Articles by Cheryl Haimann

Nonfiction

• Backyard Astronomy: Finding North With The Big Dipper (2003-04-07) (April 7, 2003) nonfiction

  Get familiar with the world above you. This week we take a look at Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Polaris. The only fancy equipment you need is at the end of your hand.

• Backyard Astronomy: Measuring the Sky (2003-04-14) (April 14, 2003) nonfiction

  How big is the sky? How large is the moon? Learn to estimate degrees to measure objects in the sky and their respective distances from one another - without equipment.

• Backyard Astronomy: Leo, The King of Spring (2003-04-21) (April 21, 2003) nonfiction

  Easy tips to help you identify and locate the constellation of Leo.

• Backyard Astronomy: Lunar Eclipse (2003-05-12) (May 12, 2003) nonfiction

  Thursday's event provides an opportune time to discuss the ins and outs of lunar eclipses.

• Backyard Astronomy: Will the real Bootes please stand up? (2003-05-26) (May 26, 2003) nonfiction

  Late night Bootes calls in Greek mythology and modern-day astronomy.

• Backyard Astronomy: Astronomy for Morning People (2003-06-09) (June 9, 2003) nonfiction

  This is one of those moony weeks, when the moon is up longer and growing larger each night, until it is full on Saturday. What can a backyard astronomer do with such a bright night sky? Get up early and look for Mars, of course.

• Backyard Astronomy: How high the sun? How low the moon? (2003-06-16) (June 16, 2003) nonfiction

  What causes the changing seasons, and why do our nearest neighbors appear in such radically different places in the sky at different times of year? A little bit about how our neck of the solar system is arranged.

• Backyard Astronomy: The Geometric Sky (2003-06-23) (June 23, 2003) nonfiction

  Summer constellations are taking over the night sky, and you will want to brush up on your geometric shapes for this tour. Learn to identify Lyra, the Summer Triangle, the Northern Crown, and the Keystone.

• Backyard Astronomy: The Virgin's Neighborhood (2003-06-30) (June 30, 2003) nonfiction

  A last chance to enjoy the features of the spring sky as we welcome the stars of summer. A closer look at the constellation of Virgo.

• Backyard Astronomy: The Claws of Justice and the 13th Sign (2003-07-07) (July 7, 2003) nonfiction

  Gaia gets even with Orion, Romans demonstrate justice, and doctors wield snakes and fling poisonous insects about the sky. Scorpius, Antares, Libra, Ophiuchus, Serpens and the latest in July's on-going moon watch.

• Backyard Astronomy: The Birds of Summer (2003-07-14) (July 14, 2003) nonfiction

  This week we look at the other constellations in the Summer Triangle. Is Cygnus the Swan a joyriding youth in a stolen vehicle, or a philandering god in animal drag?

• Backyard Astronomy: Sagittarius, The Hunter's Teapot (2003-07-21) (July 21, 2003) nonfiction

  Sagittarius. Kinder, gentler centaurs. Charles Messier's lists of things that are not comets.

• Backyard Astronomy: Cassiopeia, Queen of the North (2003-08-11) (August 11, 2003) nonfiction

  Cassiopeia, the Ethiopian queen chained to her throne in the heavens for daring to brag about her own beauty.

• Backyard Astronomy: Mars, Fact and Fiction (2003-08-25) (August 25, 2003) nonfiction

  This week is the one Mars buffs have been waiting for. On Wednesday, Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in almost 60,000 years. Whenever an astronomical event catches the attention of the mass media, as this one has, myths swirl around it like a nebula. We're going to set straight some of those misunderstandings.

• Backyard Astronomy: Wade in the Water (2003-09-01) (September 1, 2003) nonfiction

  A look at the neighborhood where Mars hangs out. You might say this article is the dawning of the page of Aquarius.

• Backyard Astronomy: The soap opera of the north (2003-09-15) (September 15, 2003) nonfiction

  As summer fades, taking Sagitarrius and the summer Milky Way with it, let's turn our attention to the north. The constellations are so-so, but the story attached to them is first rate.

• Backyard Astronomy: Summer constellations revisited (2003-10-06) (October 6, 2003) nonfiction

  October is a strange month for stargazers. Great weather, same old constellations. Revisit your nighttime favorites, and get the morning report on planets.

• Backyard Astronomy: Pisces (2003-10-13) (October 13, 2003) nonfiction

  There's something fishy going on in the zodiac. Learn about gods and monsters in the night sky.

