Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
What’s In a Name?
For a project in my writing class, I had to go through my wallet, purse or junk drawer and find something to write about. I pulled out an old prayer card with St. Elizabeth Seton on it. She has always been someone I have admired. Like my siblings, my given name is short. Five letters. Simple. Karen. The last name? Not so simple and prone to many mispronunciations. Zappavigna. Try spelling that in kindergarten! Dad was all Italian....
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
The One That Almost Got Away
For a recent writing project, I had to find a newspaper article and then use it as inspiration to create a fictional story. We had to write about 500 or so words, and then share just the first 300 with the rest of the class. Below is my first 300 or so words. I may just continue this story. She looked in the mirror and found the face of a 92-year-old woman peering back. “Who is that?” Elaine...
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
Remember the Born Alive Infant Protection Act?...
“President George W. Bush signed the federal version of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in 2002. The federal bill passed the U.S. House in an overwhelming 380-15 vote, with a majority of outspokenly pro-abortion representatives supporting the legislation. Even after NARAL withdrew its opposition to the federal version of the bill, Obama had continued to oppose the state version.” The Born Alive Infant Protection Act was passed on the Federal level in 2002. This act provides protection...
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
They Called It A Near Miss
I am taking a creative writing course. One of the assignments was to write a short piece using dialogue. This is not necessarily my favorite kind of writing, but since I am taking the course to stretch out of my comfort zone, I decided to give it a whirl. They called it a near miss, but Jethro called it something a bit different. The alarm buzzed, the off button smacked. Jethro’s feet hit the floor. He could hear...
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
Life’s a Dance
“Life’s a dance you learn as you go Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow Don’t worry about what you don’t know Life’s a dance you learn as you go” ~John Michael Montgomery Some fifteen or so years ago, my husband and I regularly took ballroom dance lessons. At the time, our sons were young and we really needed some time together away from the house and kids. Our neighbor’s daughter would graciously babysit the boys while we went...