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHAT: </u> Tovah expresses her jealousy (“others praised her for…”) and implies that she is about to step out of Adina’s shadow and assert herself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHEN: </u>Unclear time period.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHERE: </u>No setting, only a voice so far.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHY: </u>Tovah is fed up and feels the injustice of being ignored.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-power-naomi-alderman/1125454421?ean=9780316547604#/" target="_blank">The Power, </a></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-power-naomi-alderman/1125454421?ean=9780316547604#/" target="_blank">by Naomi Alderman</a>, opens with a literary conceit, a device that purposely plays with the reader. </span></div>
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Alderman writes her book as if she is its editor, not its author--as a novel being presented to her for editorial feedback by a fictional person, “Neil Adam Armon,” which is an anagram of the real author’s name. The opening features a letter that accompanies the fictional manuscript.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b> The Men Writers Association<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> New Bevand Square<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> 27<sup>th</sup>October<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> Dear Naomi,<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> I’ve finished the bloody book. I’m sending it to you, with all its fragments and drawings, in the hope that you’ll give me some guidance or at least that I’ll finally hear the echo of it as I drop the pebble of this book down the well.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> You’ll ask me first of all what it <i>is. </i>“Not another dry volume of history” was what I promised. Four books in I realize that no general reader can be bothered to wade through endless mounds of evidence, no one cares about the technicalities of dating finds and strata comparison. I’ve seen audiences’ eyes go blank as I try to explain my research. So what I’ve done here is a sort of hybrid piece, something that I hope will appeal more to ordinary people. Not quite history, not quite a novel….<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>WHO:</u> A possibly British author-historian, suggested by the use of the word “bloody” and the style in which the date is written (we don’t learn his name until the end of the verbose letter). The writer is a man, clearly, representing “The Men Writers Association,” something that suggests a world outside of the USA, because writers are not separated by gender here, only by genre. His writing style is wordy and he even uses a run-on sentence in the letter, which suggests that he does indeed need the editorial assistance that he asks Naomi for in the opening line. Readers can also see that he is self-aware about how esoteric his research is because he acknowledges his awareness that “audiences’ eyes go blank as I try to explain my research.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHAT: </u>The researcher-historian is submitting his book to Naomi for guidance, after four revisions, with the hope of finally educating “ordinary people.” This isn’t the most compelling plot hook, but the hook lies more in the literary device that portrays Naomi Alderman as an editorial consultant for a fictional author’s <i>nonfiction </i>work, which she will share with us readers. The purposeful confusion of the reader keeps us reading to find out why the author chose this stylistic path.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHEN: </u>No time period is defined, and the diction only indicates a British style. Also, the fictional author-character seems to be sending with his letter to Naomi a hard copy of his manuscript (“with all its fragments and drawings”), rather than an electronic copy with scanned images, so these details do not define a particular time period. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHERE: </u>He appears to be writing from an office.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>WHY: </u>The fictional author aims to educate as many people as possible with his research findings. <o:p></o:p></div>
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(<i>The Power </i>gets much more interesting--becoming a dystopian world masquerading as a factual account of a world overtaken by female power--as we start reading what the fictional Neil has deemed “not quite history, not quite a novel.” )<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Deconstructing the opening lines of those five novels in terms of the typical journalistic “lead” illustrates that compelling fiction, like nonfiction, requires informing the readers, early on, of certain basic story elements. Rather than clearly “telling” these elements to readers, as journalists must do, fiction authors subtly SHOW the Who, What, When, Where, Why as a kind of preview of the story to come. Thus, novelists lure readers to travel along on the story arc and find out How the story will unfold. Now I challenge you to take a closer look at a novel that you have recently read or are currently reading—even one that you may be writing!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-79097396285958324552018-10-29T15:53:00.001-07:002018-10-29T15:53:30.420-07:00"To be is to stand for."<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"To be is to stand for." --Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel</span></div>
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Too many people have allowed themselves to be brainwashed by the misguided, clearly unsuccessful strategy for safe coexistence with “others:” the purely reactive approach of standing <i>up </i>to haters, standing <i>with </i>victims, and standing <i>against </i>injustice. We see protesters reacting to acts of hatred with defiant superiority (“standing <i>up </i>to haters”), and neighbors reacting with “misery-loves-company” sympathy (“standing <i>with </i>victims”) or self-righteous outrage after someone’s persecution (“standing <i>against </i>injustice”). But this reactive approach is like fire-fighting with individual fire extinguishers in the wake of troops of flying arsonists, while complaining about the reckless abandonment of so much combustible material along the arsonists’ paths. Perhaps it is high time we that implement a proactive approach to preventing conflagrations, to replace the reactive approach to hatred, by focusing on what we <b>stand <i>for</i></b><i>—</i>our ideals, our morals—and modeling those ideals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I read this morning that a long-time Republican party official publicly <b>stood for his own beliefs</b> by renouncing his membership in the Republican Party and joining the Democrats. Here is the first of a long tweet thread from Steve Schmidt, the former campaign manager for John McCain:</div>
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29 years and nine months ago I registered to vote and became a member of The Republican Party which was founded in 1854 to oppose slavery and stand for the dignity of human life. Today I renounce my membership in the Republican Party. It is fully the party of Trump.</div>
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<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2018-06-20T06:41:02+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/SteveSchmidtSES/status/1009325231004004352" style="color: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">11:41 PM - Jun 19, 2018</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/former-mccain-campaign-manager-leaves-republican-party-985854">https://www.newsweek.com/former-mccain-campaign-manager-leaves-republican-party-985854</a></div>
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Notice he used the phrase "stand FOR"? This is what we need, more of this. We must all decided who we are, what we stand for. We must raise kids who know what they stand for. We must never forget what we stand for just to stand <i>with </i>others who misrepresent our values and use their power to control us, or just to stand <i>against </i>those who have opposed us in petty politics. Politics are not life. Life is bigger than petty power struggles. Leadership means standing FOR principles. I admire Steve Schmidt. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-89245696700962462332018-10-18T13:37:00.001-07:002018-10-18T13:37:04.197-07:00#WhyDoYouVote?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_W6yXIccIDU" width="480"></iframe><br />
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And I vote because of young people like these activists, who deserve a world that is safe, accepting of all people, and peaceful. My generation owes them passionate activism, not complacency in the face of the destruction of democratic ideals, of peaceful coexistence, and of our beautiful planet.<br />
