Barb Dukeman
Bio
I have three books published on Amazon if you want to read more. I have shorter pieces (less than 600 words at https://barbdukeman.substack.com/. Subscribe today if you like what you read here or just say Hi.
Achievements (13)
Stories (198)
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Moving in slow motion. Content Warning.
She picked up the dog and looked directly into its eyes. The car that hit it never stopped, and now this creature was injured. Julia cradled the pup and carried him home. Cleaning him up, Julia found the small tattoo on his belly indicating he’d been sheltered. “Who would abandon him again?” she thought.
By Barb Dukeman10 months ago in Fiction
We've got nothing else left to lose
“Happy birthday to you, dear Sarah, happy birthday to you!” Nearly a hundred people gathered at the park to sing to her. Sarah looked out over her many friends and several generations of family. Since 2051, cellular regenerative technology had improved the health of the human population as well as extend their lifespans. Studies were still ongoing, but she didn’t seem to age after her 70s; wrinkles stopped forming and the aches and pains of getting older were much delayed. Sarah could do just about everything she could always do like attend her own birthday party.
By Barb Dukeman10 months ago in Longevity
How Did These Words Come Together?. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
The challenge Vocal sponsored a few months ago was to write a microfiction piece of 300 words that started with “There was only one rule: don’t open the door.” This seemed like something right up my alley because I love writing all things spooky and scary. I also couldn’t pass up this opportunity for an exact word count. I had to chop out some phrases and replace them with single words and carefully consider how I structured each sentence in each paragraph. However, I decided to include a real person, my son, and aged him. I had to imagine his life in the future as a blind man navigating the world. Here’s the first part of the story:
By Barb Dukeman10 months ago in Critique
The Meta of Writing
Writing about the process of writing is difficult these days because of two main technological advances: word processing software and AI. Editing on Word is much easier than the “old-fashioned” way of writing by hand and making editing suggestions in the margins as Shakespeare and Coleridge did. Most spellings are autocorrected, making that bit of proofreading almost obsolete. I edit as I write, revisiting my piece days later with fresh eyes. Using AI in original work is completely unethical. To approach this prompt, I had to write on paper. I chose the first part of the next challenge. I examine one sentence at a time.
By Barb Dukeman10 months ago in Critique
When Integers Attack. Honorable Mention in Absurdist Awakening Challenge. Top Story - March 2025.
The dreaded SAT starts promptly at 8:30 am in the morning. Too damn early if you ask me. Getting a good score is the only way of getting a scholarship into a decent college (unless you get a B-list actress to pay someone to take the test for you). Ninety of us are packed in like herrings, nine neat rows, entering demographic information in case universities want to contact us directly. Lots of codes and crap to enter: student ID, school, room number, blood type, next of kin, my car’s VIN.
By Barb Dukeman10 months ago in Humor
The Cuban Tree Frog
The chimes sang their songs as the soft wind crept through the back porch. Another batch of summer rain was coming in soon, and the pines and oaks waved at the sky and pointed the way. More like summer, autumn, winter, and spring rains. We get a lot of rain. The wet season Florida had started earlier than usual after a short break, which meant the weeds would grow, the air would be harder to breathe, and those damned Cuban tree frogs would return.
By Barb Dukeman11 months ago in Humor
My Dear Léonce
My dearest Léonce, Upon this Valentine’s Day, I remember fondly the summer day we met one another, the beginning of a love stronger than any I had known. It was just over a year since my mother had collapsed upon hearing the news that Father had died in the war. My sisters Margaret and Janet had been doing their utmost to keep the Blanton plantation running; with Josiah Greene’s neighborly help, we’d have gone into ruin.
By Barb Dukeman11 months ago in History
My Mom's Stroganoff. Honorable Mention in A Taste of Home Challenge.
Most people have a favorite comfort food they like to eat. It can be a sweet dessert, chocolate, mashed potatoes, just about anything from Thanksgiving dinner. Some dishes are cultural, something that reminds them of family and home. Others are just for the taste or mouth feel of the food item. I know when my husband is having an off day, he wants macaroni and cheese. A perennial favorite with kids and adults alike. You can never do wrong with the orange-yellow noodle-y goodness.
By Barb Dukeman11 months ago in Feast
My Mom's Picadillo
One of the things I hate most about recipes online is the long story that comes before it. The entire history of where the ingredients for a butter cake come from, the author’s entire food-on-the-road blog, or everything that’s happened in the world since it was formed. A lot of advertisements floating around the sides or in between the text. Then follows the general ingredients, and more dialogue. A few photos. THEN you get the recipe measures and directions. If you want the recipe, skip right to the end below. I promise not to tattle on you.
By Barb Dukeman11 months ago in Feast
Perms and Plaid
They were everywhere. If it wasn’t a perm, it was hair damaged by bleaching to blonde. Either way, most of the women at the country music cover band show had brittle hair. And if it wasn’t long hair, Karen-haircuts were insanely popular as well. I don’t know how or why I suddenly became a token hair stylist, but there I was. The white-headed women were swooning to the crooning of the singer. No one with scrunchies or hair otherwise tied up on the dance floor.
By Barb Dukeman11 months ago in Beat
