Monday, November 4, 2024

“The Necklace” by Debra P. McGill

 

Three more weeks until my retirement, not just from St. Stephen’s on-the-Hill United Church, in Mississauga, but from ministry in all its many and varied forms. I have heard it said that our identity is not our occupation, our vocation, but being a “reverend”, a “minister” has been so intimately woven into the very fibre of who I am, I’m not certain if I will be able to separate the threads without leaving a large tear in the fabric.

Three more weeks until my retirement and I’m standing in the sanctuary of my church looking over tables of handcrafted cards and home brewed Kombucha, wheel thrown pottery and woodworking, artisan jewelry and other works of art.

The annual church garage sale has, since COVID, become a vendors’ sale, and I’m determined to spend my last couple of paycheques supporting as many of the vendors as I can, knowing that in a month’s time, there won’t be any more salary to spend.

I stood for a few minutes at the jewelry table gently fingering the long slender piece of amber entwined in thin, silver wire, dangling from a silver chain. All my other purchases were thankyou gifts for other people, family and folk at my church, but this necklace, it was to be for me. Sharon, a parishioner, came up beside me.

“That’s pretty.” She said. “Do you like it better than the others?”

The artist had made many different styles of amber necklaces, one of which I bought at last year’s sale, but this particular one caught my eye.

“I do like this one.” I said. “But I have to think about it.”

“Don’t think too long,” Sharon said. “Someone else is bound to like it too!”

We chatted for another minute, and then I left to check out some pottery on a table at the other end of the room. By the time I made my way back to the jewelry, Sharon had been right. Someone else liked that same necklace. It was gone.

My last Sunday was filled with laughter and tears, lots of cards and kind words, small and large gift bags and after the service was over . . . fellowship time and an abundance of food . . . more than enough for all.

Later, after most people had left, my family helped me pack everything into my car and turning left at the end of the long church driveway, I made my way to the highway, pointed my car towards Sarnia and headed to my new home.

Except for an air mattress, a cooking pot, a few dishes, church clothes and my laptop, I had moved all of my furniture, clothes, books, office paraphernalia and sundry household goods from my small condo apartment three weeks before. So when I opened the door to my new home, I was greeted by furniture not yet arranged, a bed and a treadmill not yet assembled, piles of boxes not yet unpacked and pictures not yet hung on walls.

It was almost a week before I got around to opening the cards and gifts from the people from my church I had come to love. And there, nested in a piece of tissue paper and carefully slipped inside a card, was a long slender piece of amber, entwined in thin, silver wire, dangling from a silver chain. 

I am addicted to black turtlenecks, but given the sultry, humid +300C Sarnia summer, I knew I wouldn’t be able to wear a black turtleneck to show off my new necklace just yet, and so it hung in my closet, anxiously waiting for cooler weather.

Sarnia is not a big city. I’m a five-minute walk to a beach and five minutes in the car takes me downtown.  The beautiful St. Clair River runs parallel to Front Street and its old, historic store fronts. As I drove, I noticed a tent pitched in a park on the river’s edge and then two tents, then three. Having lost count, I realized this was a tent city, “home” to a small village of homeless men and women.

I have long been a believer in God-incidences, not so much coincidences of happenstance, but God-incidences, those things I need to take notice of. In the four-page Sarnia and Lambton County “This Week” newspaper (with its 20lbs of flyers stuffed inside) were articles about Rainbow Park and the unhoused people living there in tents and tarps.

“Everyone is invited to the homelessness forum being held at the Dante Club” the article said. “September 25th at 7:00 p.m.”

I marked it in my calendar, and I went. The evening had cooled off and so I wore my “summer” black turtleneck and my new necklace, the amber and silver looking refined . . . classy . . . against the black top.

Though I arrived fifteen minutes early the first and second parking lots were full and we were directed to overflow parking two lots away. As I got out of my car a young woman and a middle-aged woman were walking up the grade and so I joined them.

Reta had driven down from Sioux St. Marie, a five-hour drive! She ran a shelter up in the Sioux and was looking for new ideas and perhaps solutions to the ever-growing homeless situation. I introduced myself and then the young woman, early twenties, smiling and enthusiastic said, “I’m Justine. I really like your necklace!”

