“My Ugly Chair” will be included in Missouri’s Emerging Writers. The book is due o

I am pretty darned excited! I received notice a couple days ago that my narrative nonfiction piece, “My Ugly Chair,” will be published in Missouri’s Emerging Writers by Z Publishing House. The book is scheduled to be released in September.

I am extremely proud of this story. I wrote it when I was senior in high school. The narrative is about an incident that occurred when I was in kindergarten. I found it a year or so ago in a trunk with some of my old papers. I was elated with my treasure and immediately decided to revise it and try to get it published. It was obvious that a high school student had written it, and some editing was required.

The story is about the time I decided I hated the ugly plastic chair that went with my school desk. We had heavy wooden two-person desks and ugly plastic chairs. I decided to decorate my chair, got caught, and was consequently taught not to do that again.

I am actually friends with the woman who was my kindergarten teacher. We attend the same writers retreat twice a year. We’ve discussed this story many times, but I’ve never asked her to read it. That’s about to change.

I will never forget the first time I told her about the story. She asked, “Was I harsh, or did I use it as a teaching moment for a life lesson?”

Thankfully, she used the opportunity to teach me a life lesson. My vocabulary was expanded to include the word “deface” that day, and I learned not to alter things that didn’t belong to me. That was one of many life lessons that particular educator taught me. She was not only my kindergarten teacher, but my 6th grade teacher, as well. Life lessons were plentiful for all of us in 6th grade.

I won’t ruin the story for you in case you might like to read it when it’s published. Missouri’s Emerging Writers will be published as both an e-book and a printed book. The book is scheduled to be released September 10, 2018. I will post a link when it’s available.

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