• Backyard Astronomy: Lunar Eclipse Redux (2003-11-01) (November 1, 2003) nonfiction

  The year's second lunar eclipse will occur next weekend. Find out when to see it, and what else to look for in the early evening.

• Backyard Astronomy: The Pleiades (2003-11-08) (November 8, 2003) nonfiction

  How can one little star cluster carry so much cultural baggage? Everyone, but everyone, has something to say about the Pleiades.

• Backyard Astronomy: Taurus and Cetus (2003-11-22) (November 22, 2003) nonfiction

  Half a constellation is better than none. No bull? Yes, Bull.

• Backyard Astronomy: Holiday Gift Guide (2003-12-06) (December 6, 2003) nonfiction

  You don't need thousands of dollars to get started in astronomy, no matter what the author's husband says.

• Backyard Astronomy: Orion (2003-12-13) (December 13, 2003) nonfiction

  The biggest, baddest of the winter constellations struts his stuff.

• Backyard Astronomy: Auriga (2003-12-27) (December 27, 2003) nonfiction

  What do you think of when you think of physically challenged goatherding demigods? Why, Auriga, of course.

• Backyard Astronomy: Gemini (2004-01-03) (January 3, 2004) nonfiction

  Meet Castor and Pollux, two guys who rose from the lowliest of births to achieve celestial prominence.

• Backyard Astronomy: Big Dog, Little Dog (2004-01-10) (January 10, 2004) nonfiction

  Astronomy goes to the dogs with the last two stars in the Winter Hexagon.

• Backyard Astronomy: Orion's Prey (2004-01-24) (January 24, 2004) nonfiction

  Be vewy qwiet...Owion is hunting wabbits.

• Backyard Astronomy: A Piker's Guide to Jupiter (2004-02-21) (February 21, 2004) nonfiction

  Don't spread it around, but Earth's best friend is a big toxic gasbag. Learn why we put up with it anyway.

• Backyard Astronomy: Little Constellations You Probably Can't See (2004-02-2 (February 28, 2004) nonfiction astronomy

  <b>Little constellations you probably can't see.</b> The constellations closest the Leo are tough to see, but you'd keep a low profile, too, if you spent every night cozied up to the king of beasts.

• Backyard Astronomy: Spring Planetary Fling (2004-03-20) (March 20, 2004) nonfiction

  Five, count 'em, five naked-eye planets are visible now. Learn how to find the smallest and most elusive of them all, Mercury.

• Backyard Astronomy: Mailbag (2004-03-27) (March 27, 2004) nonfiction

  Open your mind (and your wallet) as we answer astronomy questions from our readers.

• Poetry for Pikers 02 (April 17, 2004) nonfiction poetry

  <b>Poetry for thieving Pikers.</b> Poetry is everywhere you look. You can even get other people to write your poems for you! Well, almost. We continue our celebration of National Poetry Month with three more types of poems that non-poets - yes, even you! - can learn to write.

• Poetry for Pikers 03 (April 24, 2004) nonfiction poetry

  Want to write a love poem? Or do your tastes run more to juvenile mockery? In this installment, learn how to satisfy both of those poetic urges, and everything in between.

• Backyard Astronomy: One NEAT Comet (2004-05-01) (May 1, 2004) nonfiction

  In early May, C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) will blaze into view. Or maybe not. You never know with comets.

• Backyard Astronomy: Summer School (2004-06-12) (June 12, 2004) nonfiction

  School may be out for the summer, but a clever parent keeps looking for teaching moments. The night sky is there to help. Just don't tell the kids they're learning about science and stuff.

• Backyard Astronomy: Three Planets for September (2004-09-11) (September 11, 2004) nonfiction

  Discover which three planets are visible in the morning sky, and remember the sky from Septembers past.

• Backyard Astronomy: January 2005 (2005-01-01) (January 1, 2005) nonfiction

  Bring in the new year with a new comet, and watch planets all night long. Practical advice on when, where and how to spot comet Machholz, as well as spotting Saturn for evening astronomers and finding Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Mars in the morning this month.

• Schnozzmo Astrology (April 3, 2005) nonfiction astronology humor

  We've got a nose for the future! Don't make a single decision until you've looked up your Schnozzmo horoscope for the week!

• Backyard Astronomy: The Rise and Fall of Planet Pluto (2006-08-28) (August 28, 2006) astronomy

  The astronomy community is all a-twitter about Pluto. How did it get to be a planet, and why isn't it one anymore?

