Tag: Essay

On the Injustice of Untimely Death

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By Anne K. Kaler

So I sez to God, sez I, “God, you got it wrong.” No one younger than me is allowed to die because it seems to me to be against the natural order of things.

Like what happened to that old friend of mine, Ann (without an “e”) while I am always Anne (with an “e”). I knew she had been ill for some time, but I had to read about her death in the newspaper!  How unfair is that! A complete surprise over my morning tea and an unfair start to a snowy morning!  I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye after knowing her for all these years. I couldn’t even contribute to her obituary although I hope to attend her funeral.

So this will have to suffice as a reminder of what happens when some younger person dies. Continue reading “On the Injustice of Untimely Death” →

Fall 2018 ♦ Volume 3, Number 2

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Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal

 There are 20 contributions to this Fall issue of the 2018 Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal. The theme of this issue is Transformation. Submissions include essays, memoirs, poems, short stories, and an excerpt from a novel.

Our thanks to authors Dr. Anne K. Kaler, Sandra Carey Cody, David H. Werrett, Jane Bleam, Paul Teese, Joseph A. Vitella, John McCabe, Susan E. Wagner, Joel Mendez, Kat Cerruti, Meredith Betz, Linda Wisniewski, Archana Kokroo, and Bob McCrillis.

Anne K. Kaler, PhD
Professor of English Emerita
Gwynedd Mercy University

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

Transformation

An Essay by Anne K. Kaler, PSBVA

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Shadows

A Short Story by Sandra Carey Cody

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Sunflowers

A Poem by David H. Werrett

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The Baby Squirrels

A Memoir by Jane Bleam

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The Naming Project

A Short Story by Paul Teese

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Jake Meets Nick Rossi

An Excerpt from a Novel
by Joseph A. Vitella

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Sidewalk Sanctification

A Short Story by John McCabe

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The Woman Who Bound Pain to Her Bones

A Poem by Susan E. Wagner

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An Hour and Forty Minutes

A Short Story by Joel Mendez

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From Walking Under Trees

A Poem by John McCabe

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Father and Daughter

A Short Story by Susan E. Wagner

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Mary Gertrude and the Alligator

A Short Story by Anne K. Kaler

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Daddy’s Little Princess

A Memoir by Jane Bleam

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A Lesson Learned

A Memoir by Kat CerRuti

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White Gloves

A Memoir by Meredith Betz

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Lake in the Woods

A Short Story by Linda Wisniewski

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Transformations

A Short Story by Archana Kokroo

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# Me Too?

A Short Story by Bob McCrillis

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Swimming Lessons

A Short Story by David H. Werrett

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Other People’s Shoes

A Short Story by Meredith Betz

Summer 2018 ♦ Volume 3, Number 1

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Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal

There are 12 contributions to this Summer 2018 Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal. The theme of this issue is Justice and Mercy. Submissions include essays, memoirs, poems, short stories, and an excerpt from a novel.

Our thanks to authors Dr. Anne K. Kaler, Rev. Edgar P. Roosa, Bob McCrillis, Susan Wagner, Harry J. Houldin, Jane Bleam, Sandra Carey Cody, and Paul Teese.

Anne K. Kaler, PhD
Professor of English Emerita
Gwynedd Mercy University

 

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

Justice and Mercy

ESSAY BY ANNE K. KALER, PSBVA

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Social Justice Themes in the Life and Writings of Pearl S. Buck

ESSAY BY REV. EDGAR P. ROOSA

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The Thief of Time

POEM BY ANNE K. KALER, PSBVA

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Mrs. Hastings

SHORT STORY BY BOB McCRILLIS

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Everest

POEM BY SUSAN WAGNER

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To the Bulge

EXCERPT FROM A NOVEL BY PFC HARRY J. HOULDIN

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Lydwyna the Spinster and the Pearl Embroidery

EXCERPT FROM A NOVEL BY ANNE K. KALER, PSBVA

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Sans Poetic Punctuation

POEM BY JOHN McCABE

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The Goose Family

MEMOIR BY JANE BLEAM

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The Cherry Trees

ESSAY BY SANDRA CAREY CODY

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Respite

ESSAY BY PAUL TEESE

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Extinguished Camp Fires Burn

SHORT STORY BY JOHN McCABE

Writers Guild Meets May 20th

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By Linda Donaldson

The Writer’s Guild meets on Sunday, May 20th at 1 pm. Don’t forget we begin a half hour earlier this year so we can wrap up by 3 pm.

Become a follower of this blog to get immediate notification of blog posts with links. We feature helpful articles to start you on your writing projects, and to polish your poetry and prose. Look for an informative and entertaining blog on writing from Bob McCrillis tomorrow.

Want to bring a story, essay, or poem to share? Supply 10 to 15 copies, and remember to include your email address on your work so others can provide further comments. We only devote about 10-15 minutes to each selection, so please limit excerpts to 3 or 4 pages.

