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For five years, my wife and I avoided Covid, but it finally caught us this week. I felt bad all night, got up in the morning and was exhausted. Peggy suggested I take a Covid test, but I didn't think it was necessary. A few hours later, it seemed like a better idea, so I did. Positive. I waited three hours and tested again. Positive. The next day Peggy tested positive. No surprise. The coughing lasted three days, but the tiredness lasted ten days and definitely but a damper on our Christmas spirit.
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One year ago, I submitted a 4,000 word essay to a prominent national magazine. I liked the essay. I thought it was good, but I knew sending it to a magazine at that level might be a stretch. I was willing to take a chance. I wasn't willing to essentially be ghosted by the magazine. I realize that bigger magazines receive thousands of submissions and can often take six months to respond, so I waited. I had sent the essay through Submittable, so after six months, I went back there and sent the editor a note asking about the status of the essay. No response. I waited three more months, far more that is realistic for a response, and sent another request. Again no response. After three more months, I went to the magazine's website, found an email address for the editor-in-chief, and wrote directly, even though I know that is not generally acceptable. I finally received an email stating that my essay had been "lost in our system" and apologizing for "our ineptitude." The editor said he was sorry for the situation and hoped that I would submit again the next time I had an essay appropriate for his magazine. I waited a year for his response. He will have to wait a century before I will submit to his magazine again.
Percival Everett has written a book called James, a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who escaped and was with Huck on the raft. Readers will recognize many of the same events that happened on the Mississippi River in Mark Twain's classic book, but will see them from an entirely different perspective. The book gives a broader view of Jim and the issue of slavery than Huckleberry Finn. I read much more nonfiction than fiction, but this is the type of fiction that I can't put down. This week, James was awarded the National Book Award for fiction, an honor well-deserved.
For the past four years, I have been trying to learn more about the genre of writing called creative nonfiction. During that time, I have subscribed to Creative Nonfiction Magazine and have found some excellent help in their pages. Now, the founder of the magazine, Lee Gutkind, has decided to stop and has published a final issue featuring 32 of the best essays published by the magazine over the past three decades. In paperback book format, Creative Nonfiction: The Final Issue showcases the variety and beauty of what has become called "the fourth genre." It is an interesting collection with something for everyone.
Just got news from Big River Magazine that they will publish another article of mine. I wrote about the Fifth Principal Meridian which is the initial point that was used to begin surveying the Louisiana Purchase in 1815. The surveyors started from two different locations and where the baseline and meridian surveys crossed became the initial point. Interestingly enough, it is in the middle of a swamp in Arkansas, so property descriptions in Iowa, Arkansas, North Dakota, half of South Dakota and most of Minnesota are referenced to that spot in a swamp several hundred miles away. Big River hasn't set a publication date yet, but I'll update when that is available.
With our move and the necessary remodeling and painting, I spent a lot of hours working and as a result, got completely away from my writing for several months. The ideas are there, but the home improvement work was tiring and left little energy for sitting down to write. To get myself going again, I signed up for a class called 30 Days, 30 Prompts through Narratively. It is an excellent class. Each day a new prompt shows up and students write a short (500 word max) essay and post it. Then every one in the class reads and comments on each other's pieces. Having that much immediate feedback is a treat and something I have not had for many years. Often it feels like writing takes place in a vacuum, so this class has been perfect. I gained many new ideas for essays and will now spend some weeks ahead trying to get them in shape.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area is well known for the extensive system of bike trails throughout the cities and suburbs. With all the excellent weather, we have been getting out on our bikes often. We have neighborhood trails right out our door, but we have also gone to Uptown to ride on the Midtown Greenway around Lake Harriet and Bde Mka Ska as well as several rides in both directions on the Minnesota River Bluffs Regional Trail. Both are beautiful rides and are worth repeat visits. There are so many more for us to explore and we are already looking forward to next summer.
I spent the morning in St. Cloud to attend the Minnesota Senior Games, an event that features a variety of sports activities for people over 50. I went to similar events in Wyoming and Montana when we lived there, so I am happy to resume that here in Minnesota. I entered a few swim races, and even though I am not a competitive swimmer, it was fun to be involved and especially fun to meet all the other people who participated. I met people, not only from several parts of Minnesota, but several other states as well. It was a chance to have some fun and meet new people -- a good way to spend a Sunday morning.
Today is International Left Handers' Day. I remember growing up and having trouble with scissors, notebooks, arm chair desks in school, and a host of other inconveniences because I am left-handed. I never worried about it too much, but I am excited to learn about a day celebrating this unique feature. Other than having to go to the dentist this morning, I am happy about Left Handers' Day.
I used to live in Billings, Montana, where I was a teacher and coach and I became good friends with Vince Long. He has been a runner for many years and two years ago, he got the idea to run every street in Billings. Today he finished. It took 194 runs and over 1,000 miles, but his project took him to every part of the city and once he even had to go back to an area where they built new streets that didn't exist when he began his runs. Read about his adventures here.
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Photo by John Jancik
AuthorDr. Steve Gardiner is the author of nine books and over 1,000 articles. |