Ruth Ticktin
A Collection of Writing
Books
Was Am Going is a recounting of stories and poems set vividly in time and place. The stories, funny and mournful, evoke a growth in conscience and an embrace of past and present.
Available: Bookshop Barnes&Noble Amazon Book Depository Published by New Bay Books
Reviews: Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
​
Around & Around is a poetry chapbook consisting of twenty-six poems arranged into four sections: Stories; Surroundings; Selves; Seers.
Published by Bottlecap Press, hoping you will enjoy
Around & Around
What's Ahead? Transitioning from Adult Education to a Career
Coauthor
Art in the Time of COVID-19 (Contributor)
Contributor
Psalms for Contemplation, Translations by Max Ticktin
Edited by Deborah McCants and Ruth Ticktin
About the Collection - video intro
​
​
​
Bending Genres Anthology 2018/2019 (Contributor)
Press Pause Volume 6. Dulcet Literary Magazine
May 2022 (Contributor) #1 Nov. 2024 (contributor
Buy Now
Online Publications
“
The palpable fear surrounding him helped bury his sadness. Trieste people on the street, at work, and in the rooming house spoke among themselves.
“What will happen next?” “We are certain to be under the fascist leadership of Italy.” “We must leave.” Semso, alone, was devoid of fear.
Out of nowhere, he had received a strange offer to start anew and he trusted that he could accept.
(excerpt from novel)
Great War and After
Scarlet Leaf Review
“
Except when the winter raged, Walt got up early each morning. Before going to work, he’d walk a mile on the path till he hit the cliffs and the way became rocky. Then turning around, he’d watch the sun, sky, water, ducks, and gulls. People passed him, some runners, some guys his age with headphones in their ears, and the occasional photographer. Most politely said hello, but Walt wasn’t interested or curious. As winter set in there were fewer people strolling on the path. He needed the tranquility to last. If he’d been a praying man, his walking songs would be his prayer. (excerpt from novel)
Get Up and Sing Now
WWPH Writes #4
“
Dara would practice putting
her head underwater like the ducks
did; with her head on the surface of the water, pretending to eat, then out to breathe, and another smooth in-out, down and up. …
“Tadorna, that’s the science family name of the orange ducks you see here. Your Pa told me this, … he made up a song we used to sing to you, “Ya Dara, Fly Tadorna.”
(excerpt from novel)
Ya Dara, Fly Tadorna
Academy of the Heart & Mind
“
Walt understood that he was one of few to have
survived mostly intact. He proceeded to write bad
poetry, recited or sang off-key while washing dishes
Looking at the sky, at the cloudy day, I keep
wondering will sky ever appear?
Cumulus puffy clouds, or stratus straight and gray
will sky ever not be,
bombs strangling gas fires, sulphuric explosions?"
(excerpt from novel)
Battles Soothed Briefly PressPausePress .6
​
​
​
“
Together, the family mourned—seven days, thirty days, forever. the community tried to help. There was little to He was engraved in the hearts of his family. To the community, he was a precursor to all of the youth in the US, in South and North Vietnam, in Cambodia and in Laos who would lose their lives. In the ensuing decade and beyond, there was war and more war. Consequences of war— head and health heartaches, multiplied by casualties of war—untold in numbers.
​ From War Consequence (excerpt from novel)
* Featured Author included Returned and A Visit.
​Check out flash fiction by author Ruth Ticktin. Straylight Magazine
​
​​
​
​
​
​From the Slumber of a Night The Short List: Best of BarBar 2024 (Feb.2025)
The morning of the fall, was preceded by
peaceful walks… of striking beauty.
Even on those rare occasions when she didn’t
get outdoors to view the rising of the sun,
her days were more serene and calm than
they had been in decades.
Acquiring and moving to the little house
in Conoy, close to the Chesapeake Bay and
footsteps from her path, had been the best
decision she’d made." (excerpt from novel)
​
Fall on the Path: Literary Yard 10/20
​
​
“3
​​
“Take with you this memory,” Georg said, “You will travel
from Trieste, a territory of gloom to America, a place of
bloom; to a land untouched by all these warring empires.”
Words Semso would remembered for years.
Roaming the tracks of his heart, he wondered,
“Why was gloom to bloom, sjeta do cveteti, never actually
true?” Instead, fate dictated a return lap on the track for
Semso, from bloom to gloom."
(excerpt from novel)
In the Same Boat: Zvona i Nari
​
​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
“​​
From behind, wheels bouncing on
concrete came louder and closer.
Erasing her visions of the sky parting,
Trish turned to a boy skateboarding
on the other side of the path. Putting
aside the noise, she exhaled, heartened
by the skateboarder’s purpose. He was
out early, exercising and soaking in
the sea sky sun close to home. "
​
from Sea Sky Sun in Bright Literary Flash
​​
​
​
a.m. on the Bay a pantoum
​
Sun rises on the bay A boat motors a-sea slowly
Calm currents small waves Don’t alert the crabs
Grandpa taught crabber the craft
Swiftly dipnet scoops into shallow waters and nabs
Stable currents mild waves Don’t spook the crabs
When claws grab fish-bones crabs are lifted to golden light
Scooped by a net in the shallow bay They’ve lost their grubs
despite bright sun the crabs fight with all their might
Just as claws grab fish-food crabs are raised to the sun light
Smoothly pulled in by a net outa’ the bay into a boat
With so much brightness and might crabs have lost the fight
nabbed from the bay by crafty crabber in a motorboat
​
a.m.on the Bay, Kelp Journal Feb. 2025
​
​
​
​
​
​
When I was eighteen, my husband and I made it to the big river on
the back of a farm truck. The truck was stopped and searched. We were
discovered with no papers. We waited outside in the rain while the
authorities discussed our case. Instead of putting us in jail they took
all of our money and left us in the rain. A truck took us to a house in
the town. There we were given a room out back. I cleaned inside the
house and my husband worked out in the man’s metal factory.
