Grab a cup of your favorite drink, and let me show you something really special. I was thrilled to be part of the Sunflower Tanka: Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose and Experimental Tanka, compiled by Robbie Cheadle and Colleen Chesebro, also contributing editors. I love this cover drawn by Robbie. Oh to be so talented and full of energy and discipline to get so much done!
My heart soared as I read some of the poems. This was part of one of them by Jennifer Russo.
"choosing ignorance
is to fester in darkness
come into the light
where knowledge soaks through your skin
and wisdom rests at your feet"
Chesebro, Colleen M. . Sunflower Tanka: An Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, & Experimental Tanka (p. 96). Unicorn Cats Publishing Services. Kindle Edition.
I want to soak up that poem and eat it for every meal until my mind works like that!
Another poem that spoke volumes to me was Diana Peach’s poem about her mother’s death. She wrote in the prose before her tanka, “I hadn’t realized how desperately a body clings to life.” The tanka that follows softens the experience. “…breath softens into whispers, her struggles over…” Each line is more special than the last.
ibid (p. 87)
You have to click on her post above to see some adorable pictures of her mother, then follow the link on her post to see what happened to some of the fabric she inherited from her mother. I’m still in awe.
Look What Came Today! Yay!
There are so many poems that are deep and wonderful, including some of mine, which might not all be as deep and wonderful, but they are jumping up and down about being in the book with these amazing authors!
On the Homefront
Sunday was a special day for me. My friend Connie spoke at the Hanford Methodist Church. She invited me to join her there – fortunately not to speak! I have known Connie for nearly 30 years, and I had no idea that she was a qualified preacher nor that she had come from a long line of preachers. I knew her through working for Migrant Education at the Tulare County Office of Education. We often presented together – she did language arts, and I followed up with mathematics. It was a fun and wonderful introduction to making presentations to adults.
Later, we changed departments, and I worked with history teachers, and she worked with language arts teachers. However, I still subbed occasionally as both a mathematics and language arts consultant. After I retired, she headed the preschool department.
One thing I love about Connie is that even though we may go months or even years without seeing each other, we can pick up and get into engaging conversations about important issues within minutes. I always feel that our visits are cut too short. Sadly, Vince couldn’t join us because he caught a cold this weekend.
Important People
Speaking of sad things, please read this post immediately if you know Cee Neuner. It is her goodbye post. She has been so helpful to so many bloggers, especially me, both imparting photography skills and caring about them personally. Blogging won’t be the same without her. God bless her and her partner, Chris.
I want to include a farewell to former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday, December 29, 2024.
Some recognized your
character, some your brilliance
when you were President.
Under winter's cloud
You left the Oval Office
To bring the world cheer.
Eulogies ring loud
People singing your praises
As you sing to God.
In 2009, I visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. As I watched “Day in the Life of a President” and walked through his archives, my negative impressions of Carter as a President melted away. From 5:30 a.m., well into the 11:00 hour, President Jimmy Carter worked. He went from one meeting to another about a crisis somewhere in the world all day long that he was supposed to help solve. My mind spun at the diversity of his duties. After visiting the Library, I came closer to understanding the term, public servant.
Thank you, President Carter, for your service throughout your lifetime.
Story Chat Instagram Ad Designed by Colleen Chesebro
Read it on Kindle or paperback today. Purchasing the Kindle version is only $4.99, and Kindle Unlimited is free to you and provides credit to us for each page read. I love the paperback copies I ordered for friends – even though my husband got lasagna sauce on one of them. Vince got his own signed book – even though it says, “Jean and Kelly.” The paperback version is $14.99.
Meet the Book Tour Hosts
Today, I want to highlight Dan Antion and Philip Cumberland. Both of these authors host a blog, and I’ll start with Dan who also hosts the photo challenge, Thursday Doors. This is his first year with Story Chat. Not only did he write a short story, but he was one of the editors that helped prepare this edition for publication. Thanks, Dan!
Dan is the master of turning bad guys into good guys. I don’t know how he does it, but you are rooting for the bad guy to win the whole time. I think it’s because he or she has a conscience. Of course, there are always bad guys that don’t make it into our hearts, and his story in Story Chat Volume II is no different.
