Sandy Giles-Brigando

Who are you?

I am a gypsy who began life in Britton, South Dakota. I am a lover of words. They are malleable, thus a delight. I am a dabbler in the arts of writing, painting, and photography, who is not consistent enough to build a useful trade, rather like a kid in seventh grade. I’ve lived in thirteen states of the United States. I have visited each of the lower 48 states. I am a mother who vastly prefers adult children to babies. I love old dogs more than puppies and kittens more than cats.

I’ve lived many lives, a dabbler in trades, clerk, waitress, steel worker…, as they say, jack of all trades — master of none.

I prefer the words “master of some.”

Most of my work has been as a teacher of that woeful group in seventh and eighth grade. Science was my favorite game. It allowed so much room for play.

I am scrappy, tenacious, full of laughter and curiosity.

I just checked my fifty-pound thesaurus and Google; there doesn’t appear to be a good synonym for “day.”

I’ve lived long enough to see tragedies turn to joy. I’ve been a pregnant teenager, a high school dropout, battered wife, a whore, a second wife who was happy as a pig rolling in mud, a widow, a loner, a good girl, a whistleblower, and a road warrior.

Just to brag, I have an MA in Education with a double concentration in administration and curriculum. I even have a 3.9 GPA. My BA is from the University of Illinois. My MA is from Lewis Brothers, a Jesuit University. All in all, fairly, normal. I think.

Why write on Medium?

I joined Medium seeking new authors. I was not aware Medium was open for individuals to write. The more I read, the more I enjoyed it. One evening I decided to revive an old dream of writing poetry. My goals were to make some laugh and others cry. Now, I am realistic. I want people to read and enjoy my work. Maybe earn a bit of side money.

There are many articles on predicting failure from not having a niche. Confession, I’ve not yet chosen a niche.

Medium is an excellent method for gaining experience practicing the craft of creative writing.

What are your writing interests?

Wait! I’m retired, and I’m at a job interview! Woe is me. I may not impress you. My writing interests are eclectic; they wiggle and wobble from intellectual essays on justice, culture, and financial literacy for children. Articles of this nature are long term as they require a good bit of research.

My soapbox issue is the United States’ mass incarceration problem. There are so many citizens behind bars, they could change the face of the nation.

I am working on two books; neither is titled. The first is stories collected in the classroom. The second is an erotica story about a long-distance relationship. Yes, a dichotomy.

I do not write anywhere else at present. I have three years of experience as a journalist and two years of experience as a columnist. This is in addition to the years of writing curriculum and rewrites of poorly written science texts for use in the classroom.

Can you share a highlight of your life?

Yes, the biggest highlight of my life is having raised financially stable children to full-grown adults of good moral character. I am exceedingly proud of this accomplishment.

Share a few of your articles

Any Big Plans for 2020?

If you want the God’s to laugh, plan something. I hope to finish both books in 2021. I am delaying their completion and publication because social security wants almost a third of any income earned this year.

A little dream I hope to accomplish is to build a website on which I can collect stories to publish from the families and incarcerated people to unite a tribe to end this horrible mass incarceration fiasco.

Can you recommend a few Medium authors?

Casey Botticello, August Birch, White Feather, Luke Wiese, Kat Coffe, LB, Remington Write, Rachael Woodman, Daniel Goldman, Christina M. Ward 💗, J.D. Harms, Michelle Monet, Veronica Foster, marcialiss17, Brian Rowe, FF Merchant, Lynne Nardizzi, Herbert Dyer, Jr., Sheena Pokhan, Thomas Brown, Jack Herlocker, John W. Whitehead

Thank you for reading. Your time is truly a gift.