Diane Girard
Diane Girard writes personal essays, short stories, longer fiction and creative non-fiction and lives in Kitchener, Ontario.
Diane's short story collection Waves, is available from Volumes Publishing at https://volumesdirect.com/products/waves
Diane can be contacted at digirar@gmail.com
Diane Girard Writes: Survival Against the Odds; The Hardy Charm of The Independent Book Store
What makes the store a charming and hardy survivor? Mostly, it’s the people who own it and who work in it. They truly care about books and they know books and writers. They make recommendations based on what a customer likes to read and if a book is not in stock, they can order it, swiftly. They connect frequently with their customers through an email newsletter. They sponsor six book clubs. They have held readings by both famous writers and local writers. And, they care about and support local community organizations and have done so for many years. I suggest that when you buy books, you purchase them from your local independent book store. Then, you can relish the good-citizen feeling of supporting a local business and delight in opening the fresh pages of a new book. more »
On the Buses with Older Warrior Women
Diane Girard writes: I ride city buses frequently and so do many seniors in my town, especially the older women. Fortunately, we have good public transit, because for some of us it is our only transportation except for the occasional taxi ride. The women I will mention here don’t resemble Xena, the Warrior Princess. They go about their business mostly unnoticed and uncelebrated except perhaps by their kindred. So, why do I refer to these older women I know a little about, the women who tell me personal stories, as warriors? Because they are honorable fighters. They get on with their lives, with grace in most cases and with smiles, almost always. more »
Canada Elected Justin Trudeau – Imagine That!
Diane Girard writes: Canada has a new, young, attractive Prime Minister and people are suddenly plastering pictures of him everywhere, especially in the online media. There will probably be a rush of single people wanting to enter the "true north strong and free" so they can meet someone gorgeous. Well, yes, many Canadians are beautiful but we don't like to brag about it, and that's not why Justin Trudeau won the election. more »
Just Put Me in the Wheelbarrow
Diane Girard writes: Unlike the members of a certain famous rock group who think they are young rebels but look like the permanently undead; I don’t believe that seventy-something is the new forty. At age sixty-nine, I know that I’m almost seventy. My body knows it too and it reminds me every morning. When it complains, I know for sure that I’m still in this world. However, I won’t always be here and those dread-filled ads keep reminding me of that. So, how to deal with the facts of death? more »