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Please join me and vote for our future, and the future of their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-69512911438837565602018-10-04T17:10:00.001-07:002018-10-04T17:10:52.888-07:00Sparked by Injustice, I Wrote This Poem...<br />
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<b>Questions Raised by Belittled Testimony</b></h3>
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By Susan L. Lipson<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbngwJbCe4gkSPEhPMkGnPnREq6y8U2H0TL6baUQ1iQFB11iyZpQKTgMJQkVjy3hWEAbIuoaIy4BXoPZPnFTF6IZfvg7-2EhY-XZGH9raJRc6pP-8AbVnXluJjfmwOmZXd1uJyGAcV7c/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbngwJbCe4gkSPEhPMkGnPnREq6y8U2H0TL6baUQ1iQFB11iyZpQKTgMJQkVjy3hWEAbIuoaIy4BXoPZPnFTF6IZfvg7-2EhY-XZGH9raJRc6pP-8AbVnXluJjfmwOmZXd1uJyGAcV7c/s1600/images-3.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Why is it that men who’ve cried out</div>
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years after their abuse by priests</div>
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are considered brave heroes,<o:p></o:p></div>
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with suppressed memories—<o:p></o:p></div>
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PTSD, in fact—<o:p></o:p></div>
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when they step forward publicly,<o:p></o:p></div>
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painfully recounting memories to the best of their abilities;<o:p></o:p></div>
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supported by the outraged community<o:p></o:p></div>
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who condemns the defiling of innocence;<o:p></o:p></div>
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not interrogated by critics determined to cast doubts<o:p></o:p></div>
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on their very characters,<o:p></o:p></div>
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to victimize them again,<o:p></o:p></div>
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to mentally rape them<o:p></o:p></div>
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with slander;<o:p></o:p></div>
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while women who dare to cry out<o:p></o:p></div>
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about having been molested, harassed, abused, raped, <o:p></o:p></div>
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and violated in their past youth<o:p></o:p></div>
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by power-seeking men who once were<o:p></o:p></div>
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boys, <i>just being boys</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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(not “assailants” or “abusers” or “rapists”—just randy boys),<o:p></o:p></div>
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are not considered heroes, but rather:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“politically motivated pawns,” <o:p></o:p></div>
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“confused and misguided neurotics,”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“vengeful liars or self-righteous exaggerators,” <o:p></o:p></div>
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or even “attention-whores”?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Why is double jeopardy illegal,<o:p></o:p></div>
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But not double victimization?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-62449416073062428832017-11-29T14:32:00.000-08:002017-11-29T14:32:45.486-08:00Ego and Entitlement: The Source of Social Ills<div style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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Do you ever stop to think about how EGO is the force behind all social dysfunction, aggression, and injustice? The attitude of <b>entitlement</b>--stemming from ego--leads to all forms of "supremacy" that make one person feel justified in dominating another. I saw evidence of egotistical entitlement in action today....</div>
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I was driving through a grocery store parking lot, and stopped to let a woman cross in front of me to get to her car. I waved her onward, and she smiled appreciatively and wa<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">ved back--and our shared moment of respect between stranger-neighbors made me smile. Then another woman marched in front of my car, imperiously raising her hand at me with an expression that said, "You wait for ME now!" She flashed no smile, and gave me no nod or wave; she didn't even make eye contact with me. That display of entitlement sickened me. I shook my head and drove onward, passing by a shopping cart left in the middle of a space, just a few feet away from the cart corral. More entitlement...</span></div>
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Now that I'm sitting at my computer, I'm wondering whether I should have called out, "You're welcome!" But that would have been egotistical on my part, and passive-aggressive. Or, should I have called out, "Ma'am, no one owes you anything. You could at least smile at me for stopping"? Or, should I have simply come home and written about the experience here, hoping that someone reads these words and offers a smile of appreciation today for a stranger's simple act of kindness, to mitigate the ripple effects of entitled attitudes on society?</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-88463353217580341152017-04-26T22:07:00.004-07:002017-04-26T22:07:50.976-07:00#NationalPoetryMonth<br />
<br />
#NationalPoetryMonth inspires me to add more poetry to both my own and my students' writing collections. So I use prompts with them that also move me to write what I assign. My students liked this, and I hope you will, too.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Inner Riot</span></b></div>
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<i>(inspired by the poem "Harlem," by Langston Hughes)</i></div>
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<b>by Susan L. Lipson</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What happens to social outrage,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">never acted upon?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Does it whirl around like a funnel cloud,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">in search of captives to uplift and transport,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or does it hover indecisively,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then get blown out to sea?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3fFAzurdJE9-uJAO2XG9SuSNgsXSkYRXt0VaHOX337Vhhn1HJMcjmQKHIJ_jaYfZP043BTBkZ6QhH8XR4XZhWlhiKyyZ7o5_2N4unIwursmilmYpD6fzECn2YXbkANTBK0kt4ySEM7k/s1600/funnel_cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3fFAzurdJE9-uJAO2XG9SuSNgsXSkYRXt0VaHOX337Vhhn1HJMcjmQKHIJ_jaYfZP043BTBkZ6QhH8XR4XZhWlhiKyyZ7o5_2N4unIwursmilmYpD6fzECn2YXbkANTBK0kt4ySEM7k/s400/funnel_cloud.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Does it spark like twigs and logs,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">carefully stacked and lit,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or choke like embers</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">smothered by handfuls of sand?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maybe it just gets buried,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">like nuclear waste?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or does it burn like a city set ablaze by rioters?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-27675163192096443372017-04-04T07:30:00.000-07:002017-04-05T12:24:15.677-07:00Bittersweet Truths for Writers Who Strive To Share Memorable Words<span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">From my years </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">of writing words intended for many more eyes and hearts than they often reach, I have synthesized the following bittersweet truths and guidelines for myself, as well as for fellow writers: </span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPHfg5pB0TN7ogECl9OqH-79053chfy3WNGemUVOasFYLBytsQGdgRRdBLaUxmuuaCdVH_DWWXK9_pY_2PfwYR1az7oA9hyxJDJ_KPQQVKYD8dSGAmPRvT7YHvGbcT16mOPnQhPxuAdE/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPHfg5pB0TN7ogECl9OqH-79053chfy3WNGemUVOasFYLBytsQGdgRRdBLaUxmuuaCdVH_DWWXK9_pY_2PfwYR1az7oA9hyxJDJ_KPQQVKYD8dSGAmPRvT7YHvGbcT16mOPnQhPxuAdE/s400/IMG_1007.JPG" width="400" /></a><b>
