Tea drinking. I started in earnest in Africa during my five years in Ghana and Botswana. Alexander McCall Smith’s Number One Ladies Detective Agency series catches the gentle humor and graciousness in this Southern African country with one of the most stable democracies in the world (not just in Africa). Tea is the drink that…
Recently I cleared out my piles on the credenza in my study. I found lots of scraps of paper noting ideas to blog about. Here, then, are “the ones that got away.” All of these blog-fish are pretty small, but some are beautifully striped. Ideas 1) Pop as “great connector” 2) Soil & Soul (poem…
Last night at Left Bank Books (since 1969 St. Louis’ most famous and stable independent book store…blessedly in my neighborhood) Meg Wolitzer gave us an engaging look into her world view, writing process, and the rich language of The Ten-Year Nap which begins: “ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY, the women were waking up…” You can read…
It was like a rock concert this week when David Sedaris (pronounced as in “dare”) came to town to speak at Left Bank Books. Folk who couldn’t find seats stood up inside. Folks who couldn’t get in the room stood up outside or lounged in those great portable camp chairs. I sat next to a…
On a beautiful Spring day two events in the Central West End of St. Louis resonated with National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. Ashley Rhodes-Courter’s memoir “Three Little Words” focalized a room filled with adoption and foster care reformers at Left Bank Books which donated 10 percent of all purchases to CASA St. Louis…
“Don’t come over here to see me,” my father’s voice boomed out from my telephone answering machine. “The roads are horrible and getting worse. Stay where you are. Don’t risk it.” I did what he bade, and stayed in my neck of the woods on this slushy-sleety Saturday, temperature at that tricky freeze/no-freeze point. My…