William T. Dawson’s poem “Moonlighting” is a poem of an event from the 1980s (when some of us remember the recession). Dawson’s poem speaks to our times as hard times cycle back around. I asked William to tell us a bit about the context surrounding writing his poem. This is what he said: I write…
My father unearthed another family treasure recently and we’ve posted it on the Women Writing the West blog. Click here to read They Came to Kansas. My father, Erwin A. Thompson, became enthralled with a recent discussion on the Women Writing the West listserve concerning the mid-day meal. He discovered and transcribed this story written…
My cousin (on my father’s side…Aunt Eleanor’s oldest child of seven children) Phillip Dodds served in the Air Force from November, 1958 to November, 1966 on three bases: Lackland Air Force Base in Texas; Keesler Air Force base in Mississippi; and Eglin Air Force base in Florida. Phillip did not experience the combat experience or…
My friend Judy Tart (woman of wide-ranging intelligence and heart) has appeared on Riehlife several times in the Village Commons category. She is, in effect, one of the contributors to the Riehlife Blog-Magazine. Today she writes about a site that gives you a WALK SCORE. “You enter your address (or where you are thinking of…
Two Candles by Ernest Dempsey My writing pal Ernest Dempsey is also known fondly on Riehlife as “our man in Pakistan”—you can find many blogposts about his work on Riehlife under “Read On” and read his poems under the “Writing Matters” archive categories. I asked him to tell us the story behind the creation of…
“Deep listening from the heart is one half of true communication. Speaking from the heart is the other half.” —Sara Paddison, author Hidden Power of the Heart When I sent this quotation to my friend Grace Madison (she is the mother of Curt Madison, one of my high school chums who know bases in Alaska),…
I first met KAREN SMEAD MONDALE, long-time community activist and retired educator, last fall at a Duff’s River Styx poetry reading. She read at Duff’s this week as part of Loosely Identified, a St. Louis women’s poetry workshop, while I was on my Nashville audiobook recording trip, so I missed that treat. Karen Mondale at…
R. Lester Mondale (May 28, 1904 to August 19, 2003) “I feel most truly myself, And at home in a universe of Living things and Galaxy-strewn skies About which the half Has never been told And, perhaps, Never will be told.” Lester Mondale, a man with big vision, lived a big-hearted life. Father of Karen…
Remember that ultimately going for the money is 100% wrong. Going for love of what you’re doing is sort of 60% right. You can fill that other 40% with a little practical thinking: I also want to make a living at this. I don’t want to starve. —George Lucas, Quoted in USA Today
A LONG DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY It’s a pretty drive from St. Louis to Nashville (routes 64/57/24) that takes around 5.5 hours and crosses three rivers (Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee) and passes by many gorgeous large lakes (Rend/Egypt/Barkley) where I wanted to just stop and camp. The routes down are so aesthetically constructed without billboards…