· Reading Rendezvous · It was good for me to get back to the monthly Reading Rendezvous Book Club at Metropolitan Coffee in Hutchinson, Kansas. If you’ve never been a part of a group discussing books, you may not realize that success starts with amazing leaders. Miriam Bebe Kitson and Rebecca Shetler co-share that responsibility at Metropolitan http://www.metrocoffeehutch.com. They are excellent on many levels, including being prepared, welcoming, curious, flexible, interesting, and … [Read more...] about Book Club
Behind the Books Blog
Lyrical Literature
· Diane Wahto · Diane Wahto’s combination of lyrical and descriptive power in her poetry makes music in my mind. The Sad Joy of Leaving is an emotional, imaginative, and beautiful book. Wahto had a stroke last December but she’s recovering well. Now, she’s back and busy producing material for her second book of poems that a publisher has requested. I won’t mention Diane’s age, but anytime a writer tells the reader that she used to own a ’47 Chevy, you can do the math. This is a memory … [Read more...] about Lyrical Literature
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
· The St. Louis Browns and Eddie Gaedel · Herb Potter, my uncle who died last year, used to tell me about a major league baseball (MLB) game he attended in St. Louis when he was almost 14 years old. It was a double-header home game for the St. Louis Browns vs the Detroit Tigers. I searched for the date. It was August 19, 1951. Herb was in baseball heaven from the moment he entered Sportsman Park with my dad, his oldest brother. “They had a band playing inside,” recalled Herb, “and we … [Read more...] about Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Do the Right Thing
· You Can Make a Difference · It’s safe to say that white nationalist members and sympathizers prefer the racist 1915 film, “The Birth of a Nation” over the anti-racist 2018 blockbuster movie, “The BlackkKlansman.” In the early 1900’s the leading white nationalist organization of the day was the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was organized after the Civil War in order to counter the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. The terrorist group was able to sell itself as … [Read more...] about Do the Right Thing
Memories in Motion
· Lessons Learned Make the Memoir · If you write anything, you’re likely to connect with and use your memories. On a daily basis we are reminded of yesterday. The radio is playing a song from our past. The TV or social media announces an anniversary of a special event. We remember from our life, not a history book. We see a faded photograph of us or our family. We look in the mirror and remember a younger self. Memories and stories are everywhere we look. Most people are content with … [Read more...] about Memories in Motion
EXAGGERATION Postcards
· Tall Tales from the Great Plains · #1 Are you old enough to remember road trip vacations down Route 66? How about the restroom breaks at service stations? I can still see the metal carousels advertising postcards for sale: 5 cents each, six for a quarter. One of my favorite cards was the Jackalope. #2 Fast forward to my collection of exaggeration postcards. The all-time best photographer-publisher of these cards is William H. Martin. A hundred years before Photoshop, he called … [Read more...] about EXAGGERATION Postcards
