“Caw, caw.” The call rends the air, leaving it fresh and urgent. My mind drains, revealing an alertness towards the bottom that rises from the depths. My eyes hyperfocus on the black slash of the crow’s wings against the blue of the sky. It must be writing a message, but all I get is a […]
Be careful what you ask for!
Bringing a New Orleans-style jazz funeral to a green burial ground for Death Faire 2023, Pittsboro NC.
I was nominated for a national award by Project Equity, an organization that helps businesses transition to employee ownership. Their first-ever EO Inspiration Award is for business owners who converted to worker co-ops prior to 2020. It felt strange to receive this honor, because eight years seems like a couple lifetimes ago. I did not […]
A history of the Joke of the Day sign in Parkwood, Durham, North Carolina
As the glass entry door closes, the noise of downtown fades. I clomp up time-worn wooden stairs to the new Hillmusic space in the heart of Chapel Hill. Franklin Street marks the northern boundary of the University of North Carolina campus, packed with stores, places to eat, and two movie theaters. Where it crosses Columbia […]
Every year, hundreds of small presses in the US and around the world nominate up to six published pieces for inclusion in the annual anthology, The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses. My essay “Violin Shop: Behind the Velvet Counter” was nominated by the North Carolina Literary Review https://nclr.ecu.edu/. To me, it is the […]
Was it luck or skill? It was said that John, my stepson’s dad, could heal balky electronics just by laying on hands. When my 1963 MGB wouldn’t start, I rocked it back and forth to coax the starter to engage. But when our electric car charger started to shriek loud enough to be heard outside, […]
In silvis viva silui, Canora iam mortua cano. Alive in the forest I was silent, Now in death I sing melodies. Inscription found on ornamented stringed instruments, especially violins, starting in the 1500s. Can also apply to the trees whose pulp made the pages you now hold. Once it is published, I envision this at […]