• Chesster On: Strategy and Tactics (November 6, 2006) nonfiction chess strategy tactics

  Everything the author learned the hard way, her husband learned over a chess board. In this first installment, they look at two words that politicians love almost as much as "free lunch".

• Backyard Astronomy: Mommy, where did Martians come from? (08-18-2003) (April 16, 2007) nonfiction

  Marvelous Mars and the sadly misguided Percival Lowell. With a name like that, you'd see imaginary canals, too. (Originally appeared 08-18-2003)

• Poetry for Pikers 01 (April 7, 2008) nonfiction poetry

  <b>Haiku.</b> To celebrate National Poetry Month, we look at poetry forms that everyone can learn to write. First up, the little Japanese gems called Haiku, as well as several related forms. Skills required: the ability to count to seven...or maybe not.Originally appeared 2004-04-03.

• Backyard Astronomy: Foul Weather Astronomy (2004-02-07) (April 7, 2008) nonfiction

  If the lousy winter weather is keeping you indoors, you can still book up on science, history, and literature of astronomy. Originally appeared 2004-02-07.

• Crank It Up! Homemade Ice Cream (May 19, 2008) nonfiction food memoir recipe

  What's the perfect way to finish a summer barbecue? Ice cream, of course.

• Backyard Astronomy: 2009 Is For Astronomers (December 29, 2008) nonfiction astronomy

  Four hundred years after Galileo first looked at the sky with a telescope, The International Year of Astronomy 2009 wants to give millions of people the same experience.

• Backyard Astronomy: What's Up January 2009 (January 5, 2009) news astronomy

  See what there is to see in the night sky this month.

• Backyard Astronomy: Venus (January 19, 2009) nonfiction astronomy venus night sky

  A look at our inscrutable neighbor, Venus.

• Backyard Astronomy: What's Up February 2009 (February 2, 2009) nonfiction astronomy

  In addition to Orion and the rest of the gang of winter constellations, February offers a dwarf planet, a comet, and a chance to steer the world's most famous telescope. You're gonna be very busy.

• Backyard Astronomy: The Moon (February 16, 2009) nonfiction astronomy moon

  Take another look at the star of story and song--Earth's closest neighbor, the Moon.

• Backyard Astronomy: What's Up March 2009 (March 2, 2009) cover story nonfiction astronomy venus saturn leo

  Venus is on the move, Saturn is keeping long hours, and a lion brings the promise of spring.

• Backyard Astronomy: Saturn (March 16, 2009) nonfiction astronomy saturn

  The ringed planet has fascinated astronomers for almost 400 years, and is still being studied, and enjoyed, today.

• Backyard Astronomy: What's Up April 2009 (April 6, 2009) astronomy Venus Mercury Lyrids

  Mercury is visible and Venus is not (briefly, anyway), and a meteor shower keeps you company in between.

• A Little Poetry For Everyone (April 27, 2009) nonfiction poetry in your pocket

  "Is that a poem in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" On Poem In Your Pocket Day, you may just find that happy people DO carry poems in their pockets.

• Backyard Astronomy: Galaxies (April 27, 2009) nonfiction astronomy galaxies hubble arp

  The universe became much, much larger than anyone realized when Edwin Hubble started looking at some of the fuzzy spots in the sky.

• Cold-Brewed Coffee (April 23, 2012) food cold brewed coffee

  The perfect cooler to wake up to on a warm, summery morning!

• Backyard Astronomy: 2017 Eclipse Across America (August 14, 2017) science astronomy

  Are you ready for next week's eclipse?

• Backyard Astronomy: Signs of Autumn (2003-09-22) (September 18, 2017) nonfiction

  The autumnal equinox will occur on September 22, but you don't need a calendar to know that the date is near. The sky gives you two unmistakable clues - one at night, and the other during the day.

Opinion

• Movie Review: Funny Girl (September 22, 2003) movie review

  Latest don't mean greatest. Cheryl analyzes 'Funny Girl', the Barbara Streisand classic that has been tested by time and found worthy.

• Warnings (October 20, 2003) op_ed

  Is nothing safe anymore? Safe from warning labels, that is.

• Winter Style (January 31, 2004) op_ed

  There is fashion magazine winter, and then there is real winter. Don't be fooled by imitations!

• Missing Tomatoes (March 6, 2004) op_ed

  In spring, one woman's fancy turns not to love, but to the possibility of tasting a tomato again.

