Interviewing Casper the Friendly Ghost

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

INTERVIEWING CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST

Joanne et al

During our October Beanery Writers Group meeting, several Halloween prompts were given out. One was: You are the star reporter for Halloween Headline, and you’ve just landed an interview with Casper the Friendly Ghost. Write out 20 questions to ask during the interview. Responses from members of the group are below.

Do you eat? If so, where does the food go?

Do you have parents? Do ghosts beget ghosts or were you

Halloween Night

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

HALLOWEEN NIGHT

Kathleen Clark

Hey, there, Halloween eyes

master of disguise

lurking around in the dark

giving my heart a jump-start!

Darkness unfurls like Dracula’s cape

swirling around the mustard moon

soon…very soon…

the living dead will escape…

Gliding across misty fields, lurking down inky alleys

little ghouls and goblins

slink on cat feet, ring doorbells on pumpkin-lit porches

then RUN SCREAMING…

It’s a devilishly scary night

so slip inside and revel in the fright

of cobwebbed corners, flickering lights

blood-curdling screams!!!

Shiver with delight as you sit

cross-legged with flashlight

reading ghostly, sanguine tales

of horror and doom.

ADDITIONAL READING:

True Love

THE KILLER KITTEN

THE HAUNTED CABIN IN THE WOODS

JOURNEY’S END

Ghostly white pumpkins of the Lunar variety

THE SNITTY CAT LIKES PUMPKIN PIE?

True Love

True Love

Ed Kelemen

    “John, you moron,” she continued, “I told you that we should’ve evacuated with the rest of the neighbors. But, ohh-noooo, you had a better idea. You wanted to ride out the storm.”

     OK, he admitted to himself, he might have made a mistake. But just then wasn’t the time to dwell on it. It was damn cold and wet up on the roof of the mobile home that was threatening to

G-20 Poem

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

G-20 POEM

Kathleen Clark

Oh, the G-20. 

My thoughts for a penny!

Here come the troopers

Those party poopers!

We were just hangin’ around

Not makin’ a sound

All peaceful and quiet like

Still we got a strike!

Just lettin’ our banner speak for us

So really – - – what’s all the fuss?

(Then there were all the others who really proved nothing by breaking windows & causing havoc – to the tune of $50,000)

ADDITIONAL READING:

Living with OCD

THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW: Things Writers Should Know

BOOKALICIOUS!

Can You Write Your Memoir in Six Words?

DEVELOPING CHARACTERS IN NOVEL WRITING

BEANERY WRITERS NEWSLETTER Vol. 2 Issue 8 October 1, 2009

BEANERY WRITERS NEWSLETTER (BWN)

VOL. 2 ISSUE 8 OCTOBER 1, 2009

Edited by Carolyn C. Holland and BWG members.

(Forward this newsletter to the writers you know!)

ABOUT THE BEANERY WRITERS NEWSLETTER

The BWN shares information on our members—their writing, their activities/interests/accomplishments, their concerns, their thoughts, as well as news on conferences, perhaps a joke or two, book reviews etc. There was a two month hiatus in publication—July and August—this year.

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The BOLM (www.beanerywriters.wordpress.com ) accepts submissions (in any genre) from guest writers. Items may be edited, but if there are any significant changes your work will be returned to you for your approval.. Submit your post to beanerywriters@yahoo.com with the word “Submission” in the subject line. Seeking submissions for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day.

BEANERY WRITERS GROUP MEETINGS

The BWG meets the second and fourth Fridays each month, 1:00-3:00 p.m, in the back room at the Coffee Bean Café in Latrobe (they opened a second Coffee Bean Café on Rt. 30 in Greensburg by Office Max—wrong site!). Some members come early to socialize over coffee or lunch. New members—or visitors (including writers who are visiting the area from out of town)—are welcome to join us. Our members are eclectic: they write in all genres! NOTE: Coming meeting dates: Sept. 11 & Sept. 25; Oct. 9 & 23

PROFILE: DMITRI BELJAN

Dmitri expresses himself artistically in his drawings and improvisations on the

Living with OCD

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

LIVING WITH OCD

as told to Carolyn C. Holland by Dmitri Beljan

      I was initially going to talk to you at a local café. However when you invited me to sit down, the place I was seated was not cleaned up from the previous guest. Although tolerable to sit there, I found myself uncomfortable and distracted by concerns about the dirty table. It took away from giving you my full attention.

