Ms Holmes Pretends: Need a Good Read!

With the grand help of sister Kelly, my novel Ms Holmes Pretends is now available for you to purchase, peruse, and enjoy! I know that teachers would love it, and I think lots of other people will, too.

The book follows a career teacher through one year in her life, the year that changes everything. Please give it a chance and spread the word!

The Troubled Man: Definitely Troubled

This was a book that I wanted to keep reading. I have read others in the series with Kurt Wallander as the main character, a kind of burnt-out police detective in Sweden. His character is very well-developed, and I get an excellent picture of him--albeit, I see Kenneth Branagh every time (because he played him in the BBC miniseries), but I am intrigued by old Wallander and his pessimistic wanderings through the case and his life.

However, this mystery/police-procedural left too many loose ends in the conclusion and an exceedingly bleak ending that was simply depressing. I didn't feel a sense of satisfaction when I finished it. I did finish it, though. So, it kept me interested. I kept wanting things to get better for him--I kept expecting that they would. I kept expecting him to walk off optimistically in the sunset with his dog. Oh well.

The Terracotta Dog

I'm currently halfway through this Italian police procedural by Andrea Camilleri. It is quirky and funny--which always makes me wonder when I'm reading a translation--how does that happen? The book has a lot of play on words in it, and it certainly translates to English, however the original was written.

I love books where the main character does his own thing while doing his job for the man. It's what I aim for in my own life. In books, the characters seem to get away with it better than I do though!

Translated in 2002, this is the 2nd novel in a series with the same Inspector, so I'm glad I found it and have more to look forward to.

Morgana on the Sparkly Rock

After the painting Morgan Le Fay by Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys

Her hair is the color of the spots

on the leopard skin draped

across her like a sari.

Serpents and winged dragons

are dyed into a horizontal pattern

around the gold hem of her dress.

Once when I was a little girl

I took my mother’s 70’s green velvet

tablecloth, a pewter lamp shaped

like a genie’s and an old book

my grandmother had given to me

that was printed in 1893,

and I went into the woods

behind our house

                to do magic

                to be Morgan Le Fay.

I safety-pinned the tablecloth

around me like a cape

and I found the place where

the sparkly rock rose from the earth

like the sword from the stone.

My hair was dishwater blonde

and cut by my mother, so always

a bit crooked, my bangs

like the slanted edge of a pan flute.

This painting was in the big art book

in the living room bookshelf—

above the Ray Price, Jim Reeves,

and Roy Clark albums. It was wide

like an album.

I had looked at Morgan so much

the book automatically

fell open to her.

A cauldron blazes in the background,

the fire shadowed against

the brown wall, stark—like the artist

etched it with a nail.

The old book was called Little Lady Val.

On the cover was a picture

of a very proper young lady

with golden curls, her arm

firmly clasped by a boy in blue

showing her the way.

I stood on the sparkly rock

with these two women

and hurriedly—so I wouldn’t be caught—

I began to make my life.

 --Shaun Perkins

The Hypnotist by Lars Keppler

I didn't pay much attention to the cover of this book as I was reading it. It's only now that I'm pasting the picture on here that I realize that it's pretty gruesome. You'll have to read to see what made the blood splatter. (It's not as bad as it sounds . . . well, not really.) Anyway...suspenseful though it goes a bit crazy toward the end as many mysteries do. Why do authors always think we want a crazy-ass ending like in a blockbuster movie?

Best Thing: Equal number of male and female characters who are well-developed (though not always believably so)


Worst Thing: Unbelievable (but not so much that it makes you stop reading) . . . plus, I just saw a picture of the authors--a Swedish husband-wife team who look like models. Yuck.

The Raising by Laura Kasischke

At first I was afraid it was going to be a vampire story, and so I was glad it definitely wasn't. I enjoyed the combination of characters from the academic world--most of the book is set on a college campus--and the subplot with a professor in death studies. I learned stuff while reading this book.

Plus: Suspenseful; well-developed characters

Minus: Somewhat unsatisfying resolution (I always want evil people to be punished appropriately.)

