What Agatha Ate #1: Ashfield

November 7, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Agatha Christie was an enthusiastic eater. It comes through in her novels, despite her spartan writing style. But it really comes through in her autobiography. Being an enthusiastic eater myself, this is what struck me, and stayed with me most, in reading it. Agatha loved to remember and relate what she ate.

What’s a fan to do? There is a restless desire in both amateur and professional Agathalogists to uncover some new angle. For example, I’ve wished that someone would write Agatha Christie, Horticulturist. (See my previous fan series on What I Learned from Agatha Christie.) Karen Pierce recently published Recipes for Murder: 66 Dishes That Celebrate the Mysteries of Agatha Christie, a close examination of the food of Agatha’s novels and recipes to accompany them.

This has inspired me to proceed with my own fan project, which I’ve been considering awhile: a series on What Agatha Ate, taking each chapter of her autobiography one by one to catalogue the mentions of food.

And of course, for each chapter, a recipe…

Radish Cream: A Poem

October 24, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Kumquat sausage on the grill
Gives your tastebuds quite a thrill.

Grapefruit-mango-meatball stew
Makes a cloudy sky turn blue.

“VERY NICE,” SAID JOACHIM,
“BUT WHEN DO WE GET RADISH CREAM?” …

Parable of the Presents: A Poem

October 10, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Once there was a house, and in that house there was a room.
The room contained five chairs and a geranium in bloom.
A woman in dark glasses occupied the nearest chair.
Close by there sat a fellow crowned with wild curly hair.
A second man sat snoring, leaning on the windowsill.
Beside him was a lady who kept absolutely still.
The last chair held a gentleman, and he was fairly fat.
The five chairs held five people, and in those five chairs they sat.

It came without a warning. It was silent. It was swift.
In the lap of every person there appeared a sudden gift,
A square box in white paper. And each box looked just the same:
Each tied in bright red ribbon; each marked with each one’s name…

My First Three Poems

September 26, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Galoshes

When the water sloshes
It’s time to put on your galoshes! …

Cooking Before Marriage: A Poem

September 12, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

A meeting of the kitchen minds
through herbs: oregano and thyme
to be specific; and some lime
to sprinkle with the curry powder
as the kettle whistled louder…

Grocery List 2: A Poem

August 29, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Onions, scallions, orange juice, granola,
Liver, lunchmeat, chunk of Gorgonzola,
Parsnips, turnips, pound of trail mix,
Corn chips, Cool Whip, box of Wheatabix…

Grocery List: A Poem

August 15, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Apples, bagels, milk, and macaroni,
Froot Loops, canned soups, half pound of baloney,
Yogurt, cheese Squirt, Knox unflavored gelatin,
Doughnuts, cold cuts, box of Flintstone vitamins,
Chuck steak, pound cake, zucchini, summer squash,
Cloves, thyme, lemon, lime, bourbon, tonic, scotch,
Tofu, honeydew, flounder to feed six,
Artichokes, diet Cokes, peanuts, pretzel sticks,
Tater tots, German brats, cherries (black or bing?),
Blue cheese, fresh peas, I think that’s everything.

(Words and photo by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson. I wrote this poem ages ago, but only just realized it must mean I’ve always been fascinated by trochaic meter.)

Go Camel Go: A Poem

August 1, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Deep down in old Judea, in Jerusalem
The walls had this one gate that let you pass through them
This gate it was so narrow that you’d have to be
The skinniest of bodies that you’d ever see
One day a camel said I’m gonna go on through
No matter it’s the last thing that I ever do

Go, go
Go camel go,
Go, go camel go…

Dürer's Rhino: A Poem

July 18, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Oh, let me be Dürer’s rhino.

Gird me with plates,
Gridlocks and grates,
Hinges too narrow
For spear-tip or arrow.
Dragon has soft spot
But not Dürer’s rhino…

Introducing a New Podcast: Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Stories

July 4, 2023 Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

It turns out that podcasting is habit-forming.

To be honest, I’ve been surprised at how much podcasting has captivated me, equally as a listener and as a creator. I can’t remember being so taken with a medium since I was about five and realized that it was possible to become one of that marvelous set of authors who produced the wonderful things we call books.

So, joining her big sister Queen of the Sciences (halfway through year 5!) and the slightly neglected middle-child The Disentanglement Podcast (briefly on hiatus) comes the brand-new podcast Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Stories…