• Review: "The Creative License" by Danny Gregory (December 4, 2006) book review

  The desire to be creative is part of human nature, but often that desire withers from lack of respect. With this book, the author hopes to bring everyone's creative dreams back to life.

• Notes From The Office 04 (October 22, 2007) Announcement

  Are you hungry yet? You will be...

• Websurfing: Zombie Attack! (October 29, 2007) websurfing

  If you hear that zombies are a-foot in your town, let the web be your guide to survival.

• Review: Mo's Bacon Bar (February 11, 2008) opinion review food

  She wants chocolate. You just want a decent breakfast. Now you can both be happy.

• Notes From the Office 07 (April 14, 2008) editorial

  Tennyson wrote, "In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." The Academy of American Poets suggests that in spring, and specifically in April, you turn your fancy to poetry.

• The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread: A Review (July 21, 2008) book review

  Piker Press Poetry Editor Cheryl Haimann reviews "The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread" by Don Robertson.

• Notes From the Office 10: The Season Is Here (October 6, 2008) news

  It's crisply autumn, and a writer's mind turns from hot August stories to a chilling November to come -- NaNoWriMo!

• Review: J. Herbin Ink, Vert Empire (October 4, 2010) product review ink "J. Herbin Vert Empire"

  Cheryl Haimann reviews J. Herbin Ink "Vert Empire."

• A Tale of Two Readers: Kobo versus Kindle (February 14, 2011) product review "kindle" "kobo"

  Cheryl Haimann pits her Kobo reader against her husband's Kindle.

• Stars, Planets to be Renamed (April 1, 2013) Humor

  No more nomenclature no-no's! The men and womyn of SCANC raise a stink about insensitively named celestial objects.

News

• Searching For Mr. Goodcandidate (January 31, 2004) News

  Take a peek inside the Iowa Caucus, and learn what <i>really</i> propels a candidate to the front of the pack.

• "Write Fiction Like Cheryl" Contest Winner Announced! (September 4, 2004) news, contest

  The first Piker Press contest <i>ever</i> has concluded. Cheryl was amused and touched by the entries - but was she inspired?

• Contests: Piker Press Poetry Open (March 13, 2005) news writing contests

  National Poetry Month is drawing near, so unleash your poetic urges on the Piker Press.

• Contests: Piker Press Poetry Open (March 20, 2005) news writing contests

  You may not get rich by writing poetry, but you can gain fame and adulation in the Piker Press Poetry Open.

• Contests: Piker Press Poetry Open (March 27, 2005) news writing contests

  There is still time to get your anapest together and enter our March poetry contest.

• Piker Press Poetry Open 2005 (April 17, 2005) news contest

  And the winner is...

• WebSurfing 17 (May 1, 2005) news internet opinion

  Cheryl Haimann appears as a guest columnist to reassure us that even though National Poetry Month is over for another year, the Web makes it easy to bring poetry into your life all year long.

• Podcasts: Have It Your Way (February 13, 2006)

  Now that you have an iPod, what do you do with it? A list of podcast reviews that will round out your listening experience.

• Introducing PikerCasts (May 15, 2006) news podcast

  The Piker Press is not just for readers anymore. Literature without the nutritive value is now on the go with the arrival of PikerCasts.

Poem

• Valentines Again (February 14, 2004) poem

  Poetry. It was just for the weekend - but they were like magnets. Even their friends were surprised at how they complemented each other, each tugging the other's shortcomings into place

• DM (June 27, 2005) poem unrhymed

  A poem inspired by David Lehman's poem "SF".

• On Listening To Glenn Gould Play Brahms (July 18, 2005) poem unrhymed

• Two TomKat Poems (July 25, 2005) poem rhymed humor

• Eggnog Season (December 12, 2005) cover story poem acrostic

  Tis the season.

• Lying Still (February 20, 2006) poem unrhymed

• Eternity (February 27, 2006) poem unrhymed

  A story in ten lines, written with the help of the Magnetic Poetry generator (Rimbaud edition) at http://www.languageisavirus.com/magneticpoetry/rimbaud.html

• Curl up with me under your grandmother's quilt (April 24, 2006) poem

  Poem.(Originally appeared 2004-06-26)

• Stairway To Heaven Found (May 8, 2006) poem unrhymed

• Apart (July 24, 2006) poem unrhymed

• Iceberg (October 23, 2006) poem unrhymed

• NaNoWriMo 2006: Writing Some Words on November Evenings (October 30, 2006) poem rhymed parody

  It's National Novel Writing Month again and the Pikers are there! This poem accompanied the goodie bags given to NaNoWriMo participants at the kick-off party in Des Moines, Iowa.

