Author Student Mother Teacher
The television plays Cooking shows on repeat, You didn’t like them But they bring me comfort. The cell phone stands ready Facebook, E-mail, games Anything to distract me, To keep from feeling. The laptop, always open A story to write, homework to do Simulation games that I can control Things where I get to say… Continue reading Drowning Out the Noise
This short story won the January 2024 Photo Prompt Contest with the Center for Creative Writing. The story is a mixture of true story and fiction and I am so pleased that it was chosen as a winner. It took a lot of emotional investment for me to create this piece and I hope you… Continue reading Saying Goodbye
Lately, and by lately I mean the last three years, I've quit reading hard books. What, you may be asking yourself, is a HARD book? No, not a hardcover. No, not a high-intelligence book. A hard book. The kind where someone dies. Or a child is hurt. Or people experience high levels of trauma (like… Continue reading Why I Quit Reading Hard Books
How can the world keep turning When I can't feel anything anymore? The absence of you is everywhere, Even though you are long gone. I can't understand why And I know that it's not fair. You should be here And I should be there. Without you, the world is empty. Without you, the world is… Continue reading The World Keeps Turning
Sometimes grief feels like the world is ending. Sometimes it feels like the world has already ended. On the hard days, I wonder if I am even alive. Or am I already gone too, but my mind has not caught up? On the easy days, I think I can survive. But it's the in-between that… Continue reading Grief…Sometimes
Hello dear readers! I just want to take a moment and give everyone a quick heads-up. As we move into the new year, I will be doing some cosmetic and layout changes to my website. I designed this site for an undergraduate marketing course three years ago. While the site is entirely functional, I am… Continue reading Don’t Mind the Mess…
Welcome 2024. I hope you bring many new beginnings and many more sustained connections. As a writer, sometimes I get bogged down under the weight of trying to achieve perfect prose. I want everyone to love everything I write. And if I don't think it's good enough, I can't publish it or even finish the… Continue reading Happy New Year!
Just over a week before Christmas, I had to have surgery. During my recovery, sitting at my computer to write hasn't been comfortable, so I've been doing a lot of reading. Additionally, I've been teaching myself to paint. I decided to start with preprinted canvases and paint-by-number canvases because I have trouble putting the images… Continue reading Learning to Paint
And now it's time for the annual publication round-up. This year, I did not do much creative writing. With the loss of my father and uncle, I just couldn't seem to produce creative fiction. I did add one publication to the list, Creative Gems 3, which I have added to the bottom of this list.… Continue reading Publication Round Up 2023
I'm pleased to announce, a little late but better than never, that Creative Gems 3 has finally been published! I have 2 short fiction pieces in this anthology, including "Dinosaur Band" and "Percy the Anxious Penguin." For those of you who haven't read Creative Gems 2, this anthology is aimed at children and features many… Continue reading Creative Gems 3
Cathy Marie Bown 