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A Walk in the (Virtual) Park

Published September 7, 2020 by rochellewisoff

For the most part, 2020 art fairs, concerts and festivals around town, large and small, have been cancelled. These cancellations include a few I’d planned to participate in. Heavy sigh. Potential for sales out the window. 

However, 2019 wasn’t exactly a great year for us and outdoor fairs. In June, at Corks and Canvas, it took an hour to set up in intermittent rain. Happily the rain stopped. Unhappily it gave way to stifling heat and humidity, coupled by high winds. I spent a lot of time chasing my note cards across the pavement. 

In September there were two fairs. The first one was Independence Uncorked. One would think my wine glass pictures would go well there, right? Not so much. People seemed more interested in wine than art. To be fair (hee) I did fairly well at that one. The wine note cards were my best sellers. 

The next September fair was the annual UNPlaza fair, not to be confused with the Plaza Art Fair held the same weekend. Torrential rains washed out our hopes for decent sales. 

This year, You-Know-What washed out hopes for this year’s UNPlaza renamed PeaceWorks KC Local Art Fair. However, the wonderful board of directors at PeaceWorks decided to try something new. A virtual fair! Each artist will have an online booth. There will be video chat rooms to speak with each artist. Artists’ web pages will give attendees an opportunity to shop in the comfort of their own home. 

I am excited and nervous at the prospect. Save David Bayard, who’s heading the planning, none of us really knows what to expect. At any rate, it is an opportunity for a broader audience. You don’t have to live in Kansas City to come, browse and buy. 😉 

While you’re in the neighborhood click my art tab at the top of the page. Thank you. 

The fair goes live Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

For info on how to participate 

CLICK HERE!

Join other local artists and me for a new experience. 

Weekend Writing Prompt – Sentient

Published September 5, 2020 by rochellewisoff

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s comment section.

ARACHNOPHOBIA

Remember the animated version of Charlotte’s Web?

Who could resist Wilbur the pig,

The runt of the litter,

Sweetly voiced by Henry Gibson?

“Fine swine.”

Charlotte, a darling with eight legs,

Who sounded like Debbie Reynolds,

Spun the piglet’s praises into her web.

I wept

When she

Went to the great spiderweb in the sky

Leaving poor Wilbur to grieve.

Tender story.

However,

Should one of Charlotte’s eensy-weensy relatives

Visit me.

Whack! Splat!

I don’t care if

She was a sentient life form, Captain Janeway.

4 September 2020

Published September 2, 2020 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © CEAyr

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

THE WOMAN WITH THE TORCH

 March 1887

Dear Father,

            The sun has long set on Glasgow. My eyes are weary from study and my heart is heavy with longing for you and my sisters.

My mind swirls with new knowledge of the human body. How fearfully and wonderfully made are we. My cup overflows.

            Precious Father. Had it not been for your encouragement, becoming a physician would be an impossibility for a wee lass in this man’s world. As God is my witness, it shall not always be so. I promise to do my best to make you proud.

            Your loving daughter,

                        Elsie Maude Inglis

With her many accomplishments, it was difficult to squeeze the magnitude of her influence into 100 words. So I chose a small but important piece of her life. To quote Elsie Inglis

“If I have been able to do anything—whatever I am, whatever I have done—
I owe it all to my Father.”

Dr. Elsie Inglis

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Weekend Writing Prompt – Endless

Published August 29, 2020 by rochellewisoff

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s Comment Section.

Remember when we had all the time in the world? 

Endless waiting.

Excitement mounting

Cake shopping.

Dress fittings.

When did time slip almost fifty years

Into the future?

 

28 August 2020

Published August 26, 2020 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

LOST IN THE BRONX

“Oy the pain.” Jonathan Charasuchin would moan when his mother gave boarders his room, relegating him to sleep on dining room chairs.

“Quit your kvetching,” his mother would say. “We need the money.”

 His sympathetic father introduced him to opera on the radio and took him to Yiddish theater productions.

The boy fell in love with the stage and dreamed of someday becoming an actor. Diligently he worked on losing his thick Bronx accent, imitating British film stars.

Forty years later, Jonathan Harris delighted Lost in Space fans with quips like “You bobble-headed booby” and “Oh the pain. The pain.”

 ***

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Weekend Writing Prompt – Impact

Published August 22, 2020 by rochellewisoff

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s Comment Section.

Once more this prompt took me down Memory Lane. Whether deserved or not, my Aunt Edith was a legend in our house. Hers was my first experience with the death of a loved one. 

L’DOR V’DOR*

When I was eight Aunt Edith passed away. My mother’s sister lived in the house behind ours.

Memories. Faded impressions. Passover seders at Grandpa’s. A gold demitasse cup she kept just for me. The prayer book I wish I’d kept.  I’ve searched for it online. Out of print.

