Once upon a time there was an old woman who believed in the magic of books. In the days of folk and fairy tales, she would have been called a crone, a character type in literature that was rarely included in the epics of the male heroes and adventurers. A crone was a female long …
Category: History
The Damn Funk and Wagnall
I think they were maroon colored, upright soldiers standing at attention in a uniform line on one of the lower shelves of the bookcase my father had built for our living room. Looking back, they were a bit of democracy, readily available for all if the inclination was there. Everyone in my community had a …
The Uncertainty of Being a Woman
A curse, some coins, and a killing. Little did I know that a road trip to an abandoned mental hospital would lead me to a story about the art world, a scandal and a tragedy. I believe everyone I meet is a teacher ready to expand my world view and increase my knowledge. The owner …
The Lessons of Gossip, Slander, and Name Calling
I knew the man didn't like me as soon as I looked into his eyes. I hadn't noticed him as I walked into the darkness of the museum toward the ticket booth. He was about 80 years old and wearing a Duke University baseball cap and directly in my path. He tapped his mask, indicating, …
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Flesh and Blood, Bits and Pieces
I walk for hours. Sometimes my hip would end up hurting from the unevenness of the trek, one foot on the shore, the other in the water. I have learned to wear an old pair of sneakers tied tight so rocks don't get in my shoes. My hair is now long enough to pull back …