November 16, 2021
Rainbow Colored Memories
A series of List Poems Orange A Halloween pumpkin. Clouds at sunset. A glass of carrot juice. Falling autumn leaves. A dry harvest field. Construction…
the writing desk
Writings
Poems, short stories, microfiction, and articles on writing.
October 29, 2021
Magic and Moons and Halloween Frights
Halloween, a moment to be someone else A revelrous night of indulgence And laughter Of sticky fingers, silly faces, Fantastical frights. Like everything else we…
October 4, 2021
City in Winter
City in winter Snow like a powdery coat Cloaking everything Metallic green-blue, Wing beats faster than heartbeats, Dances with flowers. Bright orange fur glints Against…
September 23, 2021
Jellyfish
These two pieces of writing were an experiment to push myself to write about the same subject in two different styles. I put them in…
September 13, 2021
The Key to Memories
I hold inside my palm an old bronze key Covered in dust. I am sitting inside my grandmother’s house The week after she died. I am missing her. I do not know what this key opens, I have never seen it before….
August 27, 2021
Picture Frame- Rhyming Poems
This week I worked with students on rhyming poems. Inspired by Shel Silverstein these silly poems should hopefully bring a little smile to your face!
August 17, 2021
Whippoorwill Station
Today I had something extra fun to share. I am writing a story with another one of my students. We both started with the same…
August 9, 2021
Borrowed Time – Microfiction Monday
May I have a glass to drink? I wait patiently with my warm cookie Licking chocolate off my fingertips Knowing nothing’s better with a cookie…
August 2, 2021
Assorted Acrostic Poems – Microfiction Monday
Happy August everyone! Today was my first day with a wonderful group of students that I get to teach creative writing for the month of…
July 26, 2021
Fog and Fairytales – Microfiction Monday
Today I have two pieces of writing that I’m very excited to share for Microfiction Monday. The first is a Concrete or Shape Poem that…
July 23, 2021
Oranges and Smoke – Full Story Friday
Every morning I check my navy blue sneakers for scorpions. I am afraid of being stung. When we got to camp on our first day,…
July 20, 2021
Writing Camp Microfiction
These small poems were written during the creative writing camp that I taught last week. The Haiku and the first acrostic poem were written collaboratively…
July 12, 2021
Campfire Muffins – Microfiction Monday
Every morning in the cabin, I check my shoes for scorpions because I am afraid of being stung. I don’t know it, but the little…
June 21, 2021
Patreon Bookmarks – Microfiction Monday
This Micro-fiction Monday we get to celebrate with a treasure trove of mixed media. I missed last Wednesday’s watercolor post because the project was a…
June 14, 2021
Hidden Gems – Microfiction Monday
Today I thought I would share some long lost pieces of writing that I haven’t shared before. I spent a lot of today working on…
June 7, 2021
Avian Poetry – Microfiction Monday
The bird themed poems this week were inspired by last Wednesday’s watercolor painting of feathers. The first is a Golden Shovel poem using lyrics from…
May 24, 2021
Mixed Poetry – Microfiction Monday
Acrostic Poem An acrostic poem is where you use the first letter of every line to spell a word or phrase. In this example the…
May 17, 2021
Name Poems – Microfiction Monday
Another Name for Love Jam fresh pressed from warm red raspberries Only just picked this morning Under the radiant August sunlight the Rays warming your…
May 12, 2021
Sentence Stretches
Sentence Stretches are an activity that I have been completing with students as a way to teach them how to write more descriptive sentences. When…
May 12, 2021
Student Haiku Poems
Haiku poems are one of my favorite ways to introduce students to poetry. They have a simple easy to understand pattern that kids seem to…
January 23, 2021
Writing Worksheet: Dabbling in Poetry
This Writing Lesson was originally exclusive to Patreon Supporters and was part of month theme: Unexpected Inspiration. This was the Week One Lesson. I’m going…
January 23, 2021
Writing Worksheet – The Senses
Writing Samples Ocean Vuong On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Pages 79 – 81) Because I am your son, what I know of work I know…
November 13, 2020
All the King’s Horses
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together…
November 3, 2020
The Galaxy Kids
Chapter One – Amy I am bored. My mom says I can’t leave my room because I didn’t turn in my assignment on the…
September 25, 2020
Writing Worksheet – Rhythm and Pacing
Writing Sample The Old Typewriter in the Basement by Brian Doyle (From One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder) Once again a student asks me how…
September 21, 2020
A Writing Announcement
Hello Everyone, A few new things! First, I updated my website! It’s got a new URL, a fresh new coating of paint, and some updated…
September 21, 2020
The Galaxy Kids (Chapters 1-2)
Chapter One – Amy I am bored. My mom says I can’t leave my room because I didn’t turn in my assignment on the…
April 25, 2018
No Sailboat? No Problem!
*Originally published in the September 2014 Freshwater News* It couldn’t have been a more perfect day on the Columbia River. The sun was shining and the
September 21, 2015
The Plover – Book Review
5/5 Stars The Plover by Brian Doyle is a unique kind of book. If you liked Mink River, this book is even better. Reading
April 10, 2015
Sunrise Phoenix
They say that phoenixes are born from the ashes of their own death. That they start anew from the remains of what once was, are
January 14, 2014
The Last Goodbye
Emily sat on the edge of the chair, picking at the frayed seams in the leather. She was thinking about the lake house, with its
October 18, 2013
Our Hearts Beat Like Thunder
No one is here but me and the summer thunderstorm raging outside my bedroom window. I touch the silver cross resting against my chest. When
September 30, 2013
Jockeys
Today is race day. The air is tense. You warm up your steed under the summer sun. Crisp, tight, controlled circles around the practice track.…
April 25, 2013
A Sailor Went to Sea
I’m sitting in a bar filled with an assortment of misfits. I am alone. I’m here because I have nowhere else to be. By that
April 24, 2013
Acrylic Sunset
During summer my favorite time of the day is when the sun is just slipping below the horizon and the sky is a deep royal…
April 21, 2013
Bellybutton Lint
I never before realized what a sad thing a bellybutton could be. What I mean by that is it is the one thing on the…
August 29, 2012
If You Have to Ask You’ll Never Know
Lost was something she felt all the time. How do you know what that one choice was that snowballed you into this inevitable reality? This
August 22, 2012
Riding Into the Rising Moon
Thomas pushed aside the midnight blue curtains. He liked the curtains because he could imagine he held a liquid sky between his fingers, rippling and
August 5, 2012
There’s Always a Calm Before the Storm
The whorls in the wood of the dock felt good underneath Alexa’s tracing fingers. The warmth from the sun soaked planks was soothing against her