Maryann Henck

Blog posts by Maryann Henck:

It’s A Wrap: Beginning with Endings
At the end of the semes­ter, I always like to include a wrap-up exer­cise for one final cre­ative writ­ing task: “It’s a Wrap” – which also … Continue reading It’s A Wrap: Beginning with Endings →

An A‑May-zing Month for Animals
I like to think of May as one of the most amaz­ing months – not only because it’s Nation­al Pet Month, but also because May 20 … Continue reading An A‑May-zing Month for Animals →

What Does the Fox Say? A Simple Tale with a Plethora of Possibilities
When I first read George Saun­ders’ fable-like tale, Fox 8, I ini­tial­ly felt amused, then sad, and final­ly out­raged. I also felt a blog brew­ing – … Continue reading What Does the Fox Say? A Simple Tale with a Plethora of Possibilities →

When in Doubt, Ask a Native Author! The Winnetou Debate
After a storm of protests from enraged par­ents con­cern­ing issues of (mis)representation and cul­tur­al appro­pri­a­tion in the new children’s movie, The Young Chief Win­netou (2022), the … Continue reading When in Doubt, Ask a Native Author! The Winnetou Debate →

“Writing is how I process things”: An Interview with Miriam Toews
We met Miri­am Toews at a read­ing in Ham­burg on March 26, 2019. Toews was on a book tour to pro­mote the Ger­man trans­la­tion of her … Continue reading “Writing is how I process things”: An Interview with Miriam Toews →

Brevity is the Soul of Wit: Whipping up a Flash Fiction Collection
Flash fic­tion is not only a fun and quick read, but also a fun and not-always-so-quick write. The key is to cre­ate a suc­cinct sto­ry – … Continue reading Brevity is the Soul of Wit: Whipping up a Flash Fiction Collection →

Every Story Tells a Picture or How to Vignette
In the age of social media, it’s the image that rules. Insta­gram is the per­fect exam­ple: It not only feeds some people’s insa­tiable need to doc­u­ment … Continue reading Every Story Tells a Picture or How to Vignette →

So, You Wanna Be a Writer?!? Beginnings, Endings, and Everything in Between – An Interview with Drew Hayden Taylor
Per­haps you’ve toyed with the idea of becom­ing a pro­fes­sion­al writer, or you sim­ply want to indulge in flights of fan­cy that you lat­er com­mit to … Continue reading So, You Wanna Be a Writer?!? Beginnings, Endings, and Everything in Between – An Interview with Drew Hayden Taylor →

In a World Created by an Indigenous God: A Native Writer’s Take on Karl May’s Winnetou
It goes with­out say­ing that the Ger­mans’ unri­valled fas­ci­na­tion with the Native peo­ple of North Amer­i­ca is not exact­ly a well-kept secret. Case in point: the … Continue reading In a World Created by an Indigenous God: A Native Writer’s Take on Karl May’s Winnetou →

Improv Workshop with Kieron Freigang: The Storytelling Circle
Cat got your tongue? Excus­es, excus­es. In the impro­vi­sa­tion game, “The Sto­ry­telling Cir­cle,” you’ve got to talk—right away and on the spot—whether you want to or … Continue reading Improv Workshop with Kieron Freigang: The Storytelling Circle →

An Earth-Day-and-World-Book-Day Bloem
Nature doesn’t real­ly care whether there are human beings or not. I’m sor­ry to break this to you. - Mar­garet Atwood I’m not sure what I need to … Continue reading An Earth-Day-and-World-Book-Day Bloem →

Tweet Me a Story:
Twiction – The Perfect Stocking Stuffer
One week before Christ­mas and no gift in sight? Allow me to assist you out of your plight For who real­ly wants one more thought­less gift? Doomed to … Continue reading Tweet Me a Story:
Twiction – The Perfect Stocking Stuffer →

Look Homeward, Amish Son: Ira Wagler’s Journey between Amish and “English” Worlds
What is it like to grow up in an Old Order Amish com­mu­ni­ty? Can the allure of tra­di­tion and a sense of belong­ing to such a … Continue reading Look Homeward, Amish Son: Ira Wagler’s Journey between Amish and “English” Worlds →

Clap & Freeze: A Recipe for Instant Drama
ook­ing for a quick-paced impromp­tu improv game? How about a round of “Clap & Freeze” – a fun-filled game for hon­ing your ver­bal and non-ver­bal act­ing … Continue reading Clap & Freeze: A Recipe for Instant Drama →

Couch Conversations with William H. New — An Impromptu Interview
CHARACTERS WILLIAM H. NEW   renowned Cana­di­an lit crit and author (as himself) INTERVIEWER 1      Sab­ri­na Völz INTERVIEWER 2      Maria Moss INTERVIEWER 3      Maryann Henck   UNIVERSITY LOBBY—SUMMER—DAY … Continue reading Couch Conversations with William H. New — An Impromptu Interview →

The Chat(ter) Box Interview with Drew Hayden Taylor
Drew Hay­den Tay­lor is an award-win­ning Cana­di­an Ojib­way author of plays, short sto­ries, nov­els, and crit­i­cal essays. He has lec­tured world­wide on a vari­ety of Native issues … Continue reading The Chat(ter) Box Interview with Drew Hayden Taylor →

Only Lovers Left Alive – A Stroll Down Eternal Lovers’ Lane
After a three-year respite, icon­ic inde­pen­dent film­mak­er Jim Jar­musch is back with a qui­et­ly intrigu­ing new film: Only Lovers Left Alive – a tale of two lovers and … Continue reading Only Lovers Left Alive – A Stroll Down Eternal Lovers’ Lane →

New Kids on the Blog
As the lat­est edi­tion to the ‘ASJ fam­i­ly,’ we would like to take this oppor­tu­ni­ty to intro­duce our­selves to cur­rent as well as new fol­low­ers of … Continue reading New Kids on the Blog →