Monthly Archives: 2021 Apr

Please read Pope Leo`s beautiful story for everyone!
*Quote from Pope Leo XIV.*
I like him already:
" Brothers, sisters…
I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.
To those who are fed up with scandals, with misused power, with the silence of a Church that sometimes seems more like a palace than a home.
I, too, was angry with God.
I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine.
And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo.
But then I discovered something:
God doesn`t shout. God whispers.
And sometimes He whispers from the mud, from pain, from a grandmother who feeds you without having anything.
I don`t come to offer you perfect faith.
I come to tell you that faith is a walk with stones, puddles, and unexpected hugs.
I`m not asking you to believe in everything.
I`m asking you not to close the door. Give a chance to the God who waits for you without judgment.
I`m just a priest who saw God in the smile of a woman who lost her son... and yet she cooked for others.
That changed me.
So if you`re broken, if you don`t believe, if you`re tired of the lies...
come anyway. With your anger, your doubt, your dirty backpack.
No one here will ask you for a VIP card.
Because this Church, as long as I breathe, will be a home for the homeless, and a rest for the weary.
God doesn`t need soldiers.
He needs brothers.
And you, yes, you...
are one of them."
Robert Prevost (Leo XIV) ...

Welcome to the “Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures” Book Blog Tour at Bookplaces.blog. Giveaway
This tour we’re giving away digital copies of Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures to three lucky winners. Follow the tour and comment at each stop, so we’ll know you were there. You’ll be entered for another chance in the giveaway at each stop. Winners are chosen through a random drawing by WordCrafter Press. We’ll be watching for your name.
#blogtours #booklaunch #poetryanthology #poetrycommunity #poetrybooks ...

#TankaTuesday #DoubleEnnead #SyllabicPoetry #PoetryChallenge #poetrycommunity #poetsofinstagram #poetryforms #nationalpoetrymonth #haiku #tanka #shadorma #tankaprose #poetryprompt #poetrybooks ...

Long Way From Home



Left my home far away

Where did I leave it

In my mind where I cant get to it reach it

In the closet maybe

In a box hidden



Under moms blue blanket

Behind fuzzy scarves

Stacks of cowgirl hats and rhinestone bags and belts

Purses gloves baseball caps

Sunglasses galore



Photographs in albums

Kodak cameras

Compact digital discs Polaroid snapshots

Antique record player

Let it stay in there

This poem is a double ennead form for Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge. #tankatuesday
tankatuesday.com ...

My favorite poet Emily Dickinson sent her poems to The Atlantic Monthly Magazine in 1862. Editor Thomas Wentworth Higginson promptly rejected them. Emily suffered deeply from the rejection.  What did Emily do when she received the news that the editor was not interested in her writing? She wrote even more poems! Emily turned something negative into something good. The communication between the editor and writer turned into a relationship based on poetry that lasted for many years.

If there`s a chance the winner might only receive a virtual pat on the back, why do people enter writing competitions? They might lose. Sending your writing to a competition involves risk. What if no one acknowledges you and you contact the magazine to see who won? I did that. (I still do!) Sometimes, only Grandma and your husband will know you won that gift certificate or a Famous Writers tote bag. Do it, even if all you win is a note saying your work is promising.

A writing competition is where a person submits a piece of writing by the deadline following the submission guidelines and paying a fee. Different publications and contest sponsors have varying standards. The judges likely have favorite things to look for or that one thing that catches their eye. Judges may have diverse lifestyles, experiences, or education. Submissions are often read first by assistants before sending their choices to the judge. Prizes may include money, from ten dollars to thousands. Your writing could win publication. The prize could be a subscription to the magazine or a free course. Don`t forget that part where your name appears in print. If you`re lucky, your photo could be featured. The word "winner" looks good on a resume.

One of the best things I said to myself after I lost a prestigious contest was "I`ll show them! Just wait until next year. "

Even losing a competition for creative writing at the county fair caused me grief. "They`ll be sorry. The State Fair has a better prize anyway!"
   continued on my blog https://bookplaces.blog ...

The Importance of Setting in a Story

http://bookplaces.blog/setting-2/ ...

Literary Quotes-Who Said This?

http://bookplaces.blog/literary-quotes-who-said-this/ ...

Hi! Welcome to Day 4 of the Wordcrafter "The French Winemaker’s Daughter" Book Blog Tour. Today we have a guest post by the author, Loretta Ellsworth. I haven`t had the chance to read Loretta`s book yet. I plan to read and review it soon. Here is Loretta`s guest post. About The French Winemaker`s Daughter Set during World War II, an unforgettable historical novel about love, war, family, and loyalty told in in the voices of two women, generations apart, who find themselves connected by a mysterious and valuable bottle of wine stolen by the Nazis....

http://bookplaces.blog/day-4-of-the-wordcrafter-the-french-winemakers-daughter-book-blog-tour/ ...