</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>1) Exasperation over sometimes absurdly long delays in artistic gratification may be part of a bigger plan for eventual success, in which time is irrelevant. Write memorable words and they will be remembered, even if not within the time frame you desire. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Expectations of others' reactions to your words can hinder your openness to hearing those reactions. Listening does not guarantee hearing any more than looking guarantees seeing. Remove your filters--the expectations--and take time to process feedback without simultaneously qualifying its relevance. </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) There is no such thing as a definitive "final draft." The author must settle on defining "final" in terms of a work's readiness to move others without further revisions--and the author's readiness to move on to another project.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">4) Your words are yours to hatch and nurture, no matter how long they have to sit in a journal, a computer file, or your mind; consider them as germinating, not wasting away. </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">5) Some obscure comments from editors make sense in their own time, via epiphanies visible only to eyes freshened by time away from a manuscript. Celebrate each realization with a zealous revision and a self-congratulatory hug for your progress.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">6) Treasure all comments about how your words moved a reader, even if those words only appeared on a post you wrote on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorteachersusanllipson/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SLLipson" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, or your blog. The point is to move people, and if your public works evoke written responses, even negative ones, you have succeeded in evoking emotions and inspiring others to write.</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-52597888434501356882016-11-02T12:45:00.002-07:002016-11-02T12:45:32.648-07:00Transitional Moments Captured in Poetry: A Few New Poems by Yours Truly<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">First, a poem about so many people I know, facing new physical limitations, forced job changes, or abrupt endings to life as they knew it....</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;">Transition </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By Susan L. Lipson </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LvK4AIBzxS0dXAH_VB1W49g6S6sWtYunfvyNswIBo5GFpT96wRjsKpss6MpVGBHdUZK-qFNayLB3_96k-vhJWUm2T1zgb69OGYZLmlD0NqZrDClqJNjNBDOW4nL2wZktKHeXfgVzsdI/s1600/victorkiam120741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LvK4AIBzxS0dXAH_VB1W49g6S6sWtYunfvyNswIBo5GFpT96wRjsKpss6MpVGBHdUZK-qFNayLB3_96k-vhJWUm2T1zgb69OGYZLmlD0NqZrDClqJNjNBDOW4nL2wZktKHeXfgVzsdI/s320/victorkiam120741.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well, I used to be a..."</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He pauses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hearing his own regrets</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in casual conversation </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">sparks an epiphany:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time to BE,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who he is now.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time to accept</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and roll onward--</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">forward.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
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And now a personal poem, about becoming an "empty nester":<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tides of Change<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
By Susan L. Lipson<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHoUSgpPrzSEIY3krQTsSLaC3pmqnOi4wWZQSMiZu9PfVKPbjYDPQB3LtrpsH-VJlvBpFsi61_VDtOeTpU0TY5jh9ET0XjwUA6IY4gYSno5JP2Cv-kh0A6PsE-7gTd4cGMyigzEtlwdI/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHoUSgpPrzSEIY3krQTsSLaC3pmqnOi4wWZQSMiZu9PfVKPbjYDPQB3LtrpsH-VJlvBpFsi61_VDtOeTpU0TY5jh9ET0XjwUA6IY4gYSno5JP2Cv-kh0A6PsE-7gTd4cGMyigzEtlwdI/s200/images.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Sometimes a wave hits me,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
knocks me over with a question:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is this really not
temporary--<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are my kids really not
coming home to live with me again?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
And I think I might drown in my lonely cup of coffee,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
at a table meant for five.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But then, into my paddling hands, float lovely seashells:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
a phone message, a text, an email<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
from one of them,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
and my buoyancy returns</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">to keep me afloat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
And finally, a poem based on my first published poem, about a shocking moment in the life of a new doctor--a poem featuring a few simultaneous transitions, colored by irony:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Manicure<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
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<o:p><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The transition of one of my favorite children's authors, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1304&bih=648&q=seashells+washed+up+on+the+beach&oq=seashells+washed+up+on+the+beach&gs_l=img.3...3343.8300.0.8781.32.9.0.21.21.0.157.705.4j3.7.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..4.10.716...0j0i30k1j0i5i30k1j0i8i30k1j0i24k1.hdLO0YehrJA#safe=active&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=natalie+babbitt+quotes" target="_blank">Natalie Babbitt</a>, whose writing days ended forever a couple of days ago, made me feel contemplative today. Words left in others' memories carve out our place on this planet better than any tombstone markers.</span></o:p></div>
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</style><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-89001942530838432532016-07-18T14:35:00.001-07:002016-07-18T14:35:11.006-07:00Poetic Response to a Mass Shooting: Another Day in the Life of America<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Sometimes the only response to recent news is an angry poem:</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Abomination</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">(written after the mass shooting at the Pulse dance club in Orlando, Florida, June 2016) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">By Susan L. Lipson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Holier-Than-Thous are twittering again,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">moaning online and calling for public “moments of silence” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">to honor more victims with the passivity of prayer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">victims whom they’ve victimized themselves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">by dubbing gay love an “abomination,” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">and by restricting their rights to liberty in love,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">and to living with acceptance, rather than mere tolerance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Holier-Than-Us call out for prayers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">to protect our world <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">(when they really mean<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>their<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>world)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">from terrorism <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">(when they really mean a certain non-Christian religion),<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">and also from hate crimes <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">(not including their crimes of exclusion, derision, and delegitimization).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">How convenient to pray now for the souls of some of the “sinners” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">whom they previously reviled,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">to pray in the interests of the “greater” Good<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">their </i>greater Good),<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">and how ironic that they do not dare now <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">to publicly call that Pulse stopped by evil <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">“a Divine scourge against sinners,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">only because this time, the judgment was wreaked by those<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">who also threaten <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">them. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">A murderer planned to induce terror, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">but instead, he induced a bittersweet moment of forgotten labels
