Advice & Articles

Nothing is perfect, including where we are now, but, most people who decry where we are have never been where we used to be. I am 78, a relatively short span, even in the history of THIS young country, and I can watch TV shows from my younger days, and, even sort through the memories of my own chil

Writing poetry, which is what I enjoy doing, means, among a lot of other stuff, putting yourself in some place that may or may not exist, experiencing some events and situations which you made up, and then trying to say it in some way that somebody, who doesn't think a bit like you can understand...

We get confused sometimes with what is said. I saw this morning where a "poet" said that writing something in a certain manner did not mean someone was a poet. True, but, some might interpret that to mean that a "poet" cannot write that way, but THAT is not what the statement said. A poet CAN wri

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In memory I watch trees bending, Bowing in the offshore wind, Grasses trembling at the prick Of thorns of blackberry bushes, While gulls overhead Screech their indignation At the intrusion of This future shade of the boy, Recognized as the careless imp Who once tormented them. Photo: The beach

I called it the episode of the teenage telegraph. I was once in line behind a mother and her teenage daughter in a huge warehouse style retail store. The mother turned to her daughter and said, "Go get your brother and tell him to come up here." At that, the daughter, about a yard in front of

We protect our children. That's only natural. When I look back on MY childhood, in a much different era, place, and with different dangers, I am sometimes surprised that I survived. I spent days alone in the woods climbing trees, encountering snakes and strangers, finding all sorts of things whi

We think, and talk, a lot about "nature" and, somehow, often