Mayes County Storytellers hosting story session at festival

MCS Storytellers: Betty Perkins, Roxann Grissom, Louise Evans, Bev Hart, Shaun Perkins, Deb Evans

 

By Valerie Kimble

Storytellers from Mayes County are scheduled to perform 3:00 p.m. Friday, June 3, 2011 at the Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival at Seminole State College.  Produced by the Territory Tellers, the statewide, nonprofit, arts organization whose mission is to promote the art of storytelling, the festival is in its fifth year and draws tellers and listeners from all over the United States.  

“Storytellers from all over Oklahoma, Texas and California will tell for two full days,” said Valerie Kimble, for the Territory Tellers Publicity Committee.  “There will be concerts, circles, swaps, exhibits, free ghost tales, and workshops.  Last year, listeners from all over the region and as far away as Georgia attended.”

Choogie Kingfisher

Beverly Hart, Pryor, and Choogie Kingfisher, Salina, along with Tulsans Darla L’Allier and Connie Neil Fisher will be telling a story during the MCS story circle, which is hosted by Shaun Perkins, Locust Grove. this story circle is from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3.

 Hart, and Choogie Kingfisher will represent Mayes County Storytellers.  “Many of our members are not able to attend the festival this year,” said circle member Shaun Perkins, “so some of these storytellers are from neighboring counties”

This story circle is one of the ten local groups located all over the state who are affiliated with Territory Tellers.  Story circles, also called storytelling guilds, are informal groups of storytellers and story listeners from a community who get together from time to time to share stories, and information about storytelling events and opportunities.  They function like writers’ groups, where the members may share work in progress and get knowledgeable support and feedback.

“Oklahoma is known for its storytellers:  Will Rogers, Woody Guthrie, Te Ata and many more,” said Kimble.  “So we have a wonderful storytelling tradition in this state.” 

“The Mayes County Storytellers are proud to be part of this,” said Shaun Perkins, co-founder of MCS and Territory Tellers’ liaison/webmaster. “We have been a part of the festival since it began, and we hope more people from our part of the state will continue to get involved with it.” 

Darla L'Allier

For more information, the schedule of events, or to print a brochure, visit the Territory Tellers website.  Register for the festival before May 20 for discounted rates on a festival pass.  Concert tickets are half-price or $5.00 for seniors and students.  Single program tickets will be sold at the door.  Stories are family-friendly, but not intended for small children. 

“Come on down to Seminole State College anytime on Friday or Saturday, June 3 and 4 to hear some wonderful stories,” said Perkins, “And to hear from folks from our part of the state, be sure to see us  Friday afternoon.”

Connie Fisher

Shaun Perkins: Online Articles

Education (Lessons Plans, etc.)

How to Memorize a Poem

Creating an Anti-Brochure for Ayn Rand's Anthem

Decoding Classic Fiction with One Question

Shaun Perkins: Online Resume

ONLINE ARTICLES
I have written a variety of articles on various topics: education, entertainment, writing, gardening, and more. Here is a sampling of those articles:

Interview with Mark Spitz, David Bowie biographer

Interview with Tulsa musician Chuk Cooley (page 22 in The Current)

How to create a gourd pergola

Interview with Tim Tingle, Choctaw storyteller

The Hero's Journey as a writing guide

Oklahoma's labyrinths

AUDIO & DIGITAL STORIES:
Some of  my original stories and articles are posted in audio format online.

Girls, Not Ghosts, audio story based on actual events in Oklahoma

How to grow a healthy lawn

Cedar Creek (a true Oklahoma story)

Ida Red (Okiefied folk tale)


WEBSITES I CREATED AND/OR MAINTAIN:

Journey in Words

Territory Tellers (I am the webmaster for this site.)

PHS site (My website for my high school classes)

PHS Podcasts (a podcast site where my students post their work)

Mayes County Storyellers

Poems in a Minute!

BOOK ME!

NANOWRIMO: The Correspondence of Ms Holmes

This year for National Novel-Writing Month, I am writing a novel, and so are some of my junior students. We are signed up in the Young Writers section of the Nano website. For the first time, I am going to write about teaching. I have usually avoided the subject that takes up too much of my life. But here goes . . .