and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>remembered humanity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">A moment of possibility</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">,<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">lasting only until the next judgmental rant…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-1491156522834750442016-06-18T13:44:00.001-07:002016-06-18T13:44:18.544-07:00TAKING A STAND AGAINST HATRED AND IGNORANCE<div style="color: #222222;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I received the ignorance-filled, anti-Muslim email below from a devout Christian, and wrote a reply to everyone on the sender's list, which appears below the email. Rather than merely shake my head in disapproval and delete it, I decided to take a stand against ignorance and the perpetuation of hatred-infused sentiments masquerading as patriotic, "good Christian" values. I decided to use education as my weapon against xenophobia. Writing a "reply to all" message to people I don't know is always risky, but worth it if I can even broaden one mind. As the late great Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "To be is to stand for." I stand for fair-mindedness, as much as I can.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.susanllipson.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1466365992361000&usg=AFQjCNEUYN_OWv1uaQM-8cJUv3bbMuqpaA" href="http://www.susanllipson.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"></a></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Sat, Jun 18, 2016 at 10:51 AM, [name deleted] wrote:<br /><span style="color: red;">[I abridged this by removing two irrelevant paragraphs at the end that had nothing to do with food labeling, but with Sharia law.]</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span>Make sure the grocery buyer in your household reads this.<br /><br />There should be more leading Australians like Dick, he gets to the bottom of important issues and anything that amounts to selling out Australia is very important.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A WARNING FROM DICK SMITH: <br />You may be aware that " Dick Smith " chain franchise stores are being pressured by the Islamic Council of Australia to gain 'Halal Certification' otherwise they will be proscribed and banned from Muslim custom.<br /><br />This is their response:<br /><br />A MESSAGE FROM DICK SMITH. <br />"We at Dick Smith 's have received a number of letters from people asking if we will be putting the Muslim Halal logo on our food.<br /><br />To acquire Halal certification, payment is required to the endorsing body (the Islamic Council) and involves a number of site inspections of both our growers and processors in order to ensure that our practices comply with the conditions of Halal certification.<br /><br />It is important to note that this does not reflect the quality of the food being processed or sold – it only means that the products are approved as being prepared in accordance with the traditions of the Muslim faith.<br /><br />We are aware of an increasing number of large companies both in Australia and overseas, such as Kraft and Cadbury, who have obtained accreditation to use the Halal logo. We don’t believe they have done this because of any religious commitment but rather for purely commercial reasons. Perhaps these large organizations can afford to do this.<br /><br />While we have a choice however, we would prefer to avoid unnecessarily increasing the cost of our products in order to pay for Halal accreditation when this money would be better spent continuing to support important charitable causes where assistance is greatly needed.<br /><br />We point out that we have never been asked to put a Christian symbol (or any other religious symbol) on our food requiring that we send money to a Christian organization for the right to do so. Others would add that money paid to ANY Muslim 'organization' (and you had better believe it: these people ARE 'organized') can easily find its way into the hands of Islamic extremist-fanatics and murderers, irrespective of assurances to the contrary.<br /><br />What other assurances do we accept from Muslims? Oh, that's right, 'Islam is a religion of PEACE'! How less Australian can companies get, than to place money into the hands of those who seek to exploit us?"<br /><br />This is an example of how the leaders of Muslims in Aus./NZ. are bullying large commercial organizations (especially in the food industry) into paying what is no more than blatant extortion money. The amazing part is that these weak-kneed organizations (Cadbury/ Schweppes/ Nestles/ Kraft etc.) actually pay the large sums demanded by these self-appointed religious bureaucrats.<br /><br />Of course, the manufacturers promptly pass this levy on to unwitting consumers as cost increases. Next time you buy a block of Cadbury's chocolate, look for the Halal Certification seal on the wrapper. So, regardless of your own religious faith, you end up subsidizing Islam.<br /><br />How many more warnings do people need?<br />Check the produce on the shelf and don't buy anything Muslim extorted.<br /><br />THANK YOU FOR READING THIS RIGHT THROUGH TO THE END.<br />You'll forward, yes?</span><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>NO, I WON'T. BUT HERE'S WHAT I REPLIED:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear __________,</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />This assertion that purchasing food with a Halal certification is supporting Islam (with the further implication that Islam means "terrorism") is completely false and unnecessarily inflammatory. That's like saying that the Kosher label supports Jews or Israel. A RIDICULOUS ASSERTION. Kosher-labeled products do not indicate a support of Jews, only that Jewish food restrictions have been kept in mind during the production of the food, so that Jews can know that the food is safe to eat, per their religious traditions. The same applies to Halal food--in fact, Muslims also prohibit the eating, per the bible, of "unclean" animals that eat waste products, like pigs and shellfish.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />I do agree, however, that no store should HAVE to pay for Halal or Kosher certification, because that is an optional extra expense to be determined by the ultimate financial gains they might receive from doing so--in terms of extra business from observant Muslims or observant Jews. That is a store's choice.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Being an observant Muslim does not mean that one is a terrorist or Islamist. Many of my students this year come from Muslim families, to my Jewish home, for lessons, and they are some of my most respectful and talented students--as are their parents.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />I had to point this out to you because emails like the one you sent are contributing to the xenophobia and hatred that are rising in this country like never before. As a peace-loving, proud member of the interfaith community, as well as a practicing Jew, I cannot stand by and not stand UP.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Thanks for listening to my "counter-rant."</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessings to you,<br />Susan<br /><br /></span></h3>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-72934499560534314142016-06-13T09:40:00.000-07:002016-06-13T09:40:11.111-07:00Underappreciated Resource for Fiction Writers<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">How The Bible Can Help Build Character—Fictional Ones,
That Is…</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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If you want to study how to write multidimensional, realistically
imperfect characters, with complex backstories and universally recognized flaws
and attributes, look no further than the Hebrew Bible. Show me a flawless hero
in the Five Books of Moses—I challenge you. And show me a reader of the Bible
who can’t identify with at least one person depicted there, in some compelling,
and possibly life-changing way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why, one might wonder, is a book designed to teach and serve
as Law, replete with flawed examples of humanity? Some Bible readers would say
that such questions are moot, applicable only to fiction; they would assert
that the people of the Bible are not “characters,” but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ancestors</i>—real people—and they must be portrayed truthfully because
the Bible is nonfiction, a historical record. Others, who read the Bible as
historical fiction, might argue that the omniscient narrator point-of-view of
realistically flawed characters allows readers to decide, based on their own
