John Ritchie

My friend and mentor,

John Ritchie

is having his playlet,

A tense situation

performed at a

Theatre Festival in Cambridge

on the evening of

July 10th.

This being John's first venture into the theatrical world,

break a leg, mate!

Summery or Links

It's a PUN! summery - get it? Too much Data - Mr Data that is... his type of joke :)

Here are all the June links together. Added here are Missy's Summer in EDF which even brings a tear to my eye... and 5 poems in The Ranfurly Review. I was very proud to get all 5 in. I don't have a favourite.

Room for the Living is a memory from when I was 7/8 (1962 my sister tells me).
In Yellow Brick Road to Ruin, Agnes was taken from a sermon preached by Pastor George Blaney who was a very good and humourous man and an inspiration in his life and work.
Grandma's Glove is taken from a real photograph.
Tryst was a windy day on the beach at Cresswell in Northumberland.
The Last Book came from a Summer job in the library when we had to burn books - literally - and I didn't want to.

I do hope you enjoy reading them.

http://www.theshinejournal.com/poetrycontestjudges.htm

http://staticmovement.com/oonah.htm

http://www.ranfurly-review.co.uk/

http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror/author/oonah-v-joslin/above-nature/

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue293/casino.html

http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/binnacle/short_list_short_2008.asp

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08drabble.html

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08quick.html#sum08color.html

http://www.everydayfiction.com/

Oh, here's my favourite comment on this story :
Comment by M.Sherlock
2008-06-22 14:14:54
You know i read the whole thing not realising this was a piece by oonah. So when i say that this story is brilliant…im reading the story, not the name. I was quite surprised to see oonahs biography at the bottom.
Reply to this comment


-->Comment by Oonah V Joslin
2008-06-22 16:06:08
I’m not quite sure how to take that… Thank you… I think… It says me name at the top…
Nice to know I can write a good story without actually being me… or something…
Maybe I’ll go and have a wee lie down!
…I keep telling people I’m eclectic but they’re not familiar with that part of the Oonahverse

Boston Literary Magazine

I am very proud to be in Boston Literary Mag twice this month. I like both pieces. If you look at my post about Shine poetry competition earlier this month, you'll find ny first ever poem. I wonder whether you can spot certain... connections with this drabble? ;)

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08drabble.html

http://www.bostonliterarymagazine.com/sum08quick.html#sum08color.html

Avis Hickman Gibb's work is also in this month's. She has three. Do read them. Avis is a great friend of mine and I like to promote the work of good friends... who are also good writers...

Casino at Bewildering Stories and Binnacle News

Price /Cost /Value

What would you gamble with?

Casino - http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue293/casino.html

I got a story shortlisted in the Binnacle Contest. It's listed in the top 100.

http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/binnacle/short_list_short_2008.asp

Micro Horror

Well I said I'd try and here it is - Above Nature. It's a drabble; only 100 words to tell the story and in this case make a point which my friend Mark Dalligan appreciated. He left a comment. You can read one of Mark's stories too right along side mine. Good one Mark :)

http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror/author/oonah-v-joslin/above-nature/

Links to my work

Static Movement is a great magazine, as I've said before and this month it is carrying a little story called The Centoccules. Never heard of Centoccules? Well get over there and read about them.
http://staticmovement.com/oonah.htm

Actually I like this one because it has a humourous ending but it is making a couple of serious points and I like to make people laugh and then think - hey, hang on a minute - that means that... Also to do that in so few words takes effort - don't believe me? Try it!

I hope I succeed in doing that here.

To follow this month:
The Ranfurly Review - 5 poems
Bewildering Stories - Flash Fiction
The Boston Literary Review - Flash Fiction
The Shine Journal - a poem
Micro Horror - if I can get one in... :)
and who knows what else I may come up with. Watch this surface!

You can also read stories by my friends Mark Dalligan and Avis Hickman Gibb at Static Movement this month.

Flaming June?

Flaming typical! Rain, rain, rain... Great Uriah Heap song that!

It was nice of Irene and Nik to pop in and say hello. Much appreciated you two, thanks X

So, The Shine Journal has posted the winners of its Poetry Contest here:
http://www.theshinejournal.com/poetrycontestwinners.htm
and an interview with the judges here:
http://www.theshinejournal.com/poetrycontestjudges.htm

One of the Questions asked me was about: The first thing I wrote.
I was in year seven and we were asked to write a poem or a story about autumn. I wrote a poem called “The Scarecrow” (embarrassingly simplistic) and did a drawing. Mr. Linton put it on the wall. I was so proud. You can see it below - unembellished - just remember I was 11!

As a judge, I was delighted to be able to put a name to the people who wrote those poems. I am prepared to reveal that I was even more delighted when I found the winner was male.

Mark Wacome Stevick, you are one hell of a poet and my hat is off to you, Sir. I wish I had written 'After Shunning'.

That said, the others were worthy winners too and I was also especially fond of the runner up, 'Red Hot Magma Falling Up'. I will put a link to that one as well and I look forward to seeing who wrote it. I have a few notes on that one that I will put up too. It was not an easy poem, but worth proper examination and very exciting.


The Scarecrow

Silently he stands and watches
o're the corn 'til it is ripe.
Every day he stands there
with his turnip head and corn cob pipe,

his shabby trousers torn and patched,
and then the patches torn and patched,
and not even a bit of them matched.

A masterpiece, eh? Thanks Mr. Linton :)

I'll be back with links to that and my own work online later in the week, hopefully. ttfn