This collection of 100 word short stories has developed over time while creating and publishing poetry. The challenge was not easy, many times 500 to 1000 word stories had to be sliced and diced until the 100 words were reached and each story held a message. There is no set theme, the stories cover a broad range of topics.
About the Author: Author Elizabeth Ann Johnson-Murphree Born in Alabama to a Native American (Chickasaw) father and an emotionally absent mother, raised by my father, my Native American great-grandmother and an African-American woman whom were all grand storytellers. As a child I roam the countryside around my home alone; at night I sat at the feet of strong-minded individuals listening to the stories of their lives. Summers I lived with my fathers' sister in Birmingham, Alabama; it was there that I would discover the library, and mingle with my aunt's circle of friends that included local writers, artist, and politicians. A cabin deep within the Black Warrior Forest was my playground on the weekends. My aunt encouraged my imagination by introducing me to journaling, which I filled composition books with stories over the summer. Planted was the desire to write, a seedling so to speak. My love of art and painting came through the teachings of my grammar school teacher Ms. Speaks, I now paint when the well of words dry up while writing. Throughout the years along with my father, great-great-grandmother, and my beloved Aunt Francis, other influences were my high school English teacher Mrs. Odom, along with writers Faulkner, Capote and Harper Lee. Later in life, I discovered the warm and comic writing of Grace Paley. The vivid poetry of the world's most exciting women, Maya Angelou. Nonetheless, with adulthood, the desire to write buried itself deep within, the dream wilted but did not die. It laid dormant, gaining experiences all written in hidden journals. These experiences, the contents of these journals became short stories and poetry reading to share with the world. I write of many life experiences in poetry format; questioning everything from Mother Nature to God...the poetry is raw and may not be understood by all. Yet, it comes from deep within and reads of truth within my soul. The harshness that shrouded my life would cause me to withdraw from most of the world; it fills the pages of my writing, the heartache, the abuse, and the denial my mother all frankly portrayed in my poetry. Today, I enjoy retirement from "Public Work", my children, grand and great grandchildren, and four-legged companion Mason, I live in Southern Wisconsin...far from my southern roots; however I continues to write and paint daily.