“I’m colder than I should be on a warm afternoon. I’m also scared. There’s no reason to be scared. I’m well hidden, with a clear view of the synagogue parking lot. They can’t see this spot from there. Since I began planning to take the money, I’ve looked back here from the parking lot daily. Nature surrounds me in ways I never noticed before.” – Story Chat Volume II International Short Stories Generating Conversations. 9-1-1 by Dan Antion
One thing I need to tell you is that this person planning to steal some money is a kid. Read to see what happens to him!
Dan Antion is a husband, father, and the author of the Dreamer’s Alliance Series. He's retired and busy. When he's not working on his latest book, he might be in his woodshop, working around the house, cycling, walking around with a camera, or blogging.
Before he retired, he made his living as an information systems developer, creating "what wasn’t included by the architects and builders." In the past, he enjoyed a 30-year love affair with a Triumph Spitfire and routine maintenance of a couple of Dodge pickup trucks. He set aside automotive work as a hobby as the Triumph aged and cars became more sophisticated. He still enjoys building and maintaining mechanical contraptions.
Dan grew up in the Pittsburg, PA area. Dan lives in Connecticut with his wife, a few pets, and all the wildlife they can feed, but his stories often include scenes from his early formative Pennsylvania years. He blogs at No Facilities. He hosts the photo challenge, Thursday Doors, and just started hosting Cee's Fun Foto Challenge
Please give his blog a look. You can order his books here, and he has a sale going on. and don't forget his story, 9-1-1 in Story Chat Volume II.
**********
This is Philip’s third year with Story Chat, and he’s already submitted his excellent story for Story Chat Year Four.
Philip is a masterful storyteller, and he had all of us sitting on the edge of our seats to find out what happened to Claudia.
“For some reason, he had a feeling something wasn’t right with Claudia. He drove a little further, turned into a side street and parked up, then asked her how she was feeling,
“I just need some fresh air”, she said as she climbed out of the car, standing unsteadily for a few seconds before collapsing slowly onto the pavement into a crumpled heap.” Story Chat Volume II International Short Stories Generating Conversations. – Waiting by Philip Cumberland
Making things for the garden is not only an outlet for his artistic creativity, but he feels that it also helps others, garden designers, and gardeners realise theirs. He is conscious that what he creates, although satisfying to him, will only be complete as an object when it is in place within its final setting.
Since retiring, Philip has joined his local University of the Third Age branch (U3A). One of the groups he belongs to is Whittlesey Wordsmiths, a creative writing group. Together as a group, they have published two anthologies of their work, Where the Wild Winds Blow, A Following Wind, Three Sheets to the Wind, Windy Christmas, Jingle Bells and Tinsel Tales, and a murder and ghost story collection: Dead End Tales.
With the help and encouragement of the group, Philip has completed his first novel, Killing Time in Cambridge, and together with George Holmes, a distant relative, a collection of their short stories Strange Times and Other Stories.
Philip blogs at fenlandphil.com
**********
Look for more blog tour host features with each post! Thank you all so much! From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU so much for reading this post, and, of course, Story Chat Volume II.
New Reviews on Amazon – Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Will your review be featured next?
Exciting Story Chat Volume II Video
Thanks for all your input and ideas. I hope you enjoy the video. It’s peppy! This is the third version, and we have 17 views so far. Added to the previous trial videos makes almost 70.
Our video from Volume I is still up and getting views. My goal was 100 views, and it met my video goal last week. Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Email me at alwayswrite01@gmail.com if you want to be part of this exciting tour or submit a story for Story Chat Digest 2025.
Follow me on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/tc_history_gal/
Lots of love to all! Hope you have a wonderful week.
Marsha Ingrao Always Write 
41 responses to “Celebrating Sunflower Tanka Over a Cuppa”
Thank you so much Marsha for sharing your poems and updates about the story chat II.
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Thanks for reading, my friend. 😍😍😍
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It’s my great pleasure my friend
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The cover on “Sunflower Tanka” is lovely.
I love friends that we can go a long time without seeing one another but pick up where we left off without blinking. Those are the best relationships.
Happy New Year, Marsha.
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Longtime friends are special. Friends are my family since my immediate childhood family is limited to my brother and me. My first husband and his sister both died without any children. They did have aunts, uncles, and cousins, but after he died, I didn’t keep in touch with them, so, yeah, friends are very important. 🙂 xxxx
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Friends are so important.
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Agreed!!! 🥰
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Thank you for your weekend coffee share, Marsha. The Sunflower Tanka book cover looks gorgeous. You are so good at bringing talented bloggers and writers together. I left a comment on Cee’s blog. So sad to read her goodbye.