“Thank you,” I answered as we got to the doors of the Dante Club. I held the door for Reta and Justine and we walked into a room that was already almost filled to capacity. I had assumed that Justine and Reta were together, but they and I separated as we went inside, each of us sitting in a different place.

The forum was well organized with guest speakers from social services, the police, food banks, Indwell and other charitable organizations, and a couple of local municipal leaders. The audience listened respectfully, heads nodding in support, and if not in support there were no raised fists or yelling of abuses.

Then came the Q & A. Ninety seconds per person at the microphone and though there were many who spoke, wanting to find solutions, there were some who needed to vent, who wanted the tent city torn down and the men and women taken somewhere else where they would no longer be “visible,” no longer be a nuisance.

“They are peeing and shitting on the ground, even on the sidewalks.” One woman said, her voice raised.

“My son has to walk by them on his way to school. They’re just a bunch of addicts and drunks. They shouldn’t be allowed to be there. Get rid of them!” a man said loudly into the microphone.

And as each person spoke against the tent city and those who lived there, some in the crowd clapped in support.

My chair was two from the aisle where those who went up to the mike to speak stood waiting. When a new person joined the line, I glanced over to see Justine standing quietly, waiting her turn.

“My name is Justine and I live in Rainbow Park,” she said, her voice, gentle and calm.

“I’m one of those people who has peed on the grass. Believe me, I don’t want to. None of us do. But there aren’t any portable toilets. And none of the restaurants, not even Tim Horton’s, will let us use their washrooms. There isn’t any place where I can shower. If there were toilets and showers at the park for us, we wouldn’t be forced to act like animals. I’m not an animal.”

Just as gently and calmly Justine handed the mike to the moderator and walked back across the room. I tried to see where she sat but she had disappeared into the rows of people.

The event ended a few minutes later after thankyou’s were extended. On my way out, I stopped in the foyer to look at headshots of some of the unhoused that were on display, memories of those at The Compass I had come to know.

I was still trying to find Justine as I made my way to the door, thinking that she had probably left after she spoke and so I was startled to see her just outside the door, talking and lighting a cigarette.

She recognized me and smiled and I went up to her, embraced her and thanked her. Reaching to the back of my neck, I unclasped my necklace and holding it out to her I asked, “Is it okay if I give this to you?”

“Yes! It’s beautiful! Yes, thank you!” she said as I put it around her neck. “God bless you.”

“She already has,” I said, and we embraced.

Nine o’clock and it was already dark. As I walked back to my car, I looked up to see a beautiful Van Gogh starry, starry night sky.  An artistic genius, whose severe mental unwellness made him a social outcast and if it weren’t for the sacrificial love of his brother Theo, Vincent would have often been homeless.

Washrooms and showers in Rainbow Park would be a human kindness, but they are not the solution. Neither is giving my necklace to a young, homeless woman. But she told me her name. Justine! And I pray that she felt valued and worthy.

Later, as I prepared for bed, I turned the light on in my bedroom closet to see my Alb and multi-coloured, hand-woven, Nicaraguan preaching stole hanging inside, the attire of my occupation, my vocation.

The Alb is yellowed at the neck and some of the embroidery on the sleeves has worn away, but the fabric of the gown itself has not thinned and still has many years of life left in it.

The stole, its colourful, tightly woven threads, remain strong and unbroken, its patterns of biblical story symbols still distinct and vibrant and beautiful. And I realize, this is who I am. The threads are strong and the fabric is intact. And the necklace . . . the necklace is gone from the hook where it hung in my closet, but it is where it belongs.

Debra P. McGill is a recently retired United Church minister who served both rural and urban churches for twenty-five years, spending nine months of those years in Botswana. While in ministry, Debra served as a part time Chaplain in long term care home in Hespeler and was the volunteer Chaplain at The Compass, which served many unhoused, unemployed, underemployed, newcomers and those with mental health issues in Mississauga.

Debra dabbles in photography and hopes to use her writing to share the many happy surprises, anxious moments and life-shaping learnings with others through story telling.

See upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here

Read more short stories, essays, and reviews by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

Sunday, November 3, 2024

You're invited to an in-person workshop: “Writing your life and other true stories”

The Niagara on the Lake Writers’ Circle presents…

“Writing your life and other true stories”

Saturday, May 3, 2025
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Niagara on the Lake Public Library, 10 Anderson Lane, NOTL, Ontario (Map here.) 

Have you ever considered writing your memoirs or family history? This workshop will introduce you to the tricks and conventions of telling true stories and will show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Whether you want to write for your family or for a wider public, don't miss this workshop.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John.  But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.  

See reviews of and works inspired by Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: 

For member or the NOTL Writers’ Circle: $36.28 + hst = $41 paid in advance by mail or Interac

For the general public: $40.71 + 13% hst = $46 paid in advance by mail or Interac

or $44.25 + 13% hst = $50 if you wait to pay at the door (both members and general public)

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Anitha has a new picture book out: Sari Sisters

Hi, Brian.

I am thrilled to share my picture book, Sari Sisters (Viking Books / Penguin Random House) is now out in the world! It's illustrated by the award-winning, critically acclaimed artist Anoosha Syed. It's about the tight-knit bond between sisters as they navigate adolescent milestones and the beauty of updating traditional customs for a modern audience.

I'm also so happy that ten years after my first book launch, I got to do another one! And I got to share the day with my lovely friend and talented author Anita Yasuda, who also launched her book, Diwali, a Festival of Lights on October 19 at A Different Drummer Books in Burlington.

As always, thank you for your support, Brian.

My best,

Anitha

Anitha Rao-Robinson 

anitharobinson.com

Creator & Host of the Kindness Is Everything podcast

Sari Sisters is available at splendid independent bookstores like A Different Drummer Books in Burlington and also from Chapters/Indigo here.

Note: See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here~Brian

Check out other recent books from your fellow writers here (and scroll down).

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Congratulations to Pawan, Joan, Natalie, and Evelyn!

Hi, Brian.

You have always inspired me in my writing.  Guess who is on the CBC Nonfiction longlist for the short story: “Is Life a Tossed Salad?” 😄

I am thrilled and honoured to have my story longlisted. There were over 1,400 submissions. 30 stories were selected for the longlist. 

Warmest regards,

Evelyn N. Pollock

Update: Evelyn’s not just on the longlist – she’s now a finalist! Which means she’s already won a $1,000 prize, and her story has been published on the CBC website. Read about Evelyn’s prize, her bio, and her essay, “Is Life a Tossed Salad?” here.

Also, if you’re interested in entering the CBC Short Story Contest, you still have time. You’ll find details of the CBC contest and a few other great places to send your short pieces here.

 

Hi, Brian.

I hope you had a great summer and all is well. I wanted to share with you that another short fiction piece of mine is published! I started writing A Long Walk Through the Tall Dry Grass in one of your classes. It went by a different title then and the story wasn't as developed, but with some further work, I was quite happy with the outcome. 

It has found the perfect home with NüVoices, an international editorial collective supporting women and other underrepresented voices on the subject of China. 

Once again, thanks for providing such great classes for writers.

Natalie

P.S. I write under the name N.J. Chan now. I thought Natalie J. Chan was a bit too much of a mouthful! 

You can read Natalie’s story on NüVoices here, but even better, I’ve republished it with fabulous images on Quick Brown Fox here.

For information about submitting to NüVoices and a few other great places to send your short pieces (including the CBC Short Story Contest), see here.

And for information about upcoming writing classes, see here.

 

Hi, Brian.

In a Woman's Voice blog is posting two of my poems: “Breath of Another Body” and “I’ll see you Again.”

Thanks,

Joan MacIntosh

Check out Joan’s poems here.

 

Hi, Brian.

Just wanted to reach out to you and thank you for all your teachings and help!! My story was published in the Globe and Mail. The one about the Peony. Thank you for helping me with the editing process.

Take care.

Pawan Kauer

You can read Pawan’s essay on the Globe and Mail here

For information on submitting a First Person essay to the Globe and Mail {and a few other great places to submit}, see here.

