The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2019

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A Sense of Place Poetry Contest

Call for Submissions: Write a small poem, ten lines or less, about a place, maybe it is a place you love or a place you've visited. Identify the place in your poem. Someone may want to visit! Type it into the comment box on the Contact Page. I will publish the poems on my Poetry Page at the end of April! The winning poem, judged on creativity and sense of place, will receive a copy of my book, The Amazing Glass House! 

​Send in your best work!

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       57
                        Susan Beth Furst
 
 
East Street
early morning deep freeze
a donut-shop
the only light
half a cigarette
between bare fingers
warm bear claws
in a paper bag
a thin line of red
and smoke
from the Heinz stack
above
the slow-moving river
the sound of
footsteps
on the bridge…
 
skyscrapers
in the rising sun
the bag lady’s cart
 
 
              Old Song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2017
                                                                                                               


I love my city, the place where I'm from, Pittsburgh: the city of steel, bridges, and the three rivers. Can you say Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio? They were my first words.

And there is Heinz. You know, ketchup, the only ketchup. 57 varieties of anything and everything you could put on a sandwich, a chipped ham sandwich.


midnight
at the Heinz factory
tomato moon


There is Downtown. The Warner Theater, and the Stanley are long gone, along with Gimbels, Joseph Horne's, and Kaufmann's. But the clock is still there! 

still waiting
under the clock
Downtown moon


The Oyster House was established in 1870, Pittsburgh's oldest restaurant. As a child, I loved the fried oysters and buttermilk. I took three shakes of black pepper in mine! And those Miss America Photos on the walls...


Miss America photos
stare at the backs of boozy old men
sitting at the bar 


Pittsburgh is part of my story. It's part of me. And it shows up in what I write. It gives my writing context, a sense of place.

Do you have a place that you love, or hate, for that matter? Is there a place that is part of your story? Can you write with a sense of place? 
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Call for Submissions: Write a small poem, ten lines or less, about a place, maybe it is a place you love or a place you've visited. Identify the place in your poem. Someone may want to visit! Type it into the comment box on the Contact Page. I will publish the poems on my Poetry Page at the end of April! The winning poem, judged on creativity and sense of place,  will receive a copy of my book, The Amazing Glass House! 


Blessings,

Susan






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The Great Easter Sunday Blizzard, 1970

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It is that time of year. March. It is almost spring, the snow is beginning to melt, the crocus are blooming, and Easter is around the corner. In Pittsburgh, that means a trip to the Spring Flower Show at The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens! 

Phipps is one of my favorite places in the world. The flowers, the brick pathways, the fountains, and the mysterious cactus room, draw me back to my childhood and beyond. Six generations of my family have visited Phipps since it was built in 1893, by Henry Phipps Junior, as a gift to the people of Pittsburgh. But that's all in the book! 

If you love amazing illustrations, a good story, a little history, and haiku poetry, this book is for you. And who better to write it than me, born and raised in Pittsburgh, the place where I'm from. Pittsburgh is someplace special for so many reasons. You should visit! Or buy the book!! Pittsburghers get it!

I will be posting illustrations and text from The Amazing Glass House, in March and April. Stop by and take a look. If you are from Pittsburgh or have visited Phipps Conservatory, and you have a story or comment, please type it in the contact section of the blog! I want to know what you think!

hopefully,

Susan

3:16


What people are saying about The Amazing Glass House!

Lori Ramsey
5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable Slice of History of Phipps Conservatory in PITTSBURGH
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
If you love PITTSBURGH and its landmarks, then this little book is for you. It is a Children's book describing the author's happy memories exploring PHIPPS CONSERVATORY in Pittsburgh as a child. The illustrations are bright and playful depicting different rooms in PHIPPS. My favorite the cactus room, or maybe the gift shop. The author provides a bit of history of how the Conservatory came to be and depicts various rooms. If you love Phipps, you will love the illustrations.

A NEW GENRE - the book is a Children's Picture Book, a non-fiction type, telling of Phipps, BUT the author is an accomplished Haiku Poet and Haiku poems are sprinkled throughout. Very clever. If you love the Burgh, you will love this little book for your children.

 

Melanie Faith
5.0 out of 5 stars An Informative Historical and Literary Children's Book
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2019 Susan Beth Furst's haiku storybook has a wonderful, historical story about an important Pittsburgh landmark as well as excellent haiku. The vivid illustrations and informative, lively text will educate and entertain children and their adults as well. Lovely work, and a great collection to any library. A must-read! 

Tia
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Way to Introduce Haiku
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019I recently read this to my 4yo and 3yo daughters. The illustrations are charming and as a haiku poet I found the incorporation of haiku into the story a delightfully subtle way to introduce the form to young children. Our family is fond of our local botanical gardens so my girls were right at home in the story and engaged. This is a wonderful little book that we will be reading over and over again.



A Note to my friends:

Welcome back to Beautiful Defect! I have been gone for a while, getting a knee replaced. I am recovering well and ready to launch a new and improved website! The author's page will update you on my current books and projects, including illustrations and snippets from my books. You can find my latest poetry and some oldies but goodies on the poetry page. I love to post inspirational quotes, short stories, and sometimes I talk about Jesus, the author of everything! Mostly, my blog is here to encourage you. And when you comment, or just stop by, I am encouraged! A double blessing! Maybe you will want to participate in some of the writing/poetry challenges I have in mind. I'm sure I could think of a suitable prize!! And of course publication on Beautiful Defect!

hopefully,

Susan