Diane Girard
Diane Girard writes personal essays, short stories, longer fiction and creative non-fiction and lives in Kitchener, Ontario.
Diane's short story collection Waves, is available from Volumes Publishing at https://volumesdirect.com/products/waves
Diane can be contacted at digirar@gmail.com
A Short Poetry Book Review By Diane Girard: Stars In the Junkyard by Sharon Berg: "The poems in Stars in the Junkyard have depth, intensity glimpses of brightness that encourage rereading"
"Stars in the Junkyard is a collection of poems by Canadian writer, Sharon Berg. Her work reveals the kinds of loss, abuse, and betrayal that she, like many other women has suffered and yet, there is hope and sometimes an unexpected tenderness. The poems in Stars in the Junkyard have depth, intensity glimpses of brightness that encourage rereading. Many of them have been published in periodicals in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, India and Australia." more »
Diane Girard Writes: To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Diane Girard writes: "There’s lots of advice on how to get a better night’s sleep. I know what works for me, but not always. Once upon a time (actually when I was in my fifties), I would have a milky cup of coffee and an aspirin before bed and then I’d sleep until the alarm woke me. Now, I ban caffeine after 4 p.m. A little wine for thy stomach’s sake perhaps? Well, no, or I’ll regret it. How boring! Never mind. There are chores to do before I’m ready to snooze the night away. And, the preparations do help, at least some of the time." more »
Diane Girard Writes: Rereading Books for Pleasure and Solace
Diane Girard Writes: I return to some of my favorite books these days for fun and for comfort. And, as the pandemic has shown me, reading printed books gives me a break from peering at words and images online. For contrast and with no obvious morals tucked into the story, I sometimes reread H.E. Bates’, A Little of What You Fancy. The Larkins are, as the cover of my 1979 edition notes, ‘thirsty, hungry, lusty, happy, irrepressible — immortal’. Bates wrote several books about the Larkins and there was a TV series called ‘The Darling Buds of May.’ The stories are set in the English countryside and Pop Larkin’s motto is the more the merrier, which also applies to his amorous activities. If income tax evasion, opposition to the tunnel under the English Channel, a lot of tippling, and women expressing healthy sexual appetites distress you, I suggest you don’t read the book. more »
A Diane Girard Reprise: Keep Those Paws Off My Pajamas
A Diane Girard Reprise: I am not usually a demanding woman, but there are pajamas I will not wear. I’m sorry if I offend anyone, but I no longer buy the ones with critters on them. I have tried — but the animals disturbed me. I woke up in the middle of the night, wondering if I had crushed the wee things. And their tiny paws left weird marks on my body, which stayed for hours. I don’t need wrinkles in strange places. I have a sufficient number already. Besides that, critters are entirely too cute and don’t suit my somewhat grumpy personality. I do not want to wear pink frilly nightwear either (not that there’s anything wrong with that) because then I feel silly, as if I’m stuck in a time warp at a pajama party. more »