· Tall Tales · My Grandpa Clarence used to talk about the fertile farmland in western Kansas before the drought, grasshoppers, jack rabbits, and dust storms ravaged the country. He said he and the family had some extremely productive years for over a decade before "The Crash." When our family visited, just in case I doubted him, he would dig out his photographs and hand them to me as positive proof. "A picture's worth a thousand words," he'd advise, then silently begin rolling a cigarette … [Read more...] about Stretching the Truth
tall tales
Creative Writing
· Fake News · Today the media talks about the alarming impact of "fake news." No doubt that in our instant, mass communication world, one fraudulent or deceptive story can cause massive confusion with grave consequences. Check out this "exaggeration" post card from 1937 showing a rather large grasshopper that died of lead poisoning. Similar manipulated, tall-tale images had been in circulation since the early 1900's, the Golden Age of Postcards. The popularity of early cards was due … [Read more...] about Creative Writing