• Keeping House (November 27, 2006) poem unrhymed

  At the end of Mes de los Muertos, the author discovers a surprising connection to her ancestor. In memory of Lillie Mae Tanner Coffey, 1929-2003.

• Heart Memory (April 16, 2007) poem unrhymed

  Poetry inspired by the Mummies issue.(Originally appeared 05-23-2005)

• Making Bread With Maslow (April 7, 2008) poem unrhymed

  Originally appeared 2006-06-26.

• Teetering on the Edge (April 25, 2011) poem unrhymed

  I was looking for sensible, subdued, and reliable, but there you were ... (Originally appeared 2006-06-05)

• At Sunrise (February 20, 2012) poem unrhymed

  Poetry for a cold winter morning ...

• Game Over (November 24, 2014) poem unrhymed

  You have to love a Mes de los Muertos that shakes a poem from the Tree of Creativity...

• Other Mothers (May 8, 2017) poem unrhymed

  On Mother's Day, we remember that there are many ways to be a mother.

Short

• NaNoWriMo 2006:NaNoWriMo is People! (November 13, 2006) short nonfiction essay

  Like many others, I joined NaNoWriMo the first time because I thought I could write a better novel than some of the schlock I had paid money to buy and read. Long before the thirty days were up, I realized how wrong this notion had been.

• Turn Off the Main Road: Winterset, Iowa (May 28, 2007) short nonfiction

  Marion Robert Morrison was born in Winterset, Iowa, in 1907. At the time, no one knew he would grow up to be an icon of the American West -- John Wayne.

• Turn Off the Main Road: Greek Festival (June 18, 2007) travel

  Getting off the highway and onto to streets isn't always enough. Sometimes, if you want to do something special, you have to be in the right place at the right time.

• Golden Goose (May 26, 2008) short story fairy tale

  There is more than one side to any story, even a fairy tale.

Comics

• Fever Dreams 114 (November 27, 2006) comics

  Ginger's Christmas Dream -- guest art by Poetry Editor Cheryl Haimann

• Fever Dreams 115 (December 4, 2006) comics

  Now you know why they leave us all alone in the Universe ...guest art by Poetry Editor Cheryl Haimann

• Venus and the Moon (May 21, 2007) photo art

  Poetry editor Cheryl Haimann captures a sweet night sky image of the planet Venus and the Moon.

• Peek of the Week 093 (May 28, 2007) photo art

  Flags line the property where John Wayne was born.

• Peek of the Week 119 (December 3, 2007) photo art

  The first icicles of the season in Des Moines, Iowa.

• Peek of the Week 060 (March 3, 2008) photo art

  An abandoned building in Fleetwood, Oklahoma, hearkens back to the days of being a trading post in Indian Territory.

• Peek of the Week 147 (June 16, 2008) photo art

  Flooding in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.

• Peek of the Week 151 (July 14, 2008) photo art

  Maple tree seeds, often dubbed "Whirlybirds."

• Peek of the Week 153 (July 28, 2008) photo art

  Astrophotograpy: the Moon.

• Peek of the Week 161 (September 22, 2008) photo art

  An ex-tree at Blackhawk Lake.

• Peek of the Week 165 (October 20, 2008) photo art

  Rainstorms line up in the sky.

• Peek of the Week 193 (May 4, 2009) photo art

  Lilac buds promise spring weather.

• Peek of the Week 232 (February 1, 2010) photo art

  Rocky Mountains seen from an airplane.

• Peek of the Week 237 (March 8, 2010) photo art

  A lovely fungus graces a mossy fallen branch.

• Peek of the Week 270 (November 1, 2010) photo art

  Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA.

• Peek of the Week 274 (November 29, 2010) photo art

  The Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

• Peek of the Week 297 (May 16, 2011) photo art

  A monstrous thistle among spring fern-like foliage.

• Peek of the Week 315 (September 19, 2011) photo art

  Lightning disrupts the Iowa Star Party.

• Peek of the Week 318 (October 10, 2011) photo art

  An arachnid to remember.

• Peek of the Week 424 (November 11, 2013) photo art

  Brilliant foliage richer than any jewels.

• Peek of the Week 431 (September 15, 2014) photo art

  A closer look at the crafting of yarn.

Essay

• Putting It Together (April 20, 2009) essay writing

  The letters change, the answers add up ... writing can be like a word puzzle.