2015 Pickford Community Library's Young Writers Workshop Anthology of Short Stories Micro- and Flash-Fiction and Poetry



  2015 Pickford Community Library's

  YOUNG WRITERS WORKSHOP

  ANTHOLOGY

  of Short Stories, Micro- and Flash-Fiction, and Poetry

  Lydia Gilbert, Megan Cook, Amy Lehigh, and Honnah Patnode

  Copyright 2015 by Lydia Gilbert, Megan Cook, Amy Lehigh, Honnah Patnode

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63324-063-6

  10: 1633240630

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The authors guarantee all contents are original and do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  The views and opinions expressed in this book may not be those of the publisher.

  Table of Contents

  Introduction by Dar Bagby

  Eight Micro-Fiction Stories by Lydia Gilbert

  The Taste of Blood By Megan Cook

  Wolf Stories by Amy Lehigh

  Stardust Scattered in the Silence by Honnah Patnode

  INTRODUCTION

  Thanks to the

  Pickford Community Pickford Community Library and its manager, Ann Marie Smith, young people in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula have the opportunity to attend the Young Writers Workshop where they learn the basics of writing and publishing. They attend a series of sessions at the library, free of charge, for an hour every two weeks throughout the school year. Staff members of JLB Creatives Publishing volunteer their time to meet with the participants—several of them via digital conferencing—and share their knowledge of the literary field.

  Janet Beasley, author of the Hidden Earth series and CEO of JLB Creatives Publishing, and Dar Bagby, illustrator and JLB Creatives Publishing’s Senior Editor, co-created the Young Writers Workshop in 2012. One of their greatest joys is seeing their YWW members’ finished products in print. This year the group consists of participants representing three area school systems: Pickford, Rudyard, and Sault Ste. Marie.

  Eight Micro-Fiction Stories

  Lydia Gilbert, 9th grade

  1

  The wind blew gently on Mike’s tear-stained face.

  “No one blames you for what happened, you know?” Linda whispered.

  “But I do.” Mike rubbed his eyes, embarrassed. He usually never cried.

  “I, I could have prevented this,” He gestured to yellow police tape.

  “No.” Linda said no more; she only placed her hand on Mike’s shoulder as they looked at the scene.

  2

  “I have to wear long sleeves now,” John whispered to David.

  3

  The chairs were all aligned in neat rows; they usually weren’t. Tissue boxes and garbage cans were nearby; those were never nearby. The pastor looked sad; he rarely was.

  4

  A beloved doll sat all alone on her owner’s bed.

  5

  A girl sat all alone, staring ahead, thinking, pencil in hand and a notebook in front.

  6

  In the dark Samantha lay in her bed. Tears streamed down her face. Her life would never be the same; she knew that. She thought of all the people who had tried to comfort her, who had tried to help her. They could not help her; no one could. Well, Rachel could, but that would never happen.

  7

  Three dresses, folded neatly, sat in a chair. The new owner wanted to try them on but would not let herself.

  8

  “I’ll miss you. Please be safe.”