Katherine

- Genre Story Dear Katherine, “Layers of Day” provided interesting insights into basic questions and explored interesting personifications of animals whose existence doesn’t generally stand out. However, two particular sentences bothered me: ‘“No reason, none at all”, without stopping to acknowledge the bird’, because it feels mildly contradictory, and then the sentence where the you used ‘savor the unsavory flavor’, which I find awkward and a little silly sounding. But after the hawk kills the gopher, I think the reaction was perfect, and very expressive. Overall, with the exception of a few grammatical errors (mainly in sentence structure or word choice) I enjoyed the story. Sincerely, Mollie

Dear Katherine, After reading your piece "Layers of Day" I felt I could truly feel some of what was going on in the story. I enjoyed how well you worked in the imagery of things and your personification worked in my opinion. Although I am a bit lost about the role of the owl in this story, but I could definitely feel the confusion of the hawk and it's turmoil through your descriptions and the actions of the hawk. It was a really good read. Sincerely, Jibin Ning

Dear Katherine,

 Nice! I took me a good amount time to read through it, but I'm just amazed how you captured the scene and the animals so closely. The words and phrases you used nicely fitted to the characters in scene. I really liked "The owl continued its fruitless whinnying" and "leaving a wintry arc in the midst." I agree with Mollie that there are a few places where word choice or sentence structure could be improved. For example, the word choices "scarcely saved by a lone cloud" is fine, but slightly confusing and a bit try-hard. I can't put my finger on a few other parts, but overall, you did a good job bringing the life of animals to a reader's attention! Sincerely, Joyce

Dear Katherine,

And you said you couldn't come up with characters. PFFFFT. The way you personified the animals and the detail was just fabulous, saying you can't write is complete nonsense. You managed to successfully create a delightful philosophy story which, though not exactly my thing, I enjoyed nonetheless. Some of the word choices, though, like Joyce and Mollie said where rather odd and should be remedied.

Sincerely, Katie

- Short Story

Twice shy and never bitten I run too quickly and slip On the morning dew Feeling the freshness Seep into my back, I Let the dawn pull me Up and learn to laugh With the shadows

Looking to the west, I Smile as she left Train tracks in her wake As a blossom whispers In my ear: remember that Colors are not flavors

Silent symphonies <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">__Step__ over the threshold

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I chased rabbits and <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">He ate them

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Teeth tear through <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Scar tissue; where <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Is your shyness?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">---

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">i spoke with the trees,

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">they said they hoped

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">you were doing well

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">the rain was wondering

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">if you’d be around again

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">that old dirt path

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">said it wished more people

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">still rode bicycles

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">i told them i’d tell you

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #36477d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Dear Katherine, <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Is the second poem starting with "I spoke with the trees..." ending with "...i told them i'd tell you" complete? I think this piece has a potential of turning into something great, it portrays an interesting perspective of the minds of the things in nature. Good work...press on! <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Sincerely, <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Joyce

Dear Katherine, Most unfortunately I cannot click on the short story of yours, which makes me sad because I was quite excited to read it, so instead I went to gawking at your poetry. I too am half confused about the second poem and whether it was complete or not, but I also am thinking that it is finished and was meant to be open-ended like that. I like how short and drabbly it is, and it really conveys the emotions of the narrator and gives off a sort of sad feeling. I like it very much, and that's not just me fangirling over all of your work, you are a very good poet and have a way with words. I prefer these poems over the story you wrote, they convey far more feeling and emotion than that ever did.

...well considering that the story was a philosophical piece but you know what I mean. Sincerely, Katie