Fall 2017 Literary Journal Theme is Justice and Mercy

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By Linda Donaldson

The theme for the Fall 2017 Issue, Volume 2, Number 2, of the Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal is Justice and Mercy. We see a host of possible avenues for writing about justice and mercy  —  the lack of either virtue OR the presence of either virtue. We include both sides of this theme, for, in Anne Kaler’s words: “If there were perfect justice, we would not need mercy.  If there were perfect mercy, we would not need justice.” Continue reading “Fall 2017 Literary Journal Theme is Justice and Mercy” →

What Is Your Passion?

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By Susan WagnerSue Wagner New

When I was in fourth grade, the economic problems of Appalachia were in the news. I had seen it myself when I watched the news with my mother. We talked about it in school because our school planned to raise funds to aid children there. It was a penny collection. Over a period of a month, we were all asked to collect and donate as many pennies as we could. Continue reading “What Is Your Passion?” →

Spring 2017 ♦ Volume 2, Number 1

Published on by Pearl S. Buck Writing Center2 Comments

Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal

There are 16 contributions to this Spring 2017 Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal. The theme of this issue is birth, rebirth and renewal. Submissions include essays, memoirs, poems, short stories, flash fiction and an excerpt from a novel.

Our thanks to authors, Anne K. Kaler, Bob McCrillis, Lois Guarino Hazel, Susan Wagner, Meredith Betz, Fred W. Donaldson, Linda C. Wisniewski, Jennifer Yuan, John McCabe, Carol Kretovich, and Judith Wrase Nygard.

 

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

 

Journals – Seedbeds of Memory

ESSAY BY ANNE K. KALER, PSBVA

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The Doe

SHORT STORY BY BOB McCRILLIS

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Reinventing Judith

SHORT STORY BY LOIS GUARINO HAZEL

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The Stitches of Lydwyna the Spinster

EXCERPT FROM A NOVEL BY ANNE K. KALER PSBVA

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Rain

POEM BY SUSAN WAGNER

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South Carolina Restaurant

MEMOIR BY MEREDITH BETZ

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A Letter to My Son

ESSAY BY FRED W. DONALDSON

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What a Man’s Got To Do

SHORT STORY BY LINDA C. WISNIEWSKI

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Cleaning the Crevices with a Cotton Swab

MEMOIR BY LOIS GUARINO HAZEL

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Plum Flower

SHORT STORY BY JENNIFER YUAN

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The Irishman

SHORT STORY BY JOHN McCABE

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Doug the Foster Child

POEM BY SUSAN WAGNER

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A Difficult Journey

MEMOIR BY Carol Kretovich

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Achieving Inner Calm

POEM BY JUDITH WRASE NYGARD

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You Are Creative…You Just Don’t Know It…Yet

MEMOIR BY MEREDITH BETZ

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Two on a Railing

FLASH FICTION BY JOHN McCABE

Jigsaw Puzzles as Writing Strategies

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By Anne K. Kaler

How can a jigsaw puzzle help you with your writing?

Let’s start with the metaphor of your writing as a boxed jigsaw puzzle.Anne Kaler Head Shot

You already have everything you need to complete the puzzle picture on the box because no puzzle maker would stay in business long if he left out some pieces. Those writing pieces are lodged securely in the storehouse of your brain, just waiting for your agile mind to activate them. So you already have all the pieces within your life experiences.

Just like the jigsaw puzzle box your mind contains all the “pieces” necessary to re-create “the picture on the box.”

But there’s the problem, isn’t it. After you open the box, spill the pieces out on the table, shuffle through them, just where do you start the re-creation process? Continue reading “Jigsaw Puzzles as Writing Strategies” →

Fall 2016 ♦ Volume 1, Number 2

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Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal

From Gateways to Graves

Seeing the works of Pearl S. Buck through her use of the strong symbol of gateways, our first issue of the PSB Journal centered on that theme from her best known novel The Good Earth. The theme of the second issue of the PSB Journal grew out of that natural cycle of our human existence on this planet. What starts to live must also come to death and, so, the theme became our writings on the Living Earth and the Dying Earth.

Since the Journal is an outreach to continue the awareness of Pearl S. Buck through her life, her literature, and her legacy, we found especial inspiration in two recent events which confirmed Pearl’s resurgence into the literary limelight after years of neglect. Continue reading “Fall 2016 ♦ Volume 1, Number 2” →

A Conference of Pearl S. Buck Enthusiasts

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By Anne K. Kaler, PSBVA

The question why people come to academic conferences answers itself — WHY. Having been an academic who has attended professional conferences for almost forty years, I feel qualified to speak on conferences. So WHY did I come to the recent Pearl S. Buck and the Pulitzer Prize Gateways Conference held in Morgantown, West Virginia, and what did I learn?Anne Kaler Head Shot

I discovered to my pleasure that the study of Pearl S. Buck’s works, life, and legacy has sprouted new roots across the world.  In PSBI’s case, this new growth has captured the interest of scholars who have found her stories and life experiences a fertile field to explore for new growth.  This conference showed the human curiosity of scholars who ask WHY certain authors feel so strongly about the topics about which they write.  A meeting of presenters like this provides a vital nutrient to encourage digging deeper to unearth better soil.  What really keeps academic detectives going, however, is that big WHY some things were written and others not written. Continue reading “A Conference of Pearl S. Buck Enthusiasts” →