Over 12,000 words are now drafted for my fictionalized-based-on-my-real-experiences-satirical-view of education. (Working title 422) I have a vague idea of where I am going when I sit to write a scene, but thoughts and recollections begin to flow and intended paragraphs turn into pages. For example, I had no preconception of the following scene, but… Continue reading Vendible Students
Author: Ernie Quatrani
I taught in the Upper Perkiomen School District for thirty-nine years, where I was also heavily involved in co-curricular activities, including the school newspaper, TV studio, and baseball. After retirement I published a fictional novel about a school shooting in progress--Internal Lockdown.
My work has been published or is forthcoming in The Main Line Times, The News of Delaware County, The Catholic Standard and Times, North Dakota Quarterly, r.kv.r.y., Apalachee Review, Green Hills Literary Lantern, and The Town and Country. I was married for 40 years and had three kids. My wife and oldest son died six months apart. I am now remarried to another widow.
Steeples and a Three-Year-Old
Today was Pick-Up-Dom Day, as most Wednesday’s have been. Dom is now in pre-K, so we have to get there an hour earlier. Nevertheless, he was energetic as usual, and thank goodness it his mother who corralled him to get dressed this morning. The topics of discussion during the ride mainly focused on church bells… Continue reading Steeples and a Three-Year-Old
Don’t Be An Ostrich
From experiences on the streets of the notorious Badlands of Kensington to the emergency room to rehabs to homeless shelters to prisons to her own house, Deb Delp has the credibility of a frontline soldier in the raging battle against drug abuse. The nurse, mother, teacher, coach, author, and anti-drug crusader had a warning… Continue reading Don’t Be An Ostrich
Happy Birth and Deathday
I survived another birthday yesterday. I have always thought it would be supremely ironic to die on my birthday. Shakespeare did. April 23rds, 52 years apart. Little did I know, however, that a phenomenon known as the “birthday effect” exists. I found out because I googled “people who died on their birthdays.” Statistically, people are… Continue reading Happy Birth and Deathday
Write Again
After mid-October, when I attended a Push to Publish, I put aside writing for a while. It took time to get over the shock of not being immediately offered a six-figure publishing contract, a movie deal, and a Pulitzer Prize. My novel, Internal Lockdown, garnered rave reviews from my wife, my sister, and a friend, so… Continue reading Write Again
A 3-Year-Old View
Every Wednesday is Dom Day. At least for a semester. Once again this morning I picked up a three-year-old in Manayunk and drove him to daycare on the campus of Montgomery County Community College to help out my son and his girlfriend, as she completes her nursing coursework, and he goes to work. Wednesdays this… Continue reading A 3-Year-Old View
#34
I had a ticket to Roy Halladay’s no-hitter in the playoffs against the Reds in 2010. A stomach virus flattened me that morning, however, and I had to give the ticket away. I watched baseball history from the discomfort of my family room, a bucket next to me. But I didn’t miss a pitch. I’ve… Continue reading #34
Control
Control was the topic of a meeting–as in support group meeting–that I recently attended. All who deal with a loved one’s addiction eventually realize that they have zero control over the addict. The problem is some won’t admit it. It is one thing to intellectually accept the thoughts of the Serenity Prayer. It is quite… Continue reading Control
The Italian Query
Inquisitive students sometimes asked what my nationality was. When I said Italian, some asked if I knew anyone in the Mafia, especially when The Sopranos was at its height. Sigh. To my knowledge, I do not and never did know anyone in the Mafia, although I suspect that my father knew a few back in the… Continue reading The Italian Query
Writing
Since I went to a Push-to-Publish a couple of weekends ago, I’ve taken a step back from my writing. At the PtoP I did not get an immediate six-figure deal and movie option for my novel. Obviuosly people just do not recognize talent when they see it. As our president would say, “Sad”. When I… Continue reading Writing
The Q-View 