Circa 1971: Third-grade photo; around age eight. The tie deflects attention from the bad haircut. One more ride around the sun and I bid farewell to my fifty-eighth year. Despite all the turmoil of these past twelve months, last year wasn’t all that bad for me. At least, I was employed for most of it. … Continue reading Fifty-eight
Category: Essays
Author’s Intent, Sculpting
Often, my writing style is jumbled at best. When the words start to flow, it’s all I can do to keep up and get ideas down in a coherent form. Aspects of stories come to me at all times, especially when I’m out walking and I’ve taken to using the voice recorder on my phone … Continue reading Author’s Intent, Sculpting
Author’s Intent
Some may wonder why it’s okay for Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and other Founding Fathers to be portrayed by minority actors in Hamilton, and not for Martin Luther King to be portrayed by a White actor in an adaptation of Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop. This was the case in a production at Kent State … Continue reading Author’s Intent
Bullies
5 March 2016: Suwanee, Georgia. When I was a child, bullying wasn’t just commonplace, it was actually encouraged. I knew quite a few adults who viewed bullying and corporal punishment as reliable motivational strategies. Some even had fond memories of being bullied and beaten as kids. I recall once, in elementary school, right in front … Continue reading Bullies
Review Reconstruction & Words
A request for reviews for Atlanta Stories: Reconstruction and Words Words Words. A number of copies of Atlanta Stories: Reconstruction and Words Words Words were sold during 2020. If you purchased one, or otherwise acquired a review copy, please consider submitting a review to Amazon and/or Goodreads or other review sites. Reviews help to get … Continue reading Review Reconstruction & Words
Here’s to Better Days
Too much has been and will be written about 2020, insuring that we’ll never stop hearing about it. It’s easy to focus on the many failures this year, the callous disregard those in power have shown toward the rest of us, the many lives needlessly disrupted, and the anger and frustration it has all caused. … Continue reading Here’s to Better Days
Real Bible Studies: The Gospels
While most are familiar with the four canonical gospels found in the Bible, early Christianity produced many gospels, one for just about every notable follower of Jesus. The Gnostics were some of the most prolific in this endeavor, issuing gospels for Peter, Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and even Judas Iscariot. There are surviving relicts of the … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: The Gospels
Old White Guys
The carving at Stone Mountain. As a soon-to-be old white guy, I’m here to say, our time in the sun is rapidly coming to a close. Oh, don’t worry, a lot of us will still have most of the money and a good deal of the influence, but our days of throwing our weight around, … Continue reading Old White Guys
To Script or not to Script
Times Square, NYC, sometime around 1989. With the closing of the theaters due to Covid-19, opportunities for playwrights, and, especially, emerging playwrights have become few and far between. There have been many readings and performances staged for Zoom and other conference platforms, but it will most likely be a very long time before performing venues … Continue reading To Script or not to Script
Fifty-seven
The only constant is change. Age seven; fifty years ago. In the past, I tended to make a big deal out of each birthday, taking time off from work and scheduling activities to help me celebrate. This year, I have a lot of unscheduled time off and nowhere to go, since everything is shut down … Continue reading Fifty-seven