This month I present two of the most creative pieces I have ever come across in the genre.  You will have to read them yourself to see how far the form can be stretched without passing from the nonfictional terrain into the fictional.  “Double Up,” by Jacqueline Heffron, is a true story about the imagination.  (As opposed to a work of fiction, which might be described as an imaginative story that tells a truth.)  And “Al Walker Passes The Johnny Walker Talking Stick,” by George Korolog, is such a creative telling of true experience that it might fool you into thinking it’s a Faulknerian-noirish invention.  I dare you to read both of these true stories and not to enjoy them as much as you enjoy reading the best fiction.

 

I have been living in my parents’ home since 2008, when I moved from Sacramento to San Diego to care for them.  As a person with no background in eldercare or geriatrics, I’ve had to learn everything about caregiving, starting at zero.  Since this has been the most emotionally resonant experience of my life, I am especially sensitive to stories about the challenges and sufferings of seniors and their families.  Thus, I was a sucker for “Seven Days in the Nursing Home” by Jan Zlotnik Schmidt.  I think you will be too, even if you’ve never had to make decisions about an ailing parent.  The story of Schmidt’s father is an extremely moving one.

 

I was also highly intrigued by Scott Campbell’s piece, “The Year the Press Came Calling, or How My Girlfriend Mainstreamed Polyamory,” because it does such a fascinating job of dramatizing the problematic relationship between the serious artist and the modern media.  Most artists—whether they be actors, filmmakers, musicians, painters, or writers—dream of the day when the world-at-large will take note of our talents and broadcast our achievements worldwide.  Of course, this almost never happens, and instead we live in a universe of raucous video games, recycled blockbuster movie plots, and all of the manufactured American idols of plasticity.  But every now and then, the media does aim its spotlight at a serious actor, filmmaker, musician, painter, or writer.  While this is nearly every artist’s fantasy, the real-world repercussions can be quite unexpected, both in their capriciousness and the scope of their negative impact.  As Campbell tells us through his own experience, this can be the case even when Newsweek, HBO, the Learning Channel, Inside Edition, and Oprah are all calling for you at once.

 

And, since these entities don’t happen to be calling for me at the moment, this is the part of the column where I make my monthly pitch for my own efforts.

 

Many of you who follow me on Facebook will know that everything I’ve made from my own writing over the past four years has gone toward keeping my infirm parents living in dignity and freedom in their own home.  Many of you also know that my mother passed away on May 18.  Even if I were not in such deep mourning, it would not be possible for me to reply to everyone who has offered condolences over the Internet—well over 500 people.  So please allow me to give you my most heartfelt thanks here.

I am grateful to be still caring for my father.  I am also still contributing to his financial support.  Thus, I would be thankful if you would consider downloading one of my titles from my virtual bookshelf on Amazon here.

 

If you don’t have a Kindle, you’ll be happy to learn that the Kindle App downloads for free onto a wide variety of devices here.

 

Many of my titles are also available on the Nook from Barnes and Noble here.

 

And the film about my struggles to care for my parents, Someday You, which many of you have been waiting for, is now available from Amazon.

 

My family and I thank you for your support.