Dr. Maya Angelou—A Tribute
On May 28th we lost a woman to God who changed our writing world. Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson in St. Louis, MO.
Read MoreFred Warren, A Speculative Fiction Author to Follow
I’ve found a new speculative fiction author—Fred Warren—to follow, well…at least new for me. He has three books published by Splashdown, and short stories in one of their compilation works, plus many magazine publications. It’s rare for me to read all the works by any given author, which goes to show I really like his writing. In Odd Little Miracles Warren fascinates the reader with short stories that contain unpredictable twists. The second short story, An Eternal, Unbroken Chain, is about space aliens appearing in a desolate Iowa field. The twist is a real gotcha. Our Lady of Chagrin captures the healing of a bad spiritual force. It definitely makes you ponder our world a little differently. One of his stories, Rubes, gives a nod to Zenna Henderson...
Read MoreHave a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom, (ISBN-13: 978-0786868728) is a wonderful read. It has a bizarre premise—Mitch’s Rabbi, from his hometown, asked him to deliver his eulogy. Yet, his Rabbi lived eight more years. This allowed Mitch to spend time with his Rabbi, learning who he was and what his beliefs were. Imagine spending time with someone who changed your life as a child, yet…now you had to get to know this person enough to give a eulogy. Your childhood fear & respect would be difficult to overcome. Add to the equation the fact that Mitch had all but left his former beliefs, married out of his faith and now lived a secular life. It makes for an interesting story. But that is not all. Mitch has become successful as a writer. He wrote...
Read MorePrejudice Unveiled in – A Buffalo in the House – by Rosen
“The civilization of the Indian is impossible while the buffalo remains upon the plains….I would not seriously regret the total disappearance of the buffalo from our western prairies….” Columbus Delano, US Secretary of the Interior, under President Ulysses S. Grant, from his 1883 Annual Report. Veryl Goodnight and her husband Roger, in the year 2000, began raising a bull buffalo calf they named Charlie, from a few days of age to his untimely death at age three. Rosen, in his book A Buffalo in the House, captures Charlie’s story as well as the current plight of the plains buffalo. Once a majestic sight, herds of buffalo roaming the great American plains are gone. Few buffalo remain, most living in Yellowstone National Park, where there is not always...
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