 ***

See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

See more good news from your fellow writers here (and scroll down).
And if you’ve had any good news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your success gives us all a boost. Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Note: You can now get new postings on Quick Brown Fox delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to the new Quick Brown Fox page on Substack here:  https://brian999.substack.com/

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Tolka pays €500 for personal stories & other nonfiction, plus other great places to submit your short pieces

Note: You can now get new postings on Quick Brown Fox delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to the new Quick Brown Fox page on Substack here:  https://brian999.substack.com/

The deadline for the CBC Short Story Prize is coming up soon!

The winner receives $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and their work will be published on CBC Books.

Four finalists each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and their work is also published on CBC Books. 

The prize is open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory of residence, whether living in Canada or abroad.

The prize is open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory of residence, whether living in Canada or abroad.

Deadline: November 1, 2024. Full details here.

 

Tolka is a biannual literary journal of nonfiction: publishing personal essays, memoir, reportage, travel writing, auto-fiction, individual stories and the writing that flows in between. Submissions should be 1,000–3,000 words.

Pays a flat fee of ‎‎500 (about $746 Canadian).

They will be open for submissions October 31 – November 17, 2024. Guidelines here.  

 

NüVoices is an international editorial collective gathering veteran and emerging writers, journalists, translators and artists to celebrate and support the diverse creative work of women and other underrepresented voices/communities working on the subject of China. 

Their online magazine, NüStories, regularly publishes both fiction and nonfiction, including narrative essays, event reviews, articles, multimedia projects and other original content — reaching audiences all around the world.    

They pay an honorarium for accepted submissions. 

They’re looking for a variety of text content including reportedfeaturesnarrativeessaysop-edstutorialsQ&Asfictiontranslations and listicles.

Since they don’t have the resources to edit more ambitious reportage, they ask that reported pieces be succinct, with links to sources included. In your pitch, please also include one or two ideas on what visuals can be used to accompany your piece. Text pieces should aim to be no more than 1,400 words.

Visual submissions such as illustrations, photography, and videos should be accompanied by a short text component providing context. Visual submissions should be of high digital quality but smaller than 1.5 MB jpg.

Full submission guidelines here.

 

White Wall Review is the Journal of Creative Writing in the Department of English at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).

“Since 1976,we have published exciting and necessary fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by emerging and established writers from across North America. We are generously supported by The Department of English and the Faculty of Arts.”

They’re seeking:

Short stories and novel excerpts from 300–6.000 words. Please submit only one piece at a time (unless you are submitting flash fiction, in which case you may submit up to three short pieces). For excerpts of forthcoming works, please make note of the publication date in your cover letter.

Poetry: Please submit up to five poems at a time (totalling no more than eight pages). Long poems and excerpts of unpublished works will also be considered. For excerpts of forthcoming works, please make note of the publication date in your cover letter.

Nonfiction, including personal essays, literary essays, and experimental hybrid forms, from 600 – 6,000 words. For excerpts of forthcoming works, please make note of the publication date in your cover letter.

Reviews of new fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and graphic novels. Their focus is on reviewing Canadian works, but will consider works from around the world.

Interviews with writers and visual artists. The format is Q&A with an analytical/literary introduction to the artist’s work.

Visual art & photography, including illustrations, paintings, collages, digital art, etc., in both colour and black and white.

Full submission guidelines here.

 

See information about all our upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Navigation tips: For information about other places to send your short works, see here (and scroll down). 

Also, always check out Labels below posts to find collections of postings. For example, if you’re looking for places to send personal essays, click on “essay markets” below (and scroll down).

Friday, October 18, 2024

Your'e invited to a “Writing Personal Stories” online course


“Writing Personal Stories”

Online: Tuesday afternoons, 1 – 3 p.m.
January 14 – March 4
Offered on Zoom and accessible from wherever there's internet 

If you've ever considered writing your personal stories, this course is for you. We’ll look at memoirs, travel writing, personal essays, family history – personal stories of all kinds. Plus, of course, we’ll work on creativity and writing technique and have fun doing it. 

Whether you want to write a book or just get your thoughts down on paper, this weekly course will get you going. We'll reveal the tricks and conventions of telling true stories, and we’ll show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Weekly writing exercises and friendly feedback from the instructor will help you move forward on this writing adventure. Whether you want to write for your family and friends or for a wider public, don't miss this course.