To follow my progress or to read the novel as I'm working on it, please go to the Ms Holmes website.

Experts123 Question about Poetry

You know my answer is better than the #1 one, so Like mine please so I can move up in the ranks:

Question about Poetry

Index of My Online Articles

Shaun Perkins: Online Articles


Education (Lessons Plans, etc.)

How to Memorize a Poem
Creating an Anti-Brochure for Ayn Rand's Anthem
Decoding Classic Fiction with One Question

Summer Rain: July 6, 2010

After several days of hot weather, today it rained in the middle of the day. I went out on the porch, which has a tin roof, and sat for a while listening to the rain and the other sounds around me. This audio is of me doing some random talking, several birds calling, and the rain softly clicking on the porch roof.

Writing all Over the Place

I have been branching out with my writing, finding new places to publish and new topics to write about.

Suite 101
I am mainly doing book reviews and educational articles at this site.

Examiner
Here I am focusing on storytelling news.

Associated Content.
I have just started here, but I would like to do more audio reports and poems on this site.

Thanks for reading!

Old Martha: Where Stories Begin

I created this story for Oklahoma's centennial in 2007. I tell it with the beat of a djembe.

The little girl swept the ashes from the fireplace and went outside to get fresh wood. Her back ached and she was hungry, but she knew she had to get the chores done. There would be no fun for her that day. It was chore day. When she was bending over the woodpile, she heard a sound—it was like the beating of her heart, soft, regular, rhythmic. And she felt it in her heart but it was outside her skin. It was coming from the woods beyond the house. Though she knew she would get in trouble for not finishing her morning tasks, she put down the firewood and she walked across her backyard and into the woods.

Sea of Love

Come with me, my love, to the sea, the sea of love.
This Al-Pacino-Ellen Barkin movie from 1989 can grow on you.
John Goodman sings and knocks back the Budweiser. Pacino drinks too much Scotch and looks good sweating.

But the best thing about the movie is its love of poetry.For the most part it's a typical police drama with a career cop drinking too much and putting his foot in his mouth way too often. He's lonely. Ellen Barkin is sexy and very 80's ruffled looking with her smirk and tough voice. But it's the poetry. The killer likes it. And the cop exists because of it.

Goodmnan says of the killer, "She's a poetry-lover." Pacino says, "More like a poetry-hater." The killer finds victims through poetic ditties in the newspaper personal ads. So a serial killer associated with poetry. Okay. Even crazy folks can feel the poetry bug.

Prologue: This and Then That

It was too hard being in this body. And when I decided to leave it, I knew you would understand. You were the opposite of perfect, and so we were just alike—two extremes. You were nothing like me, and because of that, you knew everything about me. I hid my beauty behind your scars, and we made a whole.

When I look in the mirror I don’t see what Jerrold or Brandon or Mark see. They can’t stop gushing over my “big green eyes” and my “hoochie-mama curves” and long brown hair “with the gold streaks like rays of the sun.” I didn’t invent any of it—what they said or what I am. I don’t use highlighter. I wear very little makeup. We were alike in that way, and so we were different.

Fundamentals of English: 2nd Hour

Crickets
Sing in the walls and behind the books.
They have gone through the set
Of encyclopedias, made a nest
In #23 Pumps to Russellville
And eaten their way through
The rest of the set.
They have learned so much
They can’t stop singing about it.
They want us to know about
Poland and how glaciers
melt and the population
Of Leningrad and the parts
Of a chrysanthemum.
All of their knowledge sounds
Like an irritating noise to us,
But to the lone cricket
In the corner of the room,
It is the song of wisdom

Walk Across Town

I was 13-years-old, just out of school for the summer and eager for every day to start, waiting for the dirty hot sweatiness of an Oklahoma June so I could head to the creek on my bike, plunge in and let the sun dry my skin. But in mid-May, the weather was still only lukewarm, and I put a T-shirt and overalls on before starting off for the newspaper office where Mom worked.