perspectives, which characters to connect with as they read, and also to find
new connections with each rereading as their own perspectives about life evolve
over time. In either case, some readers might complain that it’s difficult to
feel connected to, or even sympathetic toward, characters we would only emulate
by being the opposite of them. I would point out to such readers that all of us
read stories, in a way, to find and define ourselves, and every person can find
aspects of their own character within the ultimate compendium of human traits
known as the Bible. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<li>If I want to portray a story of a nonconformist who follows
only the supernatural stirrings within his own heart and soul, defying social
norms to do so, because he knows somehow that he is right about society’s need
for a new way of thinking, I need only study the story of Abraham. </li>
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<li>To create a complex
tale of deception and extortion among family or friends, I can find material
within the biblical scenes about blind Isaac; his scheming son, Jacob; his
impulsive son, Esau; and their manipulative mother, Rebecca. </li>
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<li>For a novel
centered on dangerous sibling rivalry that almost destroys a family and alters
society itself, I could find source material in the ancient stories of Jacob
and his twelve sons. </li>
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<li>To portray a boy whose deep friendship with another boy is
gossiped about as “gay,” a boy who stands up for his friendship even if it
means challenging authority, I need to study the Bible story of David and
Jonathan—the original “bromance.” </li>
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<li>If I want to share a story of an outcast,
morally corrupt young woman who redeems herself by risking her life for the
sake of a greater social good, I can study the tale of Rahab, the prostitute,
who saved a city from complete destruction. </li>
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<li>If I want to create a political
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be an addiction to sex, I could borrow from the story of King David (not to mention some recent historical figures).</li>
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<li>And if I decide
to depict a story of a boy with psychic gifts, good looks, and charisma, a boy
who evokes as much bitter envy as he does awe, a boy who becomes victimized by
the ones meant to protect him, and then uses his gifts to reverse his fortune change
the world, that’s the story of Joseph, son of Rachel and Jacob. </li>
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<br />Etcetera… You get the idea. The archetypes of most multidimensional
characters have already appeared in the world’s best-selling, longest-existing
collection of tales of humanity. The bible is not just for religious study;
it’s not just about laws and wars and punishments; it’s not just about
obedience to God and warnings about defiance of commandments; the bible is the
fountainhead of all humanity-based writing. Amen!<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-7913565091346834822016-04-30T15:15:00.000-07:002016-04-30T15:15:35.247-07:00A Poem About How Assumptions Inform Perspectives <div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgY1DSmJXhIpHJn5VlYQGwyXFXpJ60biUu-LcD4LcXf7b_dGnj5VBdPkVTMyTc0TVH9X1mkVbOwdcJKgU1nmMZgN7BdSYvXJ-UkmHf5VfVd2F-hfai3-Cy6TANq7QOeHJOn2Y5_8avx4/s1600/manonabench.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgY1DSmJXhIpHJn5VlYQGwyXFXpJ60biUu-LcD4LcXf7b_dGnj5VBdPkVTMyTc0TVH9X1mkVbOwdcJKgU1nmMZgN7BdSYvXJ-UkmHf5VfVd2F-hfai3-Cy6TANq7QOeHJOn2Y5_8avx4/s1600/manonabench.jpeg" /></a><b>View from a Different Bench </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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By Susan L. Lipson<o:p></o:p></div>
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He sits on a bench in the mall, <o:p></o:p></div>
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Eyeing passersby,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unaware of my spying<o:p></o:p></div>
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From another bench, across the hallway lined with shops.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His gaze scorches a snapping, young mother<o:p></o:p></div>
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Who is berating her crying toddler,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Slapping her tiny hands as they grab at her mommy’s thighs,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shushing the child as she begs to be picked up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I see an invisible speech bubble above the watching man,<o:p></o:p></div>
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up your baby, you ingrate!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Some of us would give
anything to be blessed with a child!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You don’t deserve to
be a mother!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes, I agree!</i> I
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Missing my days with my crying toddlers,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Imagining myself sitting on the bench beside him, <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sharing our feelings,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Connecting with this stranger through our mutual love for
children.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And then I hear him bellow from his bench<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the unappreciative mom:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Can’t you make your kid shut up?!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of us are trying to enjoy a peaceful day here!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-54392038187891626012016-01-13T23:05:00.000-08:002016-01-13T23:08:49.996-08:00Opportunity Doesn't Have To Knock if You Give It the Key<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The mistake that most of us make in life, the
biggest missed opportunity, is in seeing every day as a continuation of the day
that preceded it. The "here I go again" attitude that so many of us have as we boot up our computers each day, or check in at the office, or pick up the phone to utter the same business-like greeting, or paste on a smile for a customer/client, is the attitude that also makes us feel as though sleep were but a short interruption in the same loooooong work day. "Same old, same old," too many say, shrugging, when asked, "So what's new with you?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTtPr5A_3El4Y_n5HcgMDPQqE1mOhNYv58Js3-Tc_xFUegbSBKh7-exlIkh4TVYXy7Y3Ozx3EPpGxNSTQEiRK_3IeRZMdjsUPABF6HBdNEAfKAL3kaHYI1ZTP6dv0qMbz-_JnXN2ZxVM/s1600/IMG_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTtPr5A_3El4Y_n5HcgMDPQqE1mOhNYv58Js3-Tc_xFUegbSBKh7-exlIkh4TVYXy7Y3Ozx3EPpGxNSTQEiRK_3IeRZMdjsUPABF6HBdNEAfKAL3kaHYI1ZTP6dv0qMbz-_JnXN2ZxVM/s400/IMG_0318.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> We ought to view each day as a new beginning, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a new opportunity to make our mark, to change our path, to find new opportunities and goals. We need
not continue where we left off yesterday just because we spent yesterday pursuing goals that no longer apply today. Finishing a </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">pursuit is not necessarily synonymous with personal fulfillment; sometimes we finish merely out of compulsion to follow through, as an end in itself. Persistence is an attribute only when one persists passionately, not perfunctorily. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The point is, we can change course at any time as we grow our selves to our highest potential, and we MUST change course when others, or obstacles, hinder our progress. We cannot</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> rely on repetition alone in striving for excellence; we must willfully deviate from our patterns to enhance innovation and passion, and to force ourselves to see the newness and growth potential in each new day.</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-49413001978217338562016-01-06T23:39:00.001-08:002016-01-06T23:39:11.387-08:00THE GAUNTLET, a short story by S. L. Lipson<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> I still can’t believe Mimi’s here, in spite of Mother having tried to
convince her yesterday, on the phone, to cancel her train ticket because “Lia’s
not up to hosting visitors, no matter what she told you.” Mimi apparently
argued with her because I heard Mother answer in a cold, snippety way, “Fine.
Then you’ll just have to ‘hang out’ with your little cousin in our house—no
outings. And don’t expect me to serve you like a guest, either; we’re <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> recovering here. Got it?” I guess
