Category: Memoir

Make Your Pages Your Testimony

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By Linda Wisniewski

“Each of us is a witness stand.” That was the title of a writing workshop I attended years ago. We are all witnesses to history as it is happening, so even though we don’t make decisions as historians about what to record, we do have the power to decide what we want others to know about our reflections on this period.

Linda Wisniewski

When the terrorist attacks on the U.S. occurred on Sept 11, 2001, I heard about people calling their parents and grandparents to ask how they felt on December 7, 1941. Both generations witnessed an attack on American soil. What the people of 2001 wanted to know most was “were you scared? How did you handle it? What was your life like in the days that followed?” This is why it’s so important to record our stories in any form – memoir, short story, novel or even poetry. We read to learn how others lived, and we write to share our own personal history. Continue reading “Make Your Pages Your Testimony” →

Writers Guild Zoom Meetings for 2023

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The Pearl S. Buck Writing Center’s 2023 Writers Guild will zoom meet on the 3rd Sundays, monthly from March 19th through October 15th, from 1-3 to share and critique our writing works-in-progress. In a friendly atmosphere, we encourage, support and challenge our adult writers to improve, whether they are experienced writers or beginners. All genres of literature are welcome from novels and short fiction to memoirs, essays and poetry by all levels of writers.

$80 Registration required (*see below for details) the total of 8 Zoom meetings [March 19th, April 16th, May 28th (4th Sun this month only), June 18th, July 16th, August 20th, September 17th, and October 15th] Continue reading “Writers Guild Zoom Meetings for 2023” →

Memoir Classes for 2023

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Memoir Classes – via Zoom and In-person – for 2023

PSBVA’s Linda Wisniewski will once again offer her very popular 6 month Zoom Memoirs Writing Classes starting on the 1st Monday evenings from 7-9 pm beginning February 6 through July 3. [Feb. 6th, March 6th, April 3rd, May 1st, June 5th, and July 3rd]

Linda’s 6 month, In-person Memoirs Class will meet in the Cultural Center on the 3rd Wednesday afternoons from 1-3 pm. beginning May 17 through October 18. [May 17th, June 21st, July 19th, August 16th, September 20th, & October 18th]

$200 registration required (*see below for details) for each 6 month class, either Zoom or In-person.

These two classes will guide you towards centering on one segment of your life and turning it into a compelling story, whether your goal is to share it with family and friends or to publish it for a wider audience. Continue reading “Memoir Classes for 2023” →

Musings on Chaos and Order

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By Linda Donaldson

Since we have had but a few submissions for the Winter 2022-23 Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal, we Editors decided to extend our deadline to February 28th, 2023. The theme of this issue of the journal is Chaos or Order.

To encourage your writings, I revisited our theme topics and considered the various meanings of the two words we chose. Perhaps my musings might jump start a story, memoir or poem for submission.

First, “chaos” is usually defined as a state of utter confusion and disorder, thus the antithesis of order. Other references in literature suggest a gaping void, an abyss, a yawning gulf or chasm, or an amorphous lump. Chaos in government or military ranks is often described as anarchy.

The word “order” by contrast has many meanings and is contained in dozens of idioms. Order can denote rank, grade or class such as a social division or stratum. It can indicate a body of persons of the same profession, occupation or pursuits regarded as a separate class in the community, such as clergy.

Order can refer to a rank in a scale of importance of persons or things distinguished from others by nature or character. In natural history classification, order is just below “class” and above “family” in the hierarchy of animals, vegetables and minerals.

Used to denote a sequence or succession in space or time, order can describe the course or method of occurrence or action. It describes the condition in which everything is in its proper place.

In legal terms order can mean the maintenance and observance of law or constituted authority. Legal terms in use are court order, out of order, by order of the court, and today’s order of business.

Purchasing items – now done in person, via email, telephone or online – has resulted in these phrases: place an order, on order, back order and repeat order.

Keep Writing!

Click here for a link to our Submission Guidelines for the Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal, Winter 2022-23.

Themes Announced for Winter 2022 issue of Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal

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By Linda Donaldson

Hoping to jump start your imaginations, I referred to the online Visual Thesaurus to cobble together a list of words associated with our next Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal’s co-themes of Chaos and Order.

Chaos – confusion, pandemonium, bedlam, topsy-turvy, discombobulation, disarray, disordered, muddiness, disquieted, perturbed, upset, unhinged.

Order – place, rank, grade, hierarchy, taxonomic category, organize, categorize, arrange, decree, club, guild, edict, regulate, dictate, request.

Many different paths through the labyrinth will bring you to one or the other – Chaos or Order. Which route will you choose? Send me your submissions by November 30th, 2022, for our next Journal issue.

To find our Submission Guidelines, click here.

Keep Writing!

