Silver Thread by Stephanie Watkins

I was born in the haze of summerThe year my sisterBecame a teenagerA silver threadIntertwining us High heels and L.A. GearsWalking side by side1980s babiesIn different tones Practicing her perfected pout in my mirrorHer lipstick. MAC’s Ruby Woo.Dancing in her bedroomGeorge Michael was both of our firsts. As I turned into a teenagerI walked in her borrowed heelsAs she walked down the aisleand into a … Continue reading Silver Thread by Stephanie Watkins

Says I: Against the Repetitive of Use of “Says” and “Said” in Prose

Something has happened in the writing world recently. A sudden sea change in favor of the repetitious use of a particular four-letter word…describing characters’ utterances. Said. Where once it would have been unthinkable to see such lazy writing (and it is lazy, not “simple,” as many writers are fond of using as a defense), it’s now deemed the norm for “straightforward, unpretentious” writing. Writing that … Continue reading Says I: Against the Repetitive of Use of “Says” and “Said” in Prose