I would get water from the well and wash all day long. My hands got
bloody and my husband cried looking at my hands.”
(rewritten as poem in Around & Around)
from Arriving Immigration Stories 07/2023
​
​
​
​
​
​
List of Curated Work
Around & Around Poetry Chapbook (Bottlecap Press 2024) #9781962390569
The 44-page $10.00 book includes 6 pieces 1st printed: Sky Sea Sun spirits in vocal expressions blogspot 4/24. From the slumber of a night in BarBar and in the Shortlist The Best of BarBar 2024. Last Night I Saw in Literary Heist 3/20/24. Follow the Flow, Ever Light in The Wild Word #77. 2/24. Mist Done Miss Go in So.Md.News. Fun w/ Words Md. Writers Assoc. 12/2/23.
Was Am Going, Recollections in Poetry and Flash (Jan. 2022, New Bay Books, purchase Bookshop) reviews in goodreads
Or purchase: Barnes. Amazon. The 94-page $12.00 book includes 20 story excerpts and poetry first printed:
A-Z Notes (Journal of Undiscovered Poets Issue #3 Jan. 2022) Brooklyn Generations (Kind Writers Issue #2 Dec. 2, 2022
From Those Who Came Before Us (Potato Soup Journal 10-10-20 Friend Scene (Ink and Sword Issue 18) My 1st Apartment
(Yellow Mama#81 Wrong (Yellow Mama issue 79) A conversation about before (Art in the Time of Covid-19, San Fedele Press) (8-20) A Perspective (Please See Me) (7-20) To Us (Table Debate 7-17-20) 4 Poems (DASH Literary Journal: Daybreak Footsteps Stories Balance) (5-20)
to Washington DC (Thin Air Magazine) (9-19) While Walking (Genre Urban Arts. Print-No-7) (4-19) Donde Crece la Palma (Bending Genres Anthology 2018-2019) Brief Brave Journeys (Niveous Magazine)(9-18)When in High School (RCC Muse Literary Journal Spring 2018) Taking In (English Club12-17) It’s All Right (Writing for Our Lives 1997) Appreciation (Metropolitan Times 7/22/1997)
What's Ahead? Transitioning from Adult Education to Career (co-author, ProLingua Learning. 2013)
Psalms for Contemplation Translations by Max Ticktin (co-editor, Poetica Publishing 2020)
***Prose***
Dawn of Dreams, creative non-fiction, Storyhouse 8/24
War Consequence. Returned. A Visit. Featured Author: Straylight Magazine (Oct. 2023)
Arriving (Immigration Diaries July 2023)
In the Same Boat (Departure) ZvonaiNari, ZiN Daily 2/2023
Battles Soothed Briefly (Press Pause Press volume 6 March 2022)
Great War and After (Scarlet Leaf Review August 2021)
Get Up and Sing Now (Washington Writers, WWPH Writes #4 June 2021)
Ya Dara, Fly Tadorna (Academy of the Heart and Mind 11-17-20
A Fall on the Path (Literary Yard 10-7-20)
***Poetry***
a.m. on the Bay, A Winter Dare Kelp Journal 2/4/2025
Similarities Dulcet Literary Magazine Nov.12, 2024 (print version)
Sea Sky Sun Bright Flash Literary Review 9/4/2024
Asking Vocal Expressions Blog April Poetry Month
My Friend The Wild Word 2/14/24
Switchgrass (Gathering by Poets Anonymous 2023) Lion Like (Gathering 2024)
Upwards Look (Maryland Bards Poetry Review 2023) Pine Top (Md. Bards 2024)
Sitting (Writing in a Woman's Voice Jan.2023)
Puzzles (Star 82 Review 10.1 Mar.15,2022)
College Course (Storyhouse)(Aug.2019)
A Child of … (Currents 1999)
Mixing It Up (Storyteller 1997)
Short Fiction 3 (Inner Visions 1997)
Burned (SLUG fest, Ltd. 1996)
Articles:
Integrated Skills (WATESOL 9/2016)
Juror’s Verdict (Washington Post 9/6/2001)
2025 Events, Selling Books
Art Alley will be held on Saturday May 17th 2025 from 12pm to 4pm at 8900 Chesapeake Ave, North Beach 20714
Come enjoy the art and our booth: POEMS & PHOTOS. Ruth will sell poetry, prose and blank journals and Valerie Watson will sell her amazing photography.
Annapolis Book Festival will be held on Saturday May 3, 2025 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at Key School, 534 Hillsmere Drive, Annapolis, MD. 21403. Come enjoy the free event. I will be at the NEW BAY BOOKS Booth with fellow area authors.
CONTACT
Ruth Ticktin
Tel: 202-360-6793 | rticktindc@gmail.com
​
Author Pages: Good Reads Amazon Bookshop