Mimi got it, because I’m hanging out with her now, in my room. I can’t stop
smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX94aKwIZ85tUUOGgsbq0J7Vt3tFOguWn3yZf-yN0HOt-Sq053QZoUkwpVZdyzjm4LGlhoykO79jXH1VNkitjqBHwGlZJYmCVdkJSGUOsCu-BzLEZKmnM8t15aVblWDy-HXZbPJTwbOc/s1600/revlon-aqua-blue-eyeliner-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX94aKwIZ85tUUOGgsbq0J7Vt3tFOguWn3yZf-yN0HOt-Sq053QZoUkwpVZdyzjm4LGlhoykO79jXH1VNkitjqBHwGlZJYmCVdkJSGUOsCu-BzLEZKmnM8t15aVblWDy-HXZbPJTwbOc/s200/revlon-aqua-blue-eyeliner-4.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">I shudder slightly as Mimi tickles my eyelid with “midnight
blue” eyeliner, to accentuate my blue eyes. “Stay still, Lia, or you’ll end up
with major cat eyes!” She smiles as I giggle. “You know, I have to tell you,”
she says, “I felt so bad after I mailed you the purple hair extension and then
found out you had to have chemo and lose your hair again.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GzZcOg_VIihwP5yOknhOvYU3KrytE-j7jZlHfJrbcAIc7vUcFCXeDmUMidEj3t99jxnuNtWhrlnBGuWC9pyJsys6Rx4kkuo1FRZHRUKsnRbcGBfotIMmxcOrG5ycsJp_XAFg2pCtvKE/s1600/purple+hair+streak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GzZcOg_VIihwP5yOknhOvYU3KrytE-j7jZlHfJrbcAIc7vUcFCXeDmUMidEj3t99jxnuNtWhrlnBGuWC9pyJsys6Rx4kkuo1FRZHRUKsnRbcGBfotIMmxcOrG5ycsJp_XAFg2pCtvKE/s200/purple+hair+streak.jpg" width="145" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Don’t feel bad! I’ve been wanting to clip it into my
wig to make it look cooler, and now that you’re here, you can show me how! It’s
right there, in my top drawer, waiting for you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mother forced me to get this poofy, weird doll
hair, and I hate it.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Well, to be honest, it’s not a wig <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>would have chosen.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“I told her I wanted a natural hair wig, but she says
they cost too much to use just for a temporary time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mimi rolls her eyes. “She’s a freakin’ doctor…. Have
you tried just not wearing a wig at all? Some female celebrities purposely
shave their heads, right?” Mimi finishes my eyeliner and steps back to examine
her handiwork. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“But I look weird bald. Mother says it makes people
uncomfortable.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Show me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“No, it’s embarrassing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Seriously? This is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me </i>you’re talking to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">I hesitate, and then take off the wig. My new hair underneath
is about a quarter-inch long now, very fine and light auburn, like the hair in my
baby pictures, except I have pointy sideburns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mimi smiles. “It looks kind of punky, like you trimmed
your sideburns that way. I like it.” She runs her palm over my head. “Soft,
too, like a baby’s head. Nice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Grinning, I joke, “Maybe I could get a part in an
alien movie, right? My sideburns look like Spock’s on ‘Star Trek’.” I hold up
my hand in the form of Spock’s “Vulcan” greeting.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRFpqt9h1uB87yy91xwex0LWs6euiYlmyGCvFZD1brct1DshEVwMS5Qm41tVsL3LF8hS_Xpe0w8_7uJi2cJU76vqLQZIL2sF6_J2pKBvUaYjzNQlJZ-4fWVrY0LrSTVAk4qcM32yeRNE/s1600/vulcanhand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRFpqt9h1uB87yy91xwex0LWs6euiYlmyGCvFZD1brct1DshEVwMS5Qm41tVsL3LF8hS_Xpe0w8_7uJi2cJU76vqLQZIL2sF6_J2pKBvUaYjzNQlJZ-4fWVrY0LrSTVAk4qcM32yeRNE/s1600/vulcanhand.jpg" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Live long and prosper!” she says, like a Vulcan. The
look in her eyes shows me that she is thinking about those words, as if they
were a prayer for me, not just saying them. “Now give me your cute face so I
can finish your eyes. You need a little mascara and some shadow. Then we’ll add
a tiny bit of blush.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">She removes the packaging as I lean toward the mirror
and study my eyeliner. Not too heavy, like some of the “scene kids” at school,
but thick enough to make me look kind of…edgy, I guess. Especially because of
the contrast with my vampire coloring. But I like the look. I feel cool.
“Thanks for bringing me my own makeup, Mimi. I never would have been able to
buy it myself. First, Mother wouldn’t give me the money for makeup. And second,
I’d have no clue what to buy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mimi shakes her head. “I still can’t believe you’ve
never worn makeup.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“I’ve never done a lot of things that girls my age do.
Thanks to cancer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">As she applies the rest of the eye shadow—pale pink on
the lid and indigo in the crease—she says, “Well, I’m glad I could contribute
to your proper teenage persona. I hope you’ll use it and feel beautiful.” She
pauses, looking thoughtful. “Oh my gosh, I just remembered the first time I
used mascara.” She smiles nostalgically. “I didn’t think the brush looked
coated enough so I kept dipping it, and then my eyelashes looked all clumpy,
and I tried to wipe some off, but then I smudged it all over, and I ended up
looking like a raccoon!” She brushes the lightly coated mascara wand over my
tiny lashes, holding her breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When she moves out of
my way so I can see my eyes in the mirror, I notice not my tiny lashes, but
rather, the darkness of the “chemo rings” under my eyes. I mutter, “Speaking of
looking like a raccoon…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">She notices, too, and blushes. “Darn, I didn’t bring
you any concealer or base makeup. Sorry. I thought that would be too much for a
first-time makeup wearer. I just brought what I use myself: eye makeup, blush,
and lip gloss.” She rummages in the new makeup bag that she brought me, and
pulls out the blush and lip color. “Turn toward me again. She brushes pink
powder on my cheeks, and then instructs me to open my lips slightly as she
holds the lip-gloss wand toward my mouth. She colors me like a work of art.
“Okay, now turn around and look in the mirror. No one will notice the little
bit of darkness under your eyes now. You look so pretty. See? Sooo pretty!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I see my
exotic-looking eyes, cheeks with actual pinkness in them, and lips shining like
pale, juicy plum flesh. I see a regular teenage girl, not a cancer patient. And
I half-laugh, half-gasp. “Wow. I actually feel pretty.” </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzPhXvqK6lTZZ9vfAVc14VXyP2bXkRq9LV1dB_7qnc2vr5A_XRtf19hGKMp7OHGD4gmlgys0nsnMqpdF664HIsVr0geQ2HqqXClTtDZNsVQU41RvAtx7SNi7U3khtokMZgaK-NvBNcIY/s1600/lips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzPhXvqK6lTZZ9vfAVc14VXyP2bXkRq9LV1dB_7qnc2vr5A_XRtf19hGKMp7OHGD4gmlgys0nsnMqpdF664HIsVr0geQ2HqqXClTtDZNsVQU41RvAtx7SNi7U3khtokMZgaK-NvBNcIY/s200/lips.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mimi sings, “I feel prettyyy, oh so prettyyy—’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“I know that song! From ‘West Side Story,’ right?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Right! Remember the next line?” She waits for my
reply, but I shake my head, so she sings, “I feel prettyyyy, oh so prettyyyy; I
feel pretty and witty and gayyyy….” Then she smirks, and asks, “Did you realize
that Maria was gay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Yeah, right!” I laugh. “That song’s from the days
when ‘gay’ meant ‘happy.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Okay, how’s this one—just for you…” She waltzes
around me, singing in a hilarious falsetto: “I feel prettyyy, oh so prettyyy,
even though I feel SHITTY, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">oy vay!</i>”
She twirls at the end, and suddenly my bedroom door bursts open. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mother stomps into the room, “What’s going on here?
You call yourself a role model, Miriam?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mimi’s face has turned to stone. “I don’t call myself
anything but Lia’s friend and cousin.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Suddenly Mother looks at my face, all made up, and she
erupts: “WHAT THE HELL IS ON YOUR FACE, LIA?” Before I can answer, she jerks
her head toward Mimi, her eyes shooting daggers. “How dare you, Miriam! Don’t
you know that makeup could be dangerous for her?! She’s got a weak immune
system, for Chrissake! She could get an infection?! Why would she need makeup!”
She thrusts her hand forward to ward off interjections. “And don’t tell me because
her friends wear it. THEY aren’t sick! How DARE you do this without asking ME!
