The Book is Out!

100 Haiku Project, Aquarium, Garden on a Balcony, Clues From the Kid You Were and More...

My book, Lacquer is a Thrilling Word was released today! To all of you who pre-ordered, thank you again and again. The editor I worked with at Finishing Line Press, says the printer they use is running a bit behind, but everyone (including me) will have copies by the end of the month. And, if you haven’t ordered my book, please do. And please, especially if you already are familiar with my work, please consider writing a review on Amazon, The Finishing Line Press Website, or anywhere at all. And if there are stars to click, please click some. https://www.amazon.com/Lacquer-Thrilling-Word-Barrie- You can also request that your local library or favorite local bookstore purchase the book as well. Speaking of libraries. the other day, I had the thought about how cool it would be if libraries were shaped like books. Well, it turns out there are a few:

Karabuk, Turkey

Kansas City, MO

Dubai, UAE

I think more libraries should be book-shaped. I think some grocery stores should be broccoli shaped too, and flower shops- tulip-shaped and so on.

I’ll be having several readings in the coming months here in Chicago, Online, in Minneapolis, and hopefully other places too. If you know of a bookstore, library, or other venue where I could share my work, please let me know!

The first event is scheduled for 6/11/26. They’ll be pizza! Free. Please come!

Click here for info and RSVP: Book Release Event

In other news, I began a 100 Haiku in 100 days project last month. I decided the Haiku didn’t have to be good at all, and so far some are truly terrible.

Here are a few that I like:

Day 9

Sun on the fish tank

Hum of the heater. Bubbles.

I learn a new world

Day 11 -

The window washer

uses suction cups to stick

Big human snails

Day 17

Jacket in a ball

A sphere on the old, blue couch

Too sad to hang it

Day 26

Nancy sews

Looking cute, smiling, once more

Poses for selfie

Day 37

Elbows on a bird

Elbows on your sibling

Discover elbows

Then a few weeks ago, I had tickets for a play and ended up not being able to go, so I gave them to my friends. The Haiku for that day ended up being:

Day 19

I gave the tickets

To Terri and Brad. They went.

Sent me a photo.

When I shared it with Terri, and told her she and Brad made it into my Haiku for that day, she started doing her own 100 day Haiku Project. Here are some of hers:

(sharing with her permission)

By Terri Smith:

#3

A hundred Haiku

ADHD dream come true

My brain is humming

#12

Cloud kissed afternoon

Backward binocular view

You look far away

#15

Asked some teenagers

What is a busy signal?

They had no idea.

#18

Dandelion seed

Alone on the empty stalk

Defying the breeze

It’s been so fun sending these Haiku back and forth with my friend. And then I remembered a story I wrote dozen or so years ago and which I performed at the Rhino Theater Festival as part of a show called Word Bath. It’s about a couple who have an argument entirely in Haiku. It’s funny. I hope you like it.

And speaking of old stuff. I’ve been working on a big paper and folder sorting project and came across some of the writing I did before I was even ten years old. One of the cool things I’ve found about getting older is seeing how my writing has changed through the years, but also how certain themes repeat and repeat and how something essential about my personality, my takes on reality, and what I’m drawn to have been part of me from the beginning.

First, here is me:

A prompt driven weird story- (I still spell spaghetti incorrectly on a regular basis.)

Here’s a fictional land called Handobam:

And a dictionary!

Thanks Mom, for saving all this stuff.

What else? Lots going on with my aquarium and balcony. Yesterday, some tiny rice-grain sized new guppies were born. I’ve counted 9! Guppies, anyone? I have so many ramshorn snails too. All available for adoption. No charge. And the aquaponic sweet potato I’ve been watching new roots come out of for weeks finally sprouted some purple leaves. Outside, I’ve got onions, ginger, sunflowers, zinnias and poppies popping up.

Finally, here is some writing in progress:

Do you want to be charming?Do you want to be poised? How about resourced? How about capacity? Would you like some? Would you like a whole city of capacity? I would. Well maybe not a city but a home, a mansion of capacity with lots of closets and drawers and a personal organizer who is a genius and loves me and skips through the mansion, and occasionally somersaults. Also, do you want fries with that? Do you want a beverage with your life? I’ll have the man who is on the beach right now with his metal detector in one hand and his little collector basket in the other. I’ll have him with his findings. It will be like a traveling museum. I’ll get a scarf to spread out for the exhibit. Oh a quarter, oh a rusty key, a nail, four screws. My God, just look at him. He hovers the saucer over the sand, levitates it. It looks like he’s sweeping air.

Sometimes i just want to stare out. I want staring out to be my job. I want to write starer -outer on any form asking for my occupation.

Your ten toes thrill me, five on each foot I especially like the big ones and the tiny ones on each end. The tiny ones look like blueberries. I want to walk you through streets and puddles. I want to offer you thick socks with stripes or lips. I want your arches to arch to a great height. If you ask for polish, the answer is sure and if you don’t want polish the answer is of course not.

Take a joke and mix it with some flour, sugar and water to make a paste, Once you have your joke paste put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 full minutes. Spread it on your life so you can laugh at everything. If something isn’t funny, add more joke paste and no one no one will say you can’t take a joke, because you can.

Thanks for reading!