I am the mother of four children and grandmother of eight.  I began taking creative writing courses in my mid-fifties after our last child left home and became particularly enamored with writing poetry.  Later courses led me to writing prose.  My work envelopes a large variety of subjects:  spirituality, nature, memories, women & family, social issues, travel, relationships, and now, 30 years later, the aging process.  During that time I have had the pleasure of seeing over 200 of my poems, articles, and stories appear in periodicals, anthologies, and journals.  Plus the publication of two collections of my poetry,  two poetry chapbooks, 2 self-published poetry chapbooks, a memoir, a novel, and a children's book.  I am active in attending and presenting my work at various venues in the San Francisco East Bay where I live.

My collections of poetry include TOUCHSTONES, Winston-Derek Publishers, Inc., SEEDED PUFFS, Dry Bones Press, Inc., chapbooks include OLD HAUNTS, Pudding House Publications, THINGS BEHIND THINGS, Pudding House Publications, a memoir -- ROUND TRIP: REFLECTIONS ON MY LIFE AND REBELLION, PublishAmerica, a novel, FREDDIE, PublishAmerica, and a childrens short chapter book, SPACESHIP LANDS IN AFRICA, PublishAmerica. I have received prizes for many of my poems, read at and hosted several poetry television programs in South Florida, and led an open mic night once a month at a Barnes & Noble store in Florida.

I have enjoyed being the featured reader at various venues in South Florida and in the San Francisco East Bay Area where I now live. Currently I belong to the Bay Area Poets Coalition where I won 1st and 3rd prizes in this year's national contest and am a member of the Women's Poetry & Potluck Salon. My poem, "Re-birth of a Nation," is included in the recent anthology, "A Dream In the Clouds," which features work about the Obama election. My article, "Back From the Brink," appears in the recent anthology, "Hope Whispers." http://whisperingangelbooks.com and "Miss 'H'" in their anthology, "Living Lessons." My story, "The Daughter-in-law," is included in the recent anthology, "When Last On the Mountain," by Holy Cow Press.

FREDDIE
ISBN 1-4241-2415-8 “Freddie,” is the story of a young woman who seeks to unravel the mystery of her paternal roots. Her search is paralleled on another level as she tries to come to terms with God. Joyce Sweeney, author of Players (Marshall Cavendish), writes, “Cherise Wyneken has told a powerful tale of self-discovery and redemption. Freddie’s journey to a new life in Florida after the death of her husband, is really a journey in search of herself. Wyneken bravely asks and faces the questions of whether life is fair and what lies beyond this existence. Without dogma, the novel is filled with a spiritual power that comes from the ordinary events of life...and how we deal with them.

Hope Whispers & Living Lessons
My articles, "Miss 'H'" & "Back From the Brink," are included in Whispering Angel Books' anthologies, LIVING LESSONS & HOPE WHISPERS. The following poem summarizes the latter article. Something Holy Two hour surgery, lasted six./ Two night stay – two months./ Complications snowballed/ like dust motes without a ray of sun./ Multi-system organ failure./ No chance with surgery, but they’ll try./ Terror snatched me from my robin’s nest,/ grabbed my throat with its beak,/ and squeezed my breath away/ like water from a sponge./ Prayers flew up from many faiths/ to the god they knew. Doubt crept in behind/ and seesawed in my echo chamber./ Next week – same scene./ No time to stop the gurney,/ grinding toward OR,/ for me to give a good-bye kiss./ Tubes in his side for nourishment,/ tubes in his throat for air,/ tubes to his veins recycling blood./ We are together in this room –/ a walled-in box, filled with monitors/ and IV bags dripping blue solution./ We are together in this room,/ yet we are far apart./ I cannot see inside your head./ I cannot hear your thoughts./ Your voice is trapped within./ I am here beside you – alone./ May crept into June./ July brought plans for a nursing home/ readied with a respirator/ – possibly for life./ Certain he could manage without machines,/ refusing to give up, Nurse Debby/ disconnects the oxygen, watches as he breathes./ Three weeks later, unplugged, learning to use his legs,/ able to swallow soup and applesauce,/ I brought the car around for a man alive./ ***** ***** An anthology of inspirational articles which includes my piece called, "Back From the Brink."

Spaceship Lands In Africa
A children's short chapter book in which Spacey, a little mouse, volunteers on a space mission hoping to find the way to God. The spaceship lands by accident in Africa and through some children and the creatures he meets there, he comes to the conclusion that like the wind, we can't see God, but we feel him deep inside of us.

When Last on the Mountain: The View from Writers over 50
Published by Holy Cow Press (Spring 2010) An anthology of sharp, engaging, creative well-written work by writers over 50.