Submission Guidelines PSB Literary Journal

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Pearl S. Buck Online Literary Journal – Volume 7, Issue No. 1, Winter 2022-23

Pearl S. Buck Online Literary Journal is a publication of The Writing Center. The journal is part  of our ongoing mission to spread the literary legacy of Pearl S. Buck by aiding writers in their development and by giving them opportunities to be published. This call for submissions goes out to past and present PSB Writers Guild members, Writing Center workshop attendees & presenters and PSBVA volunteers.

Make sure your subject matter and language are suitable to be published by this Center.

Theme – The theme of each issue will be chosen from those found in Pearl S. Buck’s own writing.

Our Winter 2022 issue’s co-themes are Chaos and Order. These two themes cover all genres nicely – memoir, essay, science and other fiction, romance, humor, adventure, poetry and even children’s stories.

Please remember to review your entry to be sure it fits within the stated theme.

 Deadline / Number of Entries / Length Limits

Deadline is February 28th for the Winter 2022-23 issue.

Email the editors listed below by filling in the Submission Details (as shown below) on page 1 of your story/poem entry. Begin page 2 with your title, but do not repeat your name .

Submissions limited to five (5) poems or flash fiction (300-word limit each), or two (2) pieces of fiction, essay or memoir (5,000-word limit each); or short story (limit 3,000 words). When selecting the contents of the Journal, editors will try to limit entries to only two per author, preferably from different genres. Please accompany each separate submission with your Submission Details cover page.

Submission Details (print these four items only on Page 1 of all your submissions)
Title
Author
Genre
Word Count
(Begin Page 2 of your story/poem entry with the title only and don’t repeat your name.)

Submission Format

1) Format work in Times New Roman 12pt. with 1” left & right margins, single spaced.

2) Editors will use the Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Style Sheet to keep the Literary Journal uniform.

3) Submissions accepted online only. No hard copy submissions will be accepted.

4) Attach copy in an editable Word .doc file to your email.

5) Email to the appropriate editor shown below. Submissions will be acknowledged within 48 hours via email.

6) Keep a record of each submission, to whom sent, the acknowledgement of receipt,  any subsequent edited and revised versions, and the final editors’ decision.

Editors

Dr. Anne K. Kaler – Fiction and Nonfiction at akkaler@verizon.net

Susan E. Wagner – Poetry at swagner001@gmail.com

Linda Donaldson – Memoirs and Essays at lindadonaldson@verizon.net

 Judges

The following four editors will decide on the entries for each issue: Dr. Anne K. Kaler, Susan E. Wagner, Linda K. Donaldson, and Cynthia L. Louden. Acceptance notifications will be made by March 15th, 2023.

Publishing 101, or Be Prepared to Publish

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By Susan E. Wagner

Before you begin to look for publishers, determine the category of your work. Not only do publishers want to see that you have some awareness of the markets, but they also categorize their own services into types and subtypes. Literary agents do the same.

The first step is understanding the differences between “literary” and “commercial” work. You can check articles like the two below if you’re unsure. They are general guidelines and some publishers are more particular than others in following the guidelines. Continue reading “Publishing 101, or Be Prepared to Publish” →

Recap of March Writers Guild Meeting

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By Linda Donaldson

Rarely has one Zoom meeting woven so many threads together from our shared life experiences as did the March meeting of our Writers Guild. We explored the stories and how they impacted us, while discussing the selections provided by our writers for critique.

Cindy Louden started off introductions by sharing the origins of the Writing Center at Pearl S. Buck, the brainchild of Anne Kaler and herself, two retired educators volunteering at PSB. It seemed to them that the home of a famous writer should have programs celebrating the collaboration between Buck and her editor husband, Richard Walsh.

In 2010, they began the Writing Center, which has evolved to include the Guild, workshops and classes on all forms of writing, our online blog and the biannual PSB Literary Journal. And lastly, the Writing Center Press which evolved naturally, offers assistance in self-publishing. Currently WCP can boast 17 softcover books in many genres: memoir, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plus two children’s books.

The other members in turn gave a short bio with info on any writing projects in progress. Two new members each revealed that they both served in the Peace Corps, one in Liberia and another in Ukraine.

The themes of war, nuclear bombs and fallout dominated three of the six stories: Prologue by John A. McCabe (from his new book The Girl from Japan, A Soldier’s Story), Chapter One (A Memoir) by Richard Fitzgerald, and The Mushrooms of August by Anne K. Kaler.

Loss and the effects of grief were examined in Arm in Arm in Walmart by Karen Edwards. Native American history and archaeology featured in Hidden Treasures by Jane Bleam.  Finally, a novel excerpt that meshed a film noir-style detective story with a memorable cast of quirky fantasy characters in Hard-Boiled Dragon by Bob McCrillis added much needed comic relief.

