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Rod Raglin

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Finding Meaning, Making Sense - An Anthology of Short Stories & Poetry - 2022-2025

Literature & Fiction

synopsis

Synopsis

The more you’re convinced you’ve uncovered the truth, the more likely it is you’ve missed something important.

With over five decades of reporting, journalist/author Rod Raglin, has turned to fiction and poetry to address those important things today’s truth dismisses. In Finding Meaning, Making Sense, the works evoke empathy allowing the reader to abandon society’s current polarization mindset and consider different perspectives

With the immediacy of short fiction and the introspection of poetry, the anthology provides insight and reflection on relationships and contemporary issues. Themes include:

Contemporary Issues: Politics, protest, lifestyles, social and personal issues; seven poems and five stories that address contemporary issues with a new perspective, including, BROTHERS. A personal tragedy just before a crucial vote, makes an aspiring politician question his decision–and his ambition.

The Chronicles of Arni – an Old Man in Modern Times
Food insecurity, corporate greed, loss of influence, ageism, declining health, loss, grief – five poems and four stories about aging in challenging times, including, BETTER THE DEATH YOU CHOOSE. Is death a better choice than a long and frightening decline in the care of strangers?

The Environment
Three poems and four stories about hope and horror and action and alternatives, including, THE LEAST OF LIGHT. Materialism, stress, greed, dead trees and turkeys – that’s Christmas. What about an alternative?

Horror/Fantasy/Speculative
Seven stories iabout hikes into hell, an experiment gone very bad, and relationships that are worse than death–and longer, including, WORSE THAN DEATH. Some things are worse than death. A lot worse.

Relationships
Rewarding, devastating, always complicated, stories and poems about relationships – the crux of life. Nine poems and five stories including, THE PARTY YOU WISH TO REACH. Does a dysfunctional childhood, mean a dysfunctional life? Can those survival skills learned as a kid be used to advantage later?

Thoughtful, honest, and unforgettable, this collection invites the reader to see that even when life makes little sense, meaning may be found in considering a different perspective other than your own.

bio

Author Biography

Rod Raglin is a journalist, photographer and keen environmentalist living on the west coast of Canada. He’s the author of thirteen self-published novels, a collection of short stories and two plays. To read excerpts of his work visit his Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU
His short fiction and poetry frequently appear in online publications. For links to short stories and poems accepted and published individually or in an anthology most of which are free to read, visit https://revuecommunitynews.com/rod-raglin-author
He blogs about ‘Writing – the experience’ at http://rodraglin.wordpress.com/
Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/rodraglin and on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013287676486

website

Author Insight

An old man, and young child and fairies

Can an old man and a young child save some ancient trees? Not without some unexpected help. Finding Meaning, Making Sense, An Anthology of Short Stories and Poems, 2022 – 2025, includes the section, The Environment that features the short story, A Battle Worth Choosing - The Fight to Save the Fairy Portal at Jones Park. Politics, protest, lifestyles, social and personal issues; stories and poems that address contemporary issues with a new perspective. Pre-order it now at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

Book Excerpt

Finding Meaning, Making Sense - An Anthology of Short Stories & Poetry - 2022-2025

Mom? Can I ask him?”

“Meredith has a very active imagination,” her mother said.

The little girl frowned.

“Okay, okay.” Her mother held up her hands.

“They’re going to cut down the twins in Jones Park,” Merri said.

“I know Jones Park, but who are the twins?”

“The two giant trees that are side by side.”

“The ones close to the lane by the playground?”

Merri nodded.

The park had a stand of mature Western Red Cedars, two of which had grown to maturity within two metres of each other. Matt had stood between them, and he could touch each one with his arms outstretched.

“Are they diseased?”

“No!” Merri said. “They’re strong and healthy.”

“During a Park Board renewal process, the neighbourhood advisory committee identified the two trees as dangerous to the residents bordering the park,” Mikala said. “Evidently, during a windstorm, a large branch from one of the trees crushed a section of one of their fences.”

“She’s a witch!”

“Meredith!”

“But she is Mom, Keerah told me.” Merri’s countenance had gone from light and happy to dark and determined.

“Who’s Keerah?” Matt asked.

Merri held up one of the dolls. Though delicate and colourful with black hair, a chartreuse bodice and a purple floral dress, the lack of facial features gave the doll an other-worldly appearance A sharp spear glued to its hand verged on sinister. “Keerah’s a warrior fairy, her and Seershah.” Merri held up another doll, also with a spear.

“Did you make her yourself, Merri?

“Mom did.”

“But you described them for me, honey.”

“You must be very creative,” Matt said.

“They’re really quite simple,” Mikala said. “You use a wood bead for the head, embroidery floss for the hair and bodice, and for the dress a faux silk flower, all held together by floral wire and copious amounts of glue.

“And the spears?” Matt asked.

“Six-inch bamboo skewers.”

“Mom’s an art teacher.”

“You are?”

“Part-time at Emily Carr.”

“The trees are a portal,” Merri said. Matt must have looked confused because she added, “to their home.”

“Okay.”

“If the trees are cut down, the gateway will be closed, and fairies won’t be able to visit our world.”

“And that would be a bad thing?”

Merri looked astonished. “Of course.”

“Settle down, Meredith.”

“I get it,” Matt said. “There’d be no fairy godmothers, no tooth fairy, no Tinker–”

“No!” Merri stamped her foot. “Real fairies, not stupid storybook ones!”

“Hey!” Mikala said. “I think you’d better take five.”

“But Mom, he has to–”

“Meredith.” Mikala pointed to the hall where her daughter’s bedroom likely was.

It was a stare-off. Matt had never seen such intensity in a child or for that matter in anyone. He felt responsible for the rift, but without any inclination on how to resolve it thought it best to keep his mouth shut. After a few long seconds, Merri collected her dolls and stomped off down the hall.

“And don’t slam the door.”

Slam!