We’ll also have a published author as a guest speaker for this course.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.  

Read reviews and other pieces about or inspired by Brian's courses, workshops, and retreats here (and scroll down).

Fee: $220.35 plus 13% hst = $259

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here

Note: To get new postings from Quick Brown fox delivered to your Inbox as soon as they go up, subscribe to the Quick Brown Fox on Substack here.


Thursday, October 17, 2024

A new course, never offered before: “Writing Picture Books – Intensive”

“Writing Picture Books – Intensive”

Online: Wednesdays, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
January 15 – February 26, 2025 (or to March 5 if the class fills up). 

Be sure to sign up early. I'll email the first pieces for critiquing January 8, and I'll start making the schedule of when your pieces will be due weeks before that.

This Intensive course will be organized like my other Intensive courses, but it’s for people writing picture books. It’s for people who are working on their own writing projects, not for beginners. 

You’ll be asked to bring in four pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. This may be four separate picture book manuscripts or, possibly, just one, reworked four times. You bring whatever you want to work on. 

Besides critiquing pieces, we’ll have discussions and I’ll give short talks addressing the needs of the group. You’ll receive constructive suggestions about your writing, learn how to critique your own work, ands you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write.

I expect you’ll find this course extremely rewarding – and fun. After all, we’re working on picture books! ~Brian

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. Brian is the author of a children's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing). But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.   

Read reviews and other pieces about or inspired by Brian's courses, workshops, and retreats, see here (and scroll down).

Fee: $247.79 + hst = $280

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here. ~Brian

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

“Fred Has Left” by Jill Fortney

Fred’s talking while working on my legs

I’m in a slight daze, as always, with any of his massages

I begin to suspect he’s talking about retirement

You’re not retiring, are you?

Yes

No, no, no I say

When?

September

This September?

It was the beginning of August

Well, I am 80 years old

 

I never knew his age; I could only guess based on his many stories

Of his hippie days, of drugs and whatever

I told him that as a teen I was a goody-two-shoes - a Sandra Dee type if you know that era – and I didn’t have any experience in what he was talking about

But 80?

I guess I never wanted to realize his age

 

Did I know you were retiring?

I told you a few months ago

Are you sure?

I’m sure

I have no recollection

 

How did I react?

Just as you are now

I still have no recollection

How can that be, I think

How can I not remember?

One of us is losing our mind and I don’t want it to be me

 

Fred says the mind has a way of blocking out what we don’t want to hear

I did not want to hear I was losing him

My Obi-Wan

My guide, my guru

 

He spoke of the transcendent in ways that left me mute, able to simply murmur an awed “wow”

He offered me coping strategies, meditation techniques and constant reminders of the power of shifting perspective

His stories were teachings on the power of love to heal all wounds

Just love it he would say

I’m trying

We laughed at the absurdities of The Far Side comics, searching our memories for our favourites with a “do you remember the one?”

He celebrated and encouraged my creativity

Gazed on each photo, artwork and jewelry piece as if they were precious gifts

His reactions thoughtful and genuine from having really looked

After all, he was an artist back in the day

 

And my bewildered heart

Mournfully and selfishly cries

What will I do without you?

 

I manage the grief of every Thursday without Fred

And search for a stand-in

I want to be happy for him – he’s finally got time to himself

We talk on the phone a few times; we meet for coffee and a walk

He has another eye surgery

I text, then call to check in on him but there’s no response

We were to set up another walk

I wait, then finally call his friend

I get news I can’t absorb

Fred has passed

No, no, no

That can’t be – I can hear his voice, his laugh

I see him – I see his smile

I feel his warm hug when we last parted

 

And once again

My bewildered heart

Mournfully cries

What will I do without you?

***

Jill Fortney has had a fulfilling career working with children and on behalf of children. Now she’s playing with her lifelong love of words, language and story to write of life: a humble and humorous attempt to learn what it is to live with compassion, love, curiosity, joy and awe. An amateur artist, jewelry-maker and writer, she is a work in progress, as are all her creations!

See upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here

Read more short stories, essays, and reviews by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).