Just like you set up this whole weekend visit with her, without asking <i>ME </i>whether
she’d be up to such a visit in her condition! WHO KNOWS HER CONDITION BETTER
THAN I DO? HUH, HERO? WHO!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We all hear Jason slam
the front door, leaving the House of Chaos, as usual. Mother stiffens at the
banging sound, and her nostrils flare over her pursed lips. Glaring at my pale
face, she grasps my arm and turns me toward my mirror. “Look how pretty you
look now, smart one! You’re a mess!” Mascara has dripped down my cheeks, and I
look like one of the creepy, sad-clown paintings that Mother happens to love
and collect. She growls at my reflection, “How could you be stupid enough to
let someone put their makeup—and their germs—on you!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">“Mother, she bought me <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my own makeup</i>—brand new!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, isn’t that
sweet of your ‘cool cuz’?” Mother doesn’t look at Mimi (who is fighting tears,
I notice). “Well, you listen to me, Miss Teenage Know-It-All: NO MAKEUP FOR
YOU. Got it? If you want to look pretty so badly, put on your damn wig!” She picks
up the wig from the dresser, and gritting her teeth, yanks it over my head. “There!
Now go wash that crap off your face so you can look like a normal girl!” Mother
storms out the way she came in, like a tornado.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">I shut my door and whisper to Mimi, “Normal? Yeah,
right.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mimi lifts off my wig, drops it on the bed, and rubs
my head soothingly. We hug tightly till I pull away. “I need to wash my face,”
I murmur. She sighs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">When I come out of the bathroom with a blank face, her
eyes look fierce as she holds out the wig, with the beautiful strand of purple
hair clipped in, and declares, “You’ve earned your stripe, Lia.” I nod and
accept the wig as if it were a medal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">The End<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Note: This short story is actually an excerpt from one of my forthcoming YA novels. Please leave feedback. Writing is about communicating, and I want to know whether my story has touched you in some way. Thanks.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-32976188241528503042015-11-24T09:00:00.003-08:002015-11-24T09:00:40.007-08:00A Poem To Capture a Conversation<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Back and Forth</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>By Susan L. Lipson, October 2015</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOuU8TFCd5FT1SBVmUX5DCrVla2tox2ErrdA6MTGF_4a211f2A6ga90I0nRKIobIgs00VvsVsOkWOuS6_8H4t_DyzWQrMexGvUXoPz1flYHdxIj3u5OM9fYybdNABhi9KWRv5UpFBkVE/s1600/ball+toss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOuU8TFCd5FT1SBVmUX5DCrVla2tox2ErrdA6MTGF_4a211f2A6ga90I0nRKIobIgs00VvsVsOkWOuS6_8H4t_DyzWQrMexGvUXoPz1flYHdxIj3u5OM9fYybdNABhi9KWRv5UpFBkVE/s1600/ball+toss.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You toss a ball to me </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stiffly</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I catch it, flashing a smile at you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That you don’t, or can’t, return. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I toss it back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Casually</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And you let it drop and roll, sighing,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because you didn't like my throw.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"C'mon," I encourage you, "throw it back,"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I pick it up and hurl it at you</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6zBxQVbNcjnm2rZMWYAvIyZKRtc2KE6FfgNV3LBwk_K3hcqF8-j0MWrLIkj_HvwExlU7ib-dQM7mOlU9Pm37BBbMb4MoqXVNqPQl-C_SPFkLfHBksOfFyl1N2VIKm3Ntx_LA9ULghhQ/s1600/two-young-boys-basketball-court-standing-close-together-looking-ball-ground-high-angle-view-behind-41000308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6zBxQVbNcjnm2rZMWYAvIyZKRtc2KE6FfgNV3LBwk_K3hcqF8-j0MWrLIkj_HvwExlU7ib-dQM7mOlU9Pm37BBbMb4MoqXVNqPQl-C_SPFkLfHBksOfFyl1N2VIKm3Ntx_LA9ULghhQ/s1600/two-young-boys-basketball-court-standing-close-together-looking-ball-ground-high-angle-view-behind-41000308.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Sharply,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Noticing you wince at its impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You whip the ball at me now,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">And I leap to grab it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But miss,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And you sigh with exasperation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That I just didn’t get it—</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That I just don’t get you.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-19427336421097883452015-10-22T20:37:00.001-07:002015-10-22T20:52:11.845-07:00A See-Saw of Words Becomes a Circular Poem<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> "The more ____, the less _____," offers a playful, thoughtful see-saw of words on which to balance contradictory concepts. I played with those concepts today, after posting another of my <a href="https://instagram.com/sllipson/" target="_blank">"freeze frame" moment photos on Instagram. </a>A friend recently commented that she enjoys the way I observe the world through photos. I replied that my new photography hobby helps me slow down to notice things, and to dedicate a few sacred moments to conjuring thought-provoking captions. From this conversation, built upon the verbal see-saw, this poem evolved:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Circular Treadmill</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Susan L. Lipson</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGpncUpVqJZIa-N9SDDejvu5ugyYHebuq9iPi2o6IX9UzKQaFFFhIFBuiElGmAdiFob_1JuBC4wlRF1vgjJ0VsD2FqQam__rqFAxfuyE3ENaiDUTA-q-h0i3XyWGvINhepAP59V6OpU0/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGpncUpVqJZIa-N9SDDejvu5ugyYHebuq9iPi2o6IX9UzKQaFFFhIFBuiElGmAdiFob_1JuBC4wlRF1vgjJ0VsD2FqQam__rqFAxfuyE3ENaiDUTA-q-h0i3XyWGvINhepAP59V6OpU0/s1600/Unknown.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more we rush,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The less we observe,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more we feel unfulfilled,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The less we strive,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more we stagnate,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The less we grow,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more we disconnect, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The less we feel we matter,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">need </i>to matter,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The less time we seem to have
to make our marks,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more we rush,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The less we observe…</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-9495707761050997502015-08-13T08:00:00.000-07:002015-08-13T08:00:04.070-07:00Writing as a Sacred Mission<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The upcoming publication (Sept. 22, 2015) of my story "Connections," in the new <i>Chicken Soup for the Soul </i>edition, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1611599504/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_6TKTvb0KYNYBV" target="_blank">Dreams and Premonitions</a>, </i>exemplifies how my writing often becomes a sacred mission, more than just a desire to share my words. My true story about the supernatural events surrounding the death of a dear friend and mentor is one I have told and retold orally for many years, whenever the topics of life after death, psychic experiences, or how to treat the comatose happens to arise in a conversation. Those who have listened to my remarkable, life-changing--and life-affirming--recollection say that they have "chills," or that I've changed their perspective in a significant way. Many have asked me to repeat the story to another friend who "needs to hear it."