Our next Zoom meeting is Sunday, April 24th from 1-3pm (one week later than usual due to the 17th being Easter Sunday). Links are sent out in advance to all registered members of the Writers Guild. To register, contact Cindy Louden at clouden@pearlsbuck.org and give your name, address, Cell phone number and Email address. You will be called for your Credit Card information.

Follow this blog and you will receive an email notification of each post to the blog. Keep writing!

2022 Writers Guild Zoom Meeting Calendar

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The Pearl S. Buck Writing Center’s Writers Guild will zoom meet on the 3rd Sundays monthly from March 20th through October 16th, from 1-3 pm to share and critique our writing work-in-progress.

In a friendly atmosphere, we encourage, support and challenge our adult writers to improve, whether they are experienced writers or beginners. All genres of literature are welcome from novels and short fiction to memoirs, essays and poetry by all levels of writers.

$80 Registration to cover 8 sessions is required. To register for the Writers Guild, contact Cindy Louden at clouden@pearlsbuck.org and give your Name, Address, Cell Phone number & Email address. You will be called for your Credit Card information.

March 20      1-3pm

April 24         1-3pm

May 15          1-3pm

June 26          1-3pm [Note: 4th Sun/because of Father’s Day]

July 17           1-3pm

Aug 21           1-3pm

Sept 18          1-3pm

Oct 16            1-3pm

Registered Guild members must send writings for editing consideration and distribution to lindadonaldson@verizon.net 2 weeks prior to our meetings so all attendees can read and be prepared to discuss. An online link to our Zoom meetings will be sent prior to each meeting.

Visit our blog at www.psbwritingcenter.org and become a follower – it’s free! – and you’ll receive an email notification of any new blog posts. Many past issues of our Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal – containing writing in a wide variety of genres – can also be accessed from our blog.

On behalf of all the editors, we welcome your participation and look forward to meeting you this Spring at our March 20th Zoom meeting from 1-3pm. 

Keep writing! The Writers Guild Editors:

Cynthia L. Louden – cllouden@verizon.net

Dr. Anne K. Kaler – akkaler@verizon.net

Susan E. Wagner – swagner001@gmail.com

Linda Donaldson – lindadonaldson@verizon.net

Winter 2021 ♦ Volume 6, Number 2

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This Winter Issue of the Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal
includes 11 selections on the theme of Revenge – Sought or Untaken
in genres ranging from short story to memoir and poetry.

Following the introduction by Susan E. Wagner
is a table of contents with links to each selection.

Revenge

By Susan E. Wagner

The process of choosing a theme for a journal issue is entirely subjective. This time we wanted something darker and a little bit out of our comfort zone but still large enough to inspire writers. Revenge met our criteria.

Revenge is as old as humanity. It has been illustrated in ancient pictographs and told in ancient tales. Religion and civilizations are full of such stories and the resulting fall-out of acts of revenge. From Homer’s The Iliad to Stephen King’s Carrie, tales of revenge have grabbed our imaginations and seized our worst dreams. Whether it is a small or large act involving two people or two cultures, people regularly carry out acts of revenge.

While fans of Quentin Tarantino might enjoy the violent acts of revenge in his movies, scientists have discovered the far more complicated psychological responses individuals experience before, during, and after committing acts of even petty revenge. Their data suggests revenge is less sweet and more mentally disturbing. Given the complexity of individual personalities, the types, severity, and acts of vengeance are endlessly inventive, making it one of literature’s great themes. It’s no wonder that religion and ethics teach restraint, given the destructive potential of revenge. But it does make for great stories and exciting writing.

Some say that revenge is best served cold; others say that the revenger should dig two graves, one for the victim and the other for the revenger himself.  Some others see revenge as the rough justice of a troubled mind.  Some consider revenge the Eighth Deadly Sin.

Still, as writers, we hope you enjoy the diverse voices in this issue of the journal and their interpretations of Revenge.

Table of Contents – Winter 2021 Issue

(Click title to read selection.
Author’s biography at end of contribution.)

Better Enjoyed Cold

A Short Story by Bob McCrillis

♦

The Enchanted Forest

A Short Story by Susan E. Wagner

♦

Either Here or There

A Poem by John McCabe

♦

The Hitman’s Protégé  

A Memoir by Daphne Freise

♦

 Battle for the Forgotten Isle

A Short Story by Jennifer Klepsch

♦

A Woman’s Charms

A Short Story by Anne K. Kaler

♦

The Breach

A Short Story by Joel Mendez

♦

My Discovery

A Memoir by Karen Edwards

♦

High in a Castle

A Poem by Abby Mendez

♦

Captain Predator

A Memoir by Daphne Freise

♦

Mateo and Perla

A Short Story by Susan E. Wagner