Alma K. Asby
I grew up in the quilted patchwork of the Wisconsin countryside where I climbed trees, milked goats, butchered chickens, explored meadows, rode horses, and lived without television in a world of imaginative reality. As the eldest of a home-schooling brood of 8, I taught siblings to read, learned the principles of self-education, and got a lot of experience with diapers, bottles, and tickling.
I wrote my first poem at the age of 6 and my first short story at 8. During my teen years I had a successful subscription-based humorous e-newsletter; at 19 I finished my drawer novel; and at 21 made the final entry in my journal of juvenile poetry. My blog garnered 50,000 hits before I closed it down and moved on to different publishing interests.
At fundamentalist Baptist colleges I enjoyed studying ancient Greek and theology but dropped out during my senior year, helping my husband finish his degree. I returned to self-education in order to pursue interests not available to me in a formal setting. I believe that reading original voices, writing extensively, and practicing what one learns in order to discover its hidden truths (or expose it as a delusion) are the real elements of learning - at least to the uncommon, independent mind. As Alexander Pope says,
"Tis education forms the common mind:
Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined."
I now live in Michigan with my husband and son. I help my husband with his landscape design start-up business, teach piano, direct choir at our local Orthodox Church, and write and write and write.
My favorite authors include popular writers like Lillian Jackson Braun and Clive Cussler; classic authors like Richard Burton (Anatomy of Melancholy,) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; contemporary writers like Andrea Barrett and Susanna Clarke; poets such as Francis Thompson, G. K. Chesterton, the Brownings, Robert Frost, and George Herbert; and Orthodox saints from Athanasius to Symeon to Silouan.
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I wrote my first poem at the age of 6 and my first short story at 8. During my teen years I had a successful subscription-based humorous e-newsletter; at 19 I finished my drawer novel; and at 21 made the final entry in my journal of juvenile poetry. My blog garnered 50,000 hits before I closed it down and moved on to different publishing interests.
At fundamentalist Baptist colleges I enjoyed studying ancient Greek and theology but dropped out during my senior year, helping my husband finish his degree. I returned to self-education in order to pursue interests not available to me in a formal setting. I believe that reading original voices, writing extensively, and practicing what one learns in order to discover its hidden truths (or expose it as a delusion) are the real elements of learning - at least to the uncommon, independent mind. As Alexander Pope says,
"Tis education forms the common mind:
Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined."
I now live in Michigan with my husband and son. I help my husband with his landscape design start-up business, teach piano, direct choir at our local Orthodox Church, and write and write and write.
My favorite authors include popular writers like Lillian Jackson Braun and Clive Cussler; classic authors like Richard Burton (Anatomy of Melancholy,) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; contemporary writers like Andrea Barrett and Susanna Clarke; poets such as Francis Thompson, G. K. Chesterton, the Brownings, Robert Frost, and George Herbert; and Orthodox saints from Athanasius to Symeon to Silouan.
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Displaying Results 1 - 8 (of 8) for All Content
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Meyers-Briggs Typology Index Explained: What Your MBTI Personality Type Really MeansMany books and websites profit by simplifying MBTI theory. If you read only these, you may miss the true significance of your personality type. For instance, ENFP does NOT mean "Extroverted-Intuitive-Feeling Perceiver."
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Afternoon WorldOne of summer's greatest enjoyments is spending time in the country. Each visit is new because nature changes constantly. Alone, in the hills, on a sunny afternoon, someone might have these thoughts... -
Aristocratic AnnieAnnie grew up with delusions of grandeur. She thought she was meant to be a Princess. A local college student wants to find out what Annie did with her dreams after her course of treatment. -
Beware the Love of the StrawberryHenry is dating a woman he likes to pretend is the Strawberry Fairy. She brings him berries every day - he can't be happier. But wait - why is she suddenly threatening his life in the garage? Can someone really die for love of the Strawberry? -
Montey and the Great DubboMontey had always wanted to be an archeologist, his utter lack of talent not withstanding. Mark helps him along a bit - and the Great Dubbo is reborn.
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Ray Bradbury: Hopeful HorrorRay Bradbury's imagination is American; tolerant of the impossible. It reaches reality through the back door in a way that more "authentic" voices miss. He doesn't chronicle neuroses - he juxtaposes horror with normalcy and helps us know which is which.
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Sacha Baron Cohen Punks the U.S. Army National GuardThrough shows like Da Ali G Show and movies like Borat, we've seen the world through the eyes of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, and an unusual sight it's been. But what does Cohen look like through the eyes of the United States Army?
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Writing a Grandfather's EulogyUsing simple direct sentences, being honest, and organizing your content are the keys to being comfortable with speaking at a funeral. This how-to focuses on a grandfather's eulogy.