Gary C. Sterling
garycsterling.bsky.social
Gary C. Sterling
@garycsterling.bsky.social
Writer / Poet

Lots more at https://sterlingbooks.org!
Now we know. The strong, clear, rich, flexible voice that has been described as “mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced.” The great Kiri Te Kanawa sang Handel’s “Let the Bright Seraphim” and…

https://sterlingbooks.org/essay/who-is-this-kiwi/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
January 6, 2026 at 7:57 PM
I’m just a high school English teacher, though,” I added modestly, “there was that time not so long ago when I was The Voice of God.”

“We want you to read “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson.”

I…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/the-voice-of-god/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
January 5, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Q & A.

Why should I believe you?

You shouldn’t.

Then why am I talking to you?

You’re not.

https://sterlingbooks.org/squib/overheard-2/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
January 4, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Some guns are mental, just like the finger gun we used to point at each other, sometimes just one finger, but two fingers made it look more gun, and we’d go “Bang!” and fall over on the floor and adults…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/i-have-a-gun/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
January 3, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Setting the record straight. Cartoon “cute.” I don’t want to see my beloved characters presented that way. Chubby grins, and too much emphasis on hairy feet.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/when-bakshi-killed-the-hobbit/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
January 2, 2026 at 9:19 PM
A high school senior came up to me with overwhelming eagerness. “Mr. Sterling! Mr. Sterling! You gotta go downtown to Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks! There are people sleeping on the street!”

It…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/homeless-in-pasadena/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
January 1, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Get it right. Strike while the iron is hot or douse it in cold water but don’t just sit there while the metal cools and hardens into the present.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/strike-while-the-iron/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 31, 2025 at 6:52 PM
We pretended to build a Wall in bits and pieces but that didn't work. We screen applicants and then throw our own citizens to the wolves. It's a border of the mind. All those borders!

https://sterlingbooks.org/essay/borders/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 30, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I looked across the table at the girl
I thought I’d give a whirl
to see if we were both sympatic.

Yes.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/in-common/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 29, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Covers all the basic bases and gives me what I choose,
SciFi on the tele
Radio has news
Food is in my belly
and the neighbor pays my dues

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/the-good-life/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 28, 2025 at 7:53 PM
We can do it. We have everything we need to let nature flow and slake a thirsty world.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/controlled-release/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 27, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Remembering a vacation in Tacoma when the whole family was engaged in writing during a long rain storm.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/writers-colony/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 26, 2025 at 6:06 PM
The old chants were Gregorian
Now we meet
them on the street
and wave at a Delorean

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/squibs-of-the-day/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 25, 2025 at 8:18 PM
This time of year, there are colorful spots on everything! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, all!

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/house-measles/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Shirley and I loved the season as we loved each other. We joked, as our gift to each other, we could wrap ourselves, put a bow on, and snuggle as presents under the tree.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/christmas-music-and-movies/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
While Pasadena has long been known for roses, Altadena's flower is if the Golden Poppy, the California state flower. Altadena, where golden poppies grow.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/in-highlands-fields/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 22, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Still kicking at 84. In December, Dylan announced dates of the 2026 edition of his “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour with 27 U.S. concerts, commencing in Omaha, Nebraska, on March 21 and finishing in Abilene, Texas,…

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/bob-dylan/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 21, 2025 at 7:38 PM
We’d cut out the egg pouches, glue them into a coherent shape, then paint glue sprinkled with glitter. We were thrilled by their loveliness.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/and-presents-under-the-tree/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 20, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I looked at the microwave as I took out my re-warmed cup of coffee before putting in the milk and taking to the table by the computer.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/more-about-the-microwave/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 19, 2025 at 8:03 PM
December 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
At the holiday season, everybody is in a good mood. People load their carts with cultural variants because Costco carries the fixings for many traditions.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/costco-christmas/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 17, 2025 at 8:41 PM
When I was young and our family didn’t have much money, we still went to the movies, partly because we didn’t have a television. You could get in for a quarter. Then you bought popcorn. I think they used to…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/movie-popcorn/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 16, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Among my many brushes with greatness, I remember with special fondness George London near the end of his life.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/the-great-george-london/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Not just seasonal. Christmas is a time for love. Universal. A time to feel it, acknowledge it, say it.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/christmas-is-a-time/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 14, 2025 at 7:18 PM
I was a frameman. The main frame was very tall, and we had to use ladders to get to the top. For the connections at the very top, you had to stand on the ladder, keep your balance, crouch under the roof and reach…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/373/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
December 13, 2025 at 6:27 PM