Tag Archives: published

A Memoir of Loving & Losing a Dog

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I’m celebrating the release of my dear friend DS LEVY’S latest book.
DS offers up her heart to all of us who have experienced the loss of a beloved pet. This book is a gorgeously written love letter to Charlie and to us.

“a nonfiction collection of flash essays about my dog Charlie. A tender story of pet loss, grief and the unbreakable bond between human and dog, My Buddy Charlie is a collection of short reflections on the life of a beloved dog—and the quiet devastation of losing him. Told in gentle vignettes, this memoir traces the everyday moments that make a dog unforgettable: the routines, the quirks, the companionship that becomes so woven into daily life you hardly notice it… until it’s gone. Charlie was more than a pet. He was a presence. A rhythm. A kind of steady love. And when that love disappeared, the silence the writer feels is unbearable. Through memory, photographs, and small, deeply personal moments, this book explores what it means to grieve a dog—not just in the immediate aftermath, but in the days and weeks that follow, when the world continues on as if nothing has changed. This is not a guide to “getting over” loss. It is a companion for those moving through it. For anyone who has ever loved a dog and had to say goodbye, you will recognize yourself here.”

Paperback and Kindle available on Amazon

Words blasted from the past

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A piece from 2014 published in the Avocet…was it so long ago…


5 am peaceful

wishing it were contented spirits
dusting the cement grass with glitter
not winter’s freeze

my dachshund’s paw prints
sweet as a postcard
one might send a faraway lover

I linger in the numbing quiet
let the moment warm this blanketed silence
hushed low like swimming beneath water
where despair drowns then floats away
in bubbles and dancing reflections

don’t want to twist the frozen doorknob
and go back inside
I’d love to remain out here
5 am
with the sparkling dust
and all that glitters
in the beauty of this silence
when the world is so peaceful

Rudolph Hug

the original marker art that posted along with the poem in 2014


hope you’re all managing these days
am:)

he doesn’t care

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I enjoy creating images in many forms and combining these images with my words.

I paired this lioness (drawn with Prisma pencils) with a published poem I wrote (The Avocet, Winter, 2018 print issue)

My Talented Nephew’s Editorial in The Guardian

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“Wrestling is a brutal but beautiful sport. So why are its brightest stars drawn to the US president?“- Daniel Kennedy, The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/apr/16/donald-trump-wrestling-masculinity



Daniel Kennedy is a writer and teacher from rural Pennsylvania. He holds an MFA from Virginia Tech, where he won the Emily Morrison Prize in Fiction, and a PhD from the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program, where he won the Inprint Donald Barthelme Memorial Prize in Nonfiction and the Provost Teaching Excellence Award. His writing has appeared in New England Review, The Florida Review, Appalachian Review, The Carolina Quarterly, Arts & Letters, BULL, and elsewhere. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and listed as a notable essay in Best American Essays. He is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Angelo State University.

A Poetic Soul – A Poetic Angel

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Robert – who only months ago shared his stellar poetry through a powerful voice – is no longer here. His generosity and kindness – needed so desperately in this world – will never be forgotten❤️

Find his work here

Never-Nearly

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I’m honored to have my story “Never-Nearly” published by 101 Words, a site dedicated to the art of creating a color explosion with a few pigments.

Pencil sketch done a few months ago of my dear talented artist/writer friend, Clayton Buchanan, with his son, Baird.

“About 101 Words

In the early 2000s, I saw a local newspaper ad soliciting 101 word stories. For some reason, I was drawn to the idea and submitted a few stories. I don’t remember if they got published.

The limitation concept stuck with me, and I started 101 Words in December 2005. In those early days, I only posted my own stories and a few from friends. I didn’t open it up to the public until 2007.

In November 2014, I decided to go all in and turn 101 Words into something special.

My vision for 101 Words is a comprehensive ecosystem and community that can support writers, editors, and readers. This vision is a work in progress, and I hope you stick around to watch it grow.

— Shannon”

Thank you for stopping by.
AnnMarie:)

WILD

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My dear friend, DS Levy, has added another bright star to her constellation of writing-
Her brilliant piece, “Wild”, is a 2024 must read

“You know,” Bets says, parking a wad of Bazooka in her cheek. “The road goes both ways.”
— DS Levy
https://mudseasonreview.com/2023/12/fiction-issue-71/

Fiction Issue #71

Incidentals!

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My talented friend, DS Levy, has published her latest creation and it’s absolutely glorious!

The stories in Incidentals are hard hitting with a touch of cloud here and there—but not always. DS Levy’s pages will pull you on a journey that delivers the raw reality and the gut punches only a lifelong and passionate writer can throw.

DS Levy’s fiction has appeared in numerous print and online journals since receiving her M.F.A. in Creative Writing/Fiction, from the Bennington Writing Seminars, in 1997. She has received Pushcart and Best Microfiction nominations and has had her work listed in Wigleaf’s Top 50 several times.

Footnote: Deb and I met while blogging back in 2014. I consider her not only a fantastic writing instructor, but a dear friend who is truly one of the most honest, deep-thinking, animal-loving persons I’ve ever met on this creative life-journey.

I hope you and your families are managing on this crazy spinning planet of ours.

am:)

Burying the Dead Twice

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gum tree

I am honored and thrilled to share my latest published essay Burying the Dead Twice. https://underthegumtree.com/

The writers, artists and photographers featured in Under the Gum Tree are exceptionally talented, and I am humbled to be featured among them. This volume is breathtaking, the layouts sublime. Order your copy today. Under the Gum Tree is worthy of coffee-table real estate:)

Those of us living on earth generously acknowledge that no good work is created in isolation. To this end,  I give a shout out to my dear friend and fellow writer, Deb Levy, for her 1,000 reads and sage suggedits (as we kindly call them).  I also give great thanks to Under the Gum Tree’s fabulous editor, Dorothy Rice. Dorothy’s editing vision transported this piece to a more intense and clear-storied place.

Thank you,
am:)

I Never Gave Her a Name

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I’m a week late posting this piece in the gem of a journal that is Microfiction Monday Magazine. The micro form transforms one’s writing heart into a fluid and raw state. For me, writing micros frees my mind from the baggage it so often carries while trying to impress. I hope you stop by Microfiction Monday. And while you’re there, check out all the marvelous micros; Edition 116 boasts beautiful pieces by David Hensen and G.J. Williams!

Thank you, Microfiction Monday, for publishing and sharing I Never Gave Her a Name; sometimes words take me back to a doll-less time in my childhood.

micro monday

(image or highlighted text will transport you to Microfiction Monday Magazine)