</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> That perceived "need" to hear this story indicated to me that I <i>needed</i> to write it in prose, to share it with a bigger audience. Thus, my audience could grow--in both senses of "grow." </span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> So I wrote my short memoir based on an even shorter version that appeared in a tribute booklet at my deceased friend Connie's memorial service. I had no idea where to submit it, though. The story stayed in my files for years until I saw an ad in a writer's publication for memoirs that would fit into a new <i>Chicken Soup for the Soul </i>book about dreams and premonitions. I submitted the story, having always felt driven to get it published, to share what I consider a gift from God--a divine connection between souls across planes of existence. I've felt that I, too, have a <i>need</i> for this story, a need to share it and pay forward the illumination like an Olympic torch passed to others who can share the light. I know that sounds overdramatic to you right now, but try to say that after you've read "Connections," and all of the other remarkable stories that will accompany mine in <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1611599504/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_6TKTvb0KYNYBV" target="_blank">Dreams and Premonitions</a>. PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! (PLEASE. Sorry for the missionary zeal!)</i></span></h4>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-16679455770790551362015-05-22T17:53:00.001-07:002015-05-22T17:53:59.947-07:00A NEW USE FOR THE HASHTAG #NOFILTER <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy839iqP7quwzu7Zt40KGI8dpbqpMdo-MJxgFSUzdqW-YhdXWwOAtxAam3wczhKt_DCYEQuP5gAlu6KXPqEenUfj_pB685lJ6pSXnWIAfCflacyZ1IUJ8jD-9jt8lWQlN4YP6EqEIhXCM/s1600/instagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy839iqP7quwzu7Zt40KGI8dpbqpMdo-MJxgFSUzdqW-YhdXWwOAtxAam3wczhKt_DCYEQuP5gAlu6KXPqEenUfj_pB685lJ6pSXnWIAfCflacyZ1IUJ8jD-9jt8lWQlN4YP6EqEIhXCM/s320/instagram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A popular Instagram #hashtag these days is #nofilter, indicating that the beauty captured by the photographer in the posted photo is completely natural, without any augmentation by the application's supplied "filters" for editing. The #nofilter means that, in contrast with other doctored photos on the site, the photo bearing this hashtag is more worthy of awe.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I find it amusing to ponder another meaning of "no filter": the meaning applied to people who have no sense of what NOT to share in public. Wouldn't it be appropriate to add #nofilter to the comments sections of posts on Facebook, Tumbler, and Twitter in which people post excessively intimate confessions, hateful rants, sexually explicit photos, grossly descriptive medical information, and mean-spirited gossip? And to be sure that the hashtag's non-photographic meaning is understood, an accompanying hashtag could appear: #TMI (for Too Much Information). Instead of cringing as we read lengthy posts featuring someone's blow-by-blow bout of gastrointestinal problems, recollections of extreme familial dysfunction, or bigoted diatribes tantamount to verbal hate crimes, we would simply add to the comments section #nofilter to alert the post-writer to the fact they he/she has offended us. In this way, offended folks could avoid further pollution of the internet with their own unfiltered retorts to TMI, as well as avoid prematurely"unfriending" someone before giving the offender a chance to reform via a polite hashtag reminder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just a whimsical thought for the day...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you leave me a #nofilter message in the comments section, I'll consider self-editing for the future! (; </span><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5437575288668955633.post-32658034184615038962015-02-27T14:55:00.000-08:002015-02-27T14:55:04.734-08:00We Need Diverse Books To Enlighten, Not To Enforce Enlightenment<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">On Diversity in Literature and #WNDB</span></b></h2>
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<b>By Susan L. Lipson</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wish that discussions of the need
for diversity in literature (#WNDB, a.k.a. We Need Diverse Books) focused more on
realistically presenting the glorious array of humanity in literature than on zealously
defying stereotypes. Defiance through diversity implies a defensiveness that ironically
gives power to the stereotypes and undermines the very reasons behind the need
for the #WNDB movement. I equate this to the use of the word “tolerance” to
promote programs of unity among people, while paradoxically suggesting that
differences must be “tolerated” (i.e., endured or allowed, implying a
superiority of the one who must “tolerate” another). “Respect” is a much more
apt term for the encouragement of open-mindedness and social harmony. And
“diversity” in literature should <i>encourage
and facilitate </i>respect, not <i>enforce </i>tolerance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Similarly, the inclusion of the
term “white privilege” in discussions of diversity in literature only serves as
a finger-wagging kind of term to divide—and not even accurately—readers into
the following subgroups: white people who have economic, educational, and
social privileges and black people who do not. What about the white people who
live in poverty—are they still “privileged”? Or the black people who are
doctors, lawyers, authors, teachers, scientists, artists, etc.—are they
“underprivileged”? Or the white people who are privileged in some aspects, but
discriminated against in others—such as religion or sexual identity? Or the
black people who are considered “privileged” by the “underprivileged” within
their own racial group, and disdained as being “too white”? Or the non-white,
non-black people who are left out of the discussion about “privilege” as the
social illness that requires the good medicine provided by “diverse books” to
heal the world? How can such divisiveness have arisen from a movement designed
to grow inclusiveness?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recently, an online debate I had
with another writer about a reference to “white privilege” led to my being
questioned about my understanding of “white privilege,” which the other writer
defined as “white readers seeing diverse media starring people-of-color as ‘not
for me.’” I pointed out that the term “white” in her definition is inadequate,
since I teach many Asian students, and I have seen a few hesitate to read books
I’ve handed to them that feature black kids as protagonists, whereas I’ve never
seen such hesitation about books that feature white kid protagonists. I
distinctly remember one such student saying to me, after reading a novel by
Sharon Flake, “I never would have picked this up on my own, and I’m really glad
you gave it to me. It was really good.” The term “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">white</i> privilege” clearly is not applicable to a non-white reader
who avoids books about “people-of-color” when she herself has brown skin. Also,
what is the actual “privilege”—is it a socioeconomic advantage or a naïve
mindset about the “underprivileged”? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> One of my former students, a privileged black girl with a lawyer and a doctor for parents, who grew up in a predominantly non-black,
upper-middle class neighborhood of whites and Asians, once told me that she
found it offensive that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she</i>, a suburban
black girl, had no black characters representing her in literature. I told her that I could relate to that because most of the Jewish kids in books I'd read were nothing like me at all; they showed up in Holocaust stories, or turn-of-the-century immigrant tales, or stories about Orthodox Jewish life, so unlike my own. The absence of people like us in literature is disappointing for us personally, but even more disappointing for the reasons that people <i>unlike </i>us know us only through outdated or stereotypical characters. Diversity must focus on realistic portrayals more than tokenism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> This exploration of the admirable, yet sometimes flawed #WNDB movement leads
me to conclude that diversity in literature is not just about characters
representing various races, cultures, religions, sexual identities, or
physically challenged lifestyles. It’s not just about publishing books by
authors who are “people-of-color” or of nonmainstream lifestyles (however "mainstream" is defined by publishers). But it <i>is </i>about opening our minds and our media to sharing stories about memorable,
realistic people from <i>all walks of life</i>, as a means of broadening <i>all readers’ </i>perspectives and making
readers not just see themselves in characters, but see themselves <i>in relation to </i>both familiar and
unfamiliar characters. Diversity is universalism. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please "follow' me on blogspot!</div>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0