Beaulah Pragg's Blog

It’s a cold spring day and my belly is empty. You would think a baker’s daughter would never go hungry, but women come at dawn with their knives and their scowls, and my father sells every loaf at less than it cost him to make it. All except this crust, hidden in my skirt pocket. I wrap my tattered, once red cloak tight around my body and bow my head into the wind. Miserable, dirty people huddle on busy streets, casting murderous glares at the carriages which rattle past, spraying us all with...

Have you ever wondered how kids see the world? Teaching creative writing to children over the last five years has been an eye-opening experience. Kids are observant, funny, deep and sometimes breathtakingly honest. From stories about bullying and popularity to tales of survival in post-apocalyptic wastelands, from the concentration camps of world war two to the pain of supporting a friend through mental illness, these young writers are tackling big themes with courage and compassion.

Now, for...

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Book two in my Seven Continents Challenge complete! Chasing the Light: A Novel of Antarctica, by Jesse Blackadder, admittedly spent most of its time in Norway and at sea, but I loved the opportunity to explore the world of 1930’s Norwegian exploration (and whaling) through the eyes of three unusual Norwegian women caught up in the race to be the first woman to set foot on Antarctica.

One of the women, Ingrid Christensen (the wife of Norwegian whaling magnate Lars Christensen) ended up with a...

Book two in my Seven Continents Challenge complete! Chasing the Light: A Novel of Antarctica, by Jesse Blackadder, admittedly spent most of its time in Norway and at sea, but I loved the opportunity to explore the world of 1930’s Norwegian exploration (and whaling) through the eyes of three unusual Norwegian women caught up in the race to be the first woman to set foot on Antarctica.

One of the women, Ingrid Christensen (the wife of Norwegian whaling magnate Lars Christensen) ended up with a...

I did it! First book in the seven continents book challenge complete. I read “An Affair with Africa” by Alzada Carlisle Kistner. It’s the memoirs of a woman who longs for adventure and finds it travelling Africa on multiple expeditions during the 1960’s and early 1970’s – alongside her husband, a world expert on the beetles who live in ant and termite colonies. I chose this book because it traversed so much of Africa during a time of political upheaval. I liked that the author was a woman de...

At the library, we’re all about promoting diversity, and that comes in so many different flavors. I’ve realized that until now, I’ve mostly been reading Sci Fi / Fantasy and Young Adult Novels – so I’m going to commit to doing something a bit different. Over the next month, I will read a book set in each of the following continents:

Fear not… I’ll be taking on other kinds of diversity in upcoming months. Here goes nothing!...

Unorthodox was written in response to the Writing.com competition: Fantastical love – Love between two mythical creatures (non humanoid – Dragon Unicorn, etc) or love between a human and a mythical being (humanoid – Elf, dwarf, fairy etc).

I won first place =)

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Unorthadox

by Beaulah Pragg

“You alright hun?” Mum rubs my arm. I shrug, staring at my untouched fish pie.

“Leave her be, Maggie,” Papa says.

I gaze past Mum to her prized strawberry plant, sitting by the open balcony door—the onl...

Unorthadox was written in response to the Writing.com competition: Fantastical love – Love between two mythical creatures (non humanoid – Dragon Unicorn, etc) or love between a human and a mythical being (humanoid – Elf, dwarf, fairy etc).

I won first place =)

* * *

Unorthadox

by Beaulah Pragg

“You alright hun?” Mum rubs my arm. I shrug, staring at my untouched fish pie.

“Leave her be, Maggie,” Papa says.

I gaze past Mum to her prized strawberry plant, sitting by the open balcony door—the only part...

My friend linked me to an article on capitalism, the environment and socialism and asked me for my opinion. I spent such a long time answering her that I thought I might as well make it a blog post.

Here’s my opinion, as it currently stands:

The article sets out clearly what has gone wrong in the world and how Cory believes it is a function of capitalism and class, but his suggestions of what to do about it seem a bit foggy. I get hints of revolution (like in Russia and China?) with heavy depen...

Challenge:

You are to write a piece of flash fiction (up to 250 words) which includes a ‘first kiss’ scene. Flash fiction is still a story, so needs a beginning, middle, and end.The story should stand on its own without needing to have read anything else before hand.

Here’s my attempt:

The room is noisy and full of teenagers. Kat’s over by the punchbowl, flirting with Lee. She brushes blue hair out of her eyes with a coy smile. He’s probably just complimented her TARDIS dress. His Darth Vader he...