olwg

2024 Literary Collection COWG: OLWG

/ SoyBend / 4 Comments

This week the Central Oregon Writers Guild (COWG) launched their 2024 literary collection. This 304-page anthology includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by published and emerging writers.

2024 literary collection COWG

There were way more entries this year than in years past. I was honored to have one of my short stories selected for this book. The fictional story, The Lost Forest, is based on an actual place in Central Oregon. I included a few fun facts at the end of the piece about this unique forest.

Lost Forest in Oregon

I’m including a recording of myself reading an excerpt from the story. A few days ago, I was one of seven readers chosen to read their pieces aloud at a local bookstore in Bend.

If you’re looking for a special gift, please consider purchasing a copy of the Central Oregon Writers Guild 2024 Literary Collection. It’s available at Roundabout Books & Cafe in northwestern Bend and at Amazon books.

I suppose I should also mention that a couple pieces of my work are featured in the 2022 edition as well. So please consider buying previous editions of this book.

We appreciate your support!

Siobhan Sullivan

On-line Writer’s Guild (OLWG) – I suppose

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Brews & views, Ferment Brewing Company: OLWG, FOWC, WOTD

/ SoyBend / 9 Comments

Ferment Brewing Company, in Hood River, Oregon, is a nice warm place for brews & views. I made it appear even warmer by using a warming filter in the photo below. The big tanks below are actually silver but I thought they looked great in gold! 😀

Ferment Brewing Company

Ferment opened here in 2018. They fuse traditional farmhouse brewing techniques with a modern touch. The brewmaster, Dan Peterson, has a degree in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and uses his scientific knowledge to create unique brews.

The fermenting theme is also featured in some of their food offerings. If you browse the menu, you’ll find fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, but fermentation is also in more unexpected offerings, like kombucha ketchup.

Their tasting room is decorated in a modern, industrial style, with lots of symmetry. It’s a comfortable spot to share a meal and a drink.

views & brews

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Diaphanous strands haiku: OLWG, LAPC, WS

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diaphanous strands
a colorful serape
muffles winter’s chill

Diaphanous strands of clouds

Online Writers Guild (OLWG) – #242 – A colorful serape

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) #181 – Double Dipping

Weekend Sky (WS) #51

Mushrooms up close – A true story: Macro Monday & OLWG

/ SoyBend / 15 Comments
Mushrooms up close
Mushrooms & whirlybirds in Portland, Oregon

A couple I once knew had a memorable experience involving mushrooms, up close and personal. They went out mushroom picking with friends in the rainforests near Olympia, Washington. That night, they prepared a fancy meal that included the mushrooms they harvested.

After dinner, they sat around the table exclaiming how wonderful the freshly-harvested mushrooms tasted. Suddenly, they noticed the family cat had jumped onto the counter and eaten a little of the mushroom sauce. She immediately began to vomit.

The dinner guests looked at each other with horror. When they picked the mushrooms, they weren’t sure of the exact species. Even when you look at mushrooms up close they can be difficult to identify. If you eat the wrong type, it might kill you.

Out of an abundance of caution, they decided to go to the hospital. Everyone had their stomach pumped in case the mushrooms were poisonous.

When they returned home, they were surprised to find the cat with a litter of newborn kittens. The cat wasn’t sick from poisoning—the vomiting was due to her labor.

At the time it happened they decided to err on the side of caution, but later, they thought their reaction was pretty funny. 😀

Macro Monday

On-line Writer’s Guild (OLWG) #232 – It might kill you