• Can You Feel It?

    Can You Feel It?

      There is an Appalachian word that been on my mind all day - Airish. You might hear one of the locals say, "Hit's kinda airish today." What they mean is the air feels lighter, not as much humidity or heaviness to it. They say it[..]
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    19 01 , 2021 No Comments
  • The Epiphany of Insurrection

    The Epiphany of Insurrection

    My plan was to tell you how grateful I was for all the work you all did to elect Jon Ossoff and Rev. Warnock. My plan was to tell you how all that work had ensured that my grandson, born on Epiphany, was welcomed into[..]
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    07 01 , 2021 4 Comments
  • This Flayed Land of Ours

    This Flayed Land of Ours

    I made my first solo journey in nearly a year. I loaded up the car with items I did not pack for previous trips - Lysol wipes, masks, gloves, pillow, sleeping bag, towel. Even though I had booked a very fine cottage with all sorts[..]
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    05 01 , 2021 1 Comment
  • What Remains

    What Remains

      It barely made headlines, what with all the political corruption underway between the Executive and Legislative branches. But it did warrant at least space in some newspapers as we closed out 2020 and welcomed 2021:   The remains of a girl between ages 6½[..]
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    04 01 , 2021 2 Comments
  • The Take-Aways

    The Take-Aways

    The words I wrote on the chalkboard for 2020 remain there yet. They are words about greeting the New Year with a greater intention of kindness. I remember starting off the year with a sense of joy. I had so much I was looking forward[..]
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    31 12 , 2020 No Comments
  • Since Satan Moved Into the White House

    Since Satan Moved Into the White House

      I recently read a note from someone saying, "I'm not big on Jesus Christ, but I like the family gatherings and gift-giving part of Christmas and the spirituality of it." I winced. Poor maligned Jesus, always getting the blame for the wrongs others do.[..]
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    24 12 , 2020 3 Comments
  • Rise Up from the Country

    Rise Up from the Country

      Several years ago, while working on Mother of Rain, the beginning of the Appalachian novels I wrote, I snuck in late to the evening service at Christians Bend Church in Tennessee. I had not been in the church since 1968. The last time I[..]
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    19 12 , 2020 4 Comments
  • The God of Doom

    The God of Doom

      Today's Cavalry comes wearing white lab coats and goggles. Those researchers and scientists who have gone without food and sleep in an effort to develop a vaccine that will surely save lives, hundreds of thousands of lives. These people are not celebrities. We may[..]
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    15 12 , 2020 1 Comment
  • Reinventing the Scam

    Reinventing the Scam

    I got a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past recently. The ghost came in the form of an email: "Remember Mike Kerr from Snowball Express? You won't believe what he's up to now." If you are a writer, stumbling over stories is fairly common[..]
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    07 12 , 2020 No Comments