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It is so sad. She’s been a good friend for the entire time I’ve been blogging, which is almost 13 years.
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Your posts are always packed, Marsha, with news and with kindness. I love your shoutouts for the Sunflower Tanka book and it’s amazing contributing editors, your kind thoughts about your friend Connie, and Cee’s last blog post, and the loss of President Jimmy Carter. I know Dan, a dynamo in the blogging community, and it was wonderful to get to know something about Phillip, another go-getter with a new story in already!
And finally, thank you for the kind comment on my tanka prose about my mom’s death. As hard as it was to be there, I’m glad I was. It felt sacred.
Hugs, my friend. ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
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I know exactly what you mean about being there for your mom. There is something special about bad times. Some of them are very sacred. Thanks for the kind words, Diana. I’ve always been a bit wordy. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
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I like the “wordy” posts. Lol. It always feels like we’re catching up while enjoying a cuppa. That’s just how it would be in person.
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It would be exactly how like that, especially now that we know each other better. 🙂 I’ll be up there in May. I hope we can get together with Miriam again. 🙂 xx
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I would love that!
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Me too!
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What a lovely treat to catch up with Connie and hear her speak. Such long and deep friendships are precious.
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I knew you would love that. We’ve been friends for almost 29 years, and probably known each other even longer than that. Like you, she’s a lifetime friend. I’m so glad that you two had a chance to meet each other.
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Me too.
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😃😃😃
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Lovely post, Marsha. Robbie’s cover is gorgeous!
There was a lot of sadness towards the end of 2024, and President Carter’s death hit me hard too. Even though he got a good 100 years here on Earth, I don’t think he was treated very well when in office. I hope to visit his library one day.
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There was sadness, but living to 100 is quite amazing. It’s a validation that he did a lot of things right. You will really enjoy his library.
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There are such amazing writers out there. I love how you share snippets.
XOOX
Jodie
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Thank you, sweet friend. I wish I could do videos as easily as you do.
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Thanks for the mention Marsha and a Happy New Year to you and all the friends and readers of your blog.
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Thanks, Phil. You are very welcome. I appreciate all you do to make Story Chat a success! 🙂
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I’m still a little in shock, Marsha. I missed Cee’s goodbye post the other day and opening your link… well, I guess it’s easy to fool yourself that something isn’t happening, because you don’t want it to. What a tragedy!
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It is a tragedy. Cee and I share a birthday, along with Dan Antion. She’s ten years younger than I am. It hits me hard.
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Awful, isn’t it? Leaves you so helpless.
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It does. There’s nothing any of us can do.
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And just this morning I commented on her surprise Square entry!
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Wow, that is impressive that she had an entry. She and Becky are really close.
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Will power can achieve a lot! You know that, from your own experience, but that’s why I was so shocked by your post. I didn’t realise the end was so near. And yes, she and Becky formed a wonderful bond. During Covid we were zooming with each other, but I stopped when the world righted itself. Becky didn’t. How hard must it be for Chris right now? We are blessed, Marsha. We have to enjoy it while we can.
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We are blessed, dear Jo. Every day I am reminded many times a day. I’ve been thinking about Chris. End of life issues are so hard.
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Love the book cover. You cover so much ground in your posts, Marsha. 😘
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I know – more than you like to read, but I only do it weekly, so that equals a little more than a minute per day. Not bad. 🙂 xxx Love you.
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I read the entire thing. 😁😘
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You are too sweet. I’m going to miss you all at your next get together. I think Terri will be there as well.
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Marsha – thank you so much for featuring my poem. 😊 I am glad it spoke to you. I wish I could always practice what I preach. Such a wonderful post overall promoting and honoring several talented poets, writers and photographers in the WordPress community.
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I’m glad you liked my post. As a teacher, your poem spoke volumes to me. I’d love for you to write a poem or two for our next Story Chat anthology. I will publish them online once a month. Then compile them at the end of the year by topic to publish as Story Chat Volume III.
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A rich post and wonderful shout of for Sunflower Tanaka, Marsha. Beautiful poems shared and I’m happy you shared about Cee as she has been such an important support for so many. Lots to love about this post with all of the goodness of Story Chat and your commitment and cheers to Philip. 💗
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Thanks, Cindy. You are featured in next week’s post. 🙂 xxx Cee has been a good friend to me.
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