 I still remember my aunt’s attempts to teach me manners. “Ladies say ‘yes’ not ‘yeah.’”

She made an impact.

*From generation to generation.

My mother is the short lady on the left. Aunt Edith is the bride. Sometime in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s.

21 August 2020

Published August 19, 2020 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

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Genre: Speculative Fiction

Word Count: 100

VISITANT

Lucinda rocked her son. “I should go downstairs and help Marion with breakfast.   

She listened to the clatter of pots and pans and hugged the baby. “How clever of your auntie to open our home to boarders when your papa didn’t return from the war.”

A nightgown-clad child with huge brown eyes stood in the doorway. “Who are you?”

“The lady of the house. Who are you?”  

“Lucinda, after my great-great grandmother.”

***

Lucinda pointed to a tintype of a woman with huge dark eyes. “I met her this morning.”  

“Nonsense,” said Mom. “She died in childbirth a hundred years ago.

Weekend Writing Prompt – Jostle

Published August 16, 2020 by rochellewisoff

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s Comment Section.

Once upon a time

Three boys,

Two dogs,

One cat,

And

Two frazzled parents

Crowded into a tiny three-bedroom house.

To the

 Chagrin of their parents,

The kids wrestled and teased.

Today those boys are men.

And silence jostles my longing ears.

Original Artwork © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

14 August 2020

Published August 12, 2020 by rochellewisoff

Snorkeling in St. Thomas

Ellehcor Banner FF

The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright-Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright-Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

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Welcome to another week of SUMMER RERUNS. This week the story and prompt are from 14 November 2014. If you were with us that week, feel free to take a break and post your own rerun. 😀 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

FIRST DRAFT

            “Can’t you imagine little Harry trying to climb the fig trees?” Ida’s eyes glittered. “He would’ve been three this year.”

            “I miss him, too,” Harvey whispered.

            Although his heart ached with loss, Harvey still counted his blessings. What could such a vibrant woman possibly see in him, a wheelchair bound invalid thirty years her senior?

            “Maybe we’ll have another son. For now we have one hundred twenty acres of prime, undeveloped California land to subdivide.” He brushed a tear from her cheek with a kiss. “What shall we call our little town? Harryville?”

            “Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s call it Hollywood.”

.

.

.

Daeida Hartle Wilcox Beveridge

Daeida Hartell Wilcox Beveridge “The Mother of Hollywood”

Click here for more info.

Harvey Wilcox

Harvey Henderson Wilcox

Weekend Writing Prompt – Misanthrope

Published August 9, 2020 by rochellewisoff

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s comment section.

I’m out of my comfort zone this week, sightseeing, swimming in the ocean and enjoying some sibling revelry with my brother Jeffrey Wisoff. 😀

SELF EXAMINATION

Me? Antisocial? Surely you jest.  I interact with people all day long—online. Okay. I’m a little reclusive, perhaps. A cockeyed introvert, for certain. But a misanthrope?  Nay I say. I’m merely comfortable with my own company.

Swimming laps gives me immeasurable pleasure. Water, as opposed to nattering human voices, whispers serenity to my soul.

Granted, I enjoy an occasional day out with the girls. Human contact is essential—in limited installments.  Nothing pleases me more, after a day of shopping, than to sequester with my paintbrush

My office –slash-studio is my happy place where I control my reality.

Thru Violet's Lentz

My view, tho' somewhat askew...

Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple

Growing older is inevitable. Growing up is optional.

Linda's Bible Study

Come study God's Word with me!

Just Writing!

A place to improve my writing skills, and that's all.

lindacapple

Writing from the Soul, Speaking from the Heart

Real World Magic

Bringing Visions to Life

Riverbrat

Navigating the mountains and valleys of everyday life on the riverbank.

Our Literary Journey

Driveling twaddle by an old flapdoodle.

Saania's diary - reflections, learnings, sparkles

Life is all about being curious, asking questions, and discovering your passion. And it can be fun!

Invincible Woman on Wheels

Conquering the World

This, that and the other thing

Looking at life through photography and words

Kelvin M. Knight

Reading. Writing. Cycling.

Na'ama Yehuda

Speech Language Pathologist, Writer, Blogger -- life, language, communication, a good laugh, hope, healing, and the grace of connection

Diane's Ponderings

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Penz-o-Paula

Paula Shablo

Lost Imperfect Found

Self-discovery through self-reflection.

Sarah Potter Writes

Pursued by the muses of prose, poetry, and art

Sammi Cox

Author Aspiring

Neil MacDonald Author

A writer's journey

Autumn Leaves

For those who enjoy fiction

Native Heritage Project

Documenting the Ancestors

Living In Eternity

If Eternity Is Forever, Am I There Now?