Mary's 'Maginings and Musings

Mary Struble Deery
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Fiction
  • Updated Semiweekly

This is the inaugural recording of the ‘Maginings and Musings of Mary. Like most writers, I have boxes and piles, and shelves of notebooks filled with stories and reflections. Those spirals represent the calisthenics I’ve been doing since I discovered the sport about 15 years ago. I wasn't sure how I wanted to share it. Someone suggested I develop a Podcast Good idea, I thought. So, here it is! Because of the chance someone somewhere might enjoy my efforts, I'm posting some of my best and favorite work so, at the very least, it will see the light of day, or the space of cyber anyway.

  1. #13 Mister and Miscommunication

    Mar 12

    #13 Mister and Miscommunication

    This conjuring was inspired by a “who’s on first”-type conversations I had with my older brother, Dan. You may know a couple named Myrna and Guy, but they are not the people in this fictitious tale. I just happen to like the names. This tiny story, recorded by the talented Neil Boone, I call “Mister and Miscommunication “.

    4 min

  2. 12/20/2024

    #1 Introduction to Mary's 'Maginings and Musings

    90 percent of my writing is drivel—this putting pen to paper is the calisthenics I’ve been doing since I discovered the sport about 20 years ago. But here's the thing, I think some of it is really good. If I feel something when I write, isn’t there a chance someone else will too? Frost famously said no tears for the writer, no tears for the reader. But, the truth is no writing has universal appeal. My ‘maginings are stories I’ve conjured up from whole cloth…or from fairy dust. I don’t actually know where they come from. My musings are reflections on things I bump into, like my reaction to contracting for our cremations. Crazytown! I’ve also recorded a couple selections of other people’s writing, including those of my daughter and mother. Apple tree: trunk, branches, and fruit are we. Enjoy!

    6 min

  3. 12/19/2024

    #2 The short short story: SLITHER

    This story, entitled Slither, is the first ‘magining I’m recording for this podcast. There’s a reason for that. I wrote it in a class I took with Maureen Ryan Griffin in 2007. It was one of my earliest conjuring. When Ruth Moose, a professor of Creative Writing at UNC Chapel Hill, sponsored a Flash Fiction Contest through the Charlotte Writer’s Club in 2012, I shaped and edited Slither and submitted it. Ruth judged my story to be the first place winner. This contest spurred me to continue dreaming and writing and since then I’ve won the contest three other times, twice more as first place, once in third. (You’ll hear those other stories down the road.) Thank you Ruth for the acknowledgment, and thank you Maureen for being my writing coach and teacher for the past fifteen luscious years.

    5 min
  4. #3 My mother, Esther Struble's poem: LANDLOCKED

    12/18/2024

    #3 My mother, Esther Struble's poem: LANDLOCKED

    After my mother, Esther Struble, retired from a career in health care, she took up the hobby of writing. There certainly is some apple and tree stuff going on with this family. The photo you see of her was snapped at a book release party my brother arranged for her in Austin, Texas. I’m sure her holding the big fat book in the picture was their idea of a joke. Her book was only 54 pages long. Because she never was published, beyond this self-printed collection of her stories and poems, I’d like to include some of her writings as part of this podcast. This poem, entitled “Landlocked”, inspired the name of her collection: The Stars As My Compass. We lost her in 2008 at the age of 93. May her bright spirit live on in this release of one of her ‘maginings and musings.

    2 min

  5. 12/17/2024

    #4 The short story: Flimsy

    One of my favorite resources for writing prompts is the Writer’s Digest’s “Your Story” contest. Every other issue, the magazine displays a photo prompt, or sometimes a phrase, and asks for stories based on the prompt, 650 words or less. There is no entry fee, and the deadline is long allowing plenty of time for the seed to germinate, and grow into a fully formed story. This story is based on this Writer’s Digest provided photo of balloons packed into a Volkswagen, coupled with my friend Wendy’s mother’s input. She lives in this fictional retirement home along with many retired clowns – this is Sarasota after all. All this was the inspiration for the next story you’ll hear: Flimsy.

    5 min

  6. 12/16/2024

    #5 Life's Toys - A Commentary on WFAE, Charlotte's NPR Station

    In 2007 and before, WFAE invited writers in the community to submit opinion essays that, if accepted, the submitter would read on the air. I was very lucky to have had four of those accepted and air. These have since been broomed from the WFAE archives, but luckily my son, Brian, helped me save them on Soundcloud before they disappeared into thin air. This first one, which I call Life’s Toys, was written while I was on a writer’s retreat at Sunset Beach with Maureen Ryan Griffin. She still offers these retreats, so if you’re interested, track her down. I hope you enjoy my reflections on the importance of toys.

    4 min

  7. 12/15/2024

    #6 Cats, Cats, Cats -- an original song by daughter, Cailin

    For a number of years, our daughter, Cailin, came up with a daily email treat through the month of December. It was a beautiful, and thoughtful online Advent Calendar. This posting, the last one in the year 2019, was about a cassette tape I’d unearthed. She had recorded many ditties on the tape (which was intended for entertainment on the road) but this particular song is her original work, and about cats, so is a winner. It’s also a little clunky -- a seven year old was doing the engineering after all -- but it’s positively darling. (And here’s a warning: it’s very earwormy.) The following is her written message from the Advent Calendar posting. Imagine this is Cailin’s voice: I can't believe I'm voluntarily sharing this, but I'm feeling generous, and if you enjoy this - even at the expense of my vanity - I'm okay with that. When I was little, I loved recording and re-recording little musings, stories and songs on cassette tapes, just saying (or singing) whatever half-baked thought crossed my mind. These little 'radio' shows were recently rediscovered by my parents and after a deep dive into the stack, they found this particular recording. I was about seven-years-old in the recording. I know this because we only had our cat, Panda, for about two years. Panda (in the photo here) gets a little shout-out in this hit single, "Cats, cats, cats." Cats are apparently all I thought about (honestly, they basically still are all I think about). I love my little Chicago accent when I first talk about 'ceyats'; the Daniel Johnston-y talk about Toby (the mult-i-colored cat); and my genius idea of incorporating that cough into a short loop. Also the end *jazz hands* "Caaaaaats!" *jazz hands* My closest friends all know that I continue to be a cat lady. I like to say (and believe!) I'm an equal opportunity cat and dog person, but we all know better. Here’s Cailin’s song: Cats, Cats, Cats

    4 min
  8. #7 An Ekphrastic Short Story: Rendezvous At Neon

    12/14/2024

    #7 An Ekphrastic Short Story: Rendezvous At Neon

    An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.

    6 min
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About

This is the inaugural recording of the ‘Maginings and Musings of Mary. Like most writers, I have boxes and piles, and shelves of notebooks filled with stories and reflections. Those spirals represent the calisthenics I’ve been doing since I discovered the sport about 15 years ago. I wasn't sure how I wanted to share it. Someone suggested I develop a Podcast Good idea, I thought. So, here it is! Because of the chance someone somewhere might enjoy my efforts, I'm posting some of my best and favorite work so, at the very least, it will see the light of day, or the space of cyber anyway.

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