     Sometimes it’s not a bad thing to worry about germs. For example, how many times have you ordered a baked potato at a particular fast food place and the waitress  who handled your money then squished the potatoes with her fingers and handed it to you? I found myself several times reminding food service personnel that you don’t handle food and money both. I don’t think that’s so bad.

     However if this behavior is carried to an extreme—e. g., asking her to clean the table twice—it could be considered a symptom of OCD.

     Thus began my interview with Dmitri.

     October 12-18, 2009, is National OCD Awareness Week. Dmitri is willing to share his story of living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, commonly called OCD. Below he tells of live with OCD.

     My genetic makeup predisposed me to OCD. This condition was aggravated by my very religious family and the paranoia of the 1950s Cold War.

     When I was a little boy the thoughts that are now called obsessive thoughts were not recognized by me as such, and with the influence of religion, I interpreted it to be that I was possessed by demons.

     This scared the hell out of me. I became more concerned about

AT FORT LIGONIER: Excerpt from book, WARPATH

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

AT FORT LIGONIER

An excerpt from WARPATH

Charles R. Martin & Sara Mitchell Martin

An excerpt from the book WARPATH, a self-published historical novel set in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

     When the French and Indian war ended in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris, John Martin heard that some of the Ohio Indians were coming to Fort Ligonier to discuss treaties. He was already in Bedford Village and decided to go, without hesitation, to the fort. It was some days hike away, but he arrived in time to see that there were Delaware Indians present. Fort Ligonier was large and strong and well manned. The Indians were camped a half mile away, having teepees and horses.

     After first making himself known to the red-coated soldiers at the Fort, John asked the soldier who seemed most in charge if he knew the Indians.

     “Yes. They have been coming around lately, being fairly friendly. We give them what we can of our stores to try to build some sort of relationship. Do you talk Indian?”

     “Well, I used to be able to make myself understood. That was a while back. They took my family: my wife and five of my children.”

     “I am sorry to hear about that. Did you get any back yet?”

     “Yes, my wife, she is just an incredible person. She made her way back with the youngest, a little girl. They had quite an adventure. The Indians still have

“Singing My Victory Song

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

“SINGING MY VICTORY SONG”

Della Spearman

Going to do the Lord’s battle today Taking my buckler, sword and shield, Armed with my worship odes and poems, There’s an arsenal of inspiring praise songs.   I’m looking at Jehosophat as my guide, And I’m stretching out on obedient faith Marching to

Dmitri Beljan

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

DMITRI BELJAN

Carolyn C. Holland with Dmitri Beljan

     DMITRI BELJAN expresses himself artistically in his drawings and improvisations on the keyboard. He likes and has tried the Shakespearian sonnet form, but presently is not writing. He is drawn to the Beanery Writers Group to be with other artists, those whose art is their use of language.

     I spoke with Dmitri, 62, on my patio, under trees in my park —Laurel Mountain Boro, to be specific.  (to view photos on his Flickr site, click on http://flickr.com/photos/dmitri1946) Like the Boro, with its independent bent that resulted in its secession from Ligonier Township in 1982, Dmitri is not comfortable being confined to arbitrary borders.

     His piano and keyboard playing symbolizes his life: he didn’t learn the structure taught in formal lessons. He “follows where

ANNOUNCEMENTS & Southwestern Pennsylvania Writers Groups (October 1, 2009)

ANNOUNCEMENTS & Southwestern Pennsylvania Writers Groups

October 1, 2009

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The BOLM (www.beanerywriters.wordpress.com) accepts submissions (in any genre) from guest writers. Items may be edited, but if there are any significant changes your work will be returned to you for your approval.. Submit your post to beanerywriters@yahoo.com with the word “Submission” in the subject line. Seeking submissions for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day.

CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, CONFERENCES

 ++++++++++++

WORKS IN PROGRESS WRITERS

An Afternoon with Edgar Allan Poe

Saturday, October 10, 2009

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Crazy Alice’s Cafe