About The Birch Chronicle

The Birch Chronicle is an online journal designed to uplift readers’ hearts. You will find thought-provoking, self-reflective, and motivational stories inspired by art, books, language, coffee culture and travel. This creative space serves as a vessel of love, honesty, and hope, encouraging readers to tap into the slow life, appreciate the simple things such as a cup of coffee or tea, and embrace the beauty in this world.

A little about me, Marie Gerken. I am a Midwesterner with wanderlust. My zodiac sign is Sagittarius, which means I am a traveler with a passion for the arts, curiosity for the unknown, intensity for knowledge, and adaptability to place. I spend a lot of solitary time searching to be fed in ways that help me live a life of vitality. My Italian (and Polish) roots ground me. Spirit-filled communities lift me higher. And nature always consoles me.

In June 2023, I earned my MFA in Creative Writing from Alma College in Alma, Michigan, where I graduated with the inaugural class of the school’s MFA in Creative Writing Program. I am a 2022 Finalist for Bellingham Review’s Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction. In 2014, I co-founded the Western Springs Writers’ Society, a local writing group. Because I desired to do more active writing with a community, I created the six-week Paper & Ink Writing Workshop, a writing experience focusing on the five senses. Currently, I lead it at my local library.

I hope that our time here together is filled with quality and meaning and that the stories in The Birch Chronicle touch you, the reader, with peace and harmony.

Rush slowly, live, and love~

Marie

Diane Dachota, book reviewer

Diane Dachota is a semi-retired book reviewer and writer. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Masters in Teaching. Besides reading and writing fiction, Diane enjoys art, music, travel, and the occasional Netflix binge with her family. Diane met Marie at the first Western Springs Writers’ Society meeting in 2014.

Diane reads over one hundred and twenty books a year as an avid reader. Her years as a reporter and teacher have helped her develop instincts on human behavior, which she utilizes to review books. Diane’s Book Reviews section in The Birch Chronicle results from her and Marie’s numerous conversations about their desire to collaborate on a writing project.