Welcome.
Thanks for visiting my blog, Dr. Sasslyn’s Thoughts.
A little about the name — when I was in Hamline’s MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, my cohort found out that I had a PhD. They encouraged me to embrace my Dr. They also saw me go from a shy, quiet, not talking person in the back row, to a strong individual with a lot of opinions. Thus, my nickname was born. Dr. Sasslyn.
I hope to post every two weeks or so with a combination of opinions about the world, writing thoughts, book observations and an on-going discussion of my favorite — verse novels and poetry. I hope you’ll come back and check it out!
My Remarks made to the Prescott School District Board Meeting 5/19/21
I want to talk about my daughter. BTW – I’m talking tonight with her permission. She’s 15. And she’s got anxiety. It was manageable – until COVID. But COVID and starting high school changed everything. She’s also asthmatic. We all are actually. But my daughter, when...
Writing, Supernovas and Other Emotional Explosions
I don’t really write memoir. Or autobiography. Mostly, I think I’m writing pain. My pain. Poetry, short stories, novels. My characters always have the same inner problem. They have a lot of emotions. But they don’t think they do. And they think the answer is to grind...
Who Am I
I was a fundraiser. I was a database analyst. I’m telling you all this so you can hold me accountable. Because I keep thinking solicitation strategies and database configurations are the only card of value I hold. They aren’t. I think I’m ready to say it. That’s not...
Listen to Young People Representation Matters
Hey Folks. Let's talk about story for a minute. There is a TV show that has a strong fandom – not gonna name names. But, basically, their finale was bad storytelling. Promises to the viewer unfilled and such. Out of Character moments. Whatever. I’ll write about that...
My Fellow White People
“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.”* —Martin Luther King Jr, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” 14 April 1963 I want us to really...
Listen
I was asked, what I thought, an easy question recently. “What is one thing I’ve learned in 2020 about being anti-racist.” Yes! Right! I’ve got this. Right? What hasn’t 2020 taught me? I mean, if you are existing in 2020, how can you not learn about being anti-racist? ...
Twitter Accounts I Love
Friends – it’s been a LONG time, hasn’t it? Your world and mine has both shifted dramatically – or has it just made more of us see what was always there? I thought to warm up to new blogs, I’d share my favorites on Twitter to educate myself on issue that are...
What is “Great” Anyway? Join My Introduction to Creative Writing Class!
I’m really excited. I’m teaching a class – online – through The Loft Literary Center. It’s called “Let’s Get Writing! Introduction to Creative Writing.” I want folks who take the class to just enjoy playing with words as much as I do. I’m going to introduce folks to...
Liquor Acrostics and More featured on in parentheses
Remember how I said how much I loved acrostics? Turns out the editors at in parentheses do too! They’ve published four acrostics and a fifth poem of mine on their blog last month. I hope you will check these out! And the in parentheses is a great resource for exciting...
Emmy in the Key of Code – Verse is the Only Way This Story Will Be Told
I think there’s something magical about a story told through poetry – and we are lucky to have some master poets contributing to this genre (Nikki Grimes, Elizabeth Acevedo, Kwame Alexander to name a few). I’m going to bet that Aimee Lucido will join those ranks. If...
Welcome.
Thanks for visiting my blog, DR. SASSLYN’S LOG/BLOG!
... read more
A little about the name — when I was in Hamline’s MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, my cohort found out that I had a PhD. They encouraged me to embrace my Dr. They also saw me go from a shy, quiet, not talking person in the back row, to a strong individual with a lot of opinions. Thus, my nickname was born. Dr. Sasslyn.
I hope to post every two weeks or so with a combination of opinions about the world, writing thoughts, book observations and an on-going discussion of my favorite — verse novels and poetry. I hope you’ll come back and check it out!
Latest Posts:
My Remarks made to the Prescott School District Board Meeting 5/19/21
I want to talk about my daughter. BTW – I’m talking tonight with her permission. She’s 15. And she’s got anxiety. It was manageable – until COVID. But COVID and starting high school changed everything. She’s also asthmatic. We all are actually. But my daughter, when...
Writing, Supernovas and Other Emotional Explosions
I don’t really write memoir. Or autobiography. Mostly, I think I’m writing pain. My pain. Poetry, short stories, novels. My characters always have the same inner problem. They have a lot of emotions. But they don’t think they do. And they think the answer is to grind...
Who Am I
I was a fundraiser. I was a database analyst. I’m telling you all this so you can hold me accountable. Because I keep thinking solicitation strategies and database configurations are the only card of value I hold. They aren’t. I think I’m ready to say it. That’s not...
Listen to Young People Representation Matters
Hey Folks. Let's talk about story for a minute. There is a TV show that has a strong fandom – not gonna name names. But, basically, their finale was bad storytelling. Promises to the viewer unfilled and such. Out of Character moments. Whatever. I’ll write about that...
My Fellow White People
“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.”* —Martin Luther King Jr, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” 14 April 1963 I want us to really...
Listen
I was asked, what I thought, an easy question recently. “What is one thing I’ve learned in 2020 about being anti-racist.” Yes! Right! I’ve got this. Right? What hasn’t 2020 taught me? I mean, if you are existing in 2020, how can you not learn about being anti-racist? ...