One of my students has decided to write a novel. He's 20 and French. His novel is a thriller with a dash of sci-fi. The premise is great, and the writing can really come together if he gives it the attention it deserves. I've never had a student want to write a novel. Or at …
Author: mapelba
I'm a writer, artist, teacher, mother, wife, daughter, friend, coffee addict... What else? A success, a failure, a mess, a fan, a hater of housework, a lover of dogs, a liberal, an obsessive, and a bunch of other things that probably would never occur to me. I reveal myself in more ways in my writings and art than in any list of adjectives. And whoever you are, I hope most of all that you are a reader.
The Unexpected
My son and I walked up the concrete steps after spending about an hour walking around a nearby pond, taking pictures of action figures, and watching a woman and her sons try to get a frisbee out of a tree. The sun had come out from behind the clouds turning the air sticky. The walk …
Cover Yourself
When I tell people I teach English as a second language, they usually say, "Oh. You speak Spanish?" "No." I wait a beat. "Most of my students don't speak Spanish either." My students come from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, France, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Taiwan, …
Free!
I scan the parking lot and don't see the car I think That Guy drives. My friend, E., and I walk into Joe's, and we see our friend K. He's finishing up a short story. I look around. I look around again. No. That Guy is not here. At the counter, the barista asks me …
Ordinary Mind and Melodramatic Mind Duke It Out
I try to live my life like a reasonable person. No, I don't want any melodrama with my latte, thank you very much. But part of my brain runs as if it were trying to write its own melodramatic novel. In Bulgaria, I used to ride trams that had accordion sections connecting the compartments. When …
Continue reading Ordinary Mind and Melodramatic Mind Duke It Out
Everything is under control.
Almost 2 years ago, my son and the girl next door, L., had an art show in the breezeway between our apartments. They invited the other neighbors, and while L. didn't want to sell any of her work, my son was happy to sell his. He seems to think selling art is normal. L.'s mom …
Women in Cafes Alone
I asked friends to meet me at the coffee shop because I didn't want to deal with the guy on my own. I wanted friends to hide behind. And I went an hour later than usual in hopes that he'd be gone by then. My stomach knotted as I parked, a tangle of anxiety (I …
Then again, it might’ve been like this…
The thing about last week, about last Tuesday and the boundary challenged fellow in the coffee shop, is that it was an unusual day already. No. That's too dramatic. But there was a tiny incident. I believe I said no one ever hits on me. And this is true. I mean, really. But earlier that …
Wedding Rings and Other Symbols
How do you feel when someone of the opposite sex who you don't know strikes up a conversation with you? What do you assume? My first thought is usually something like, "Does this person want money?" Then I chastise myself not to be so cynical. I have another thought. "Is this person hitting on me?" …
This Lipstick Is All Wrong
I was meeting a friend for coffee and cake. I set my purse down beside me, and it fell off the bench onto the floor. The contents rolled every which way under the table. My reaction was what you'd expect. I picked up everything in a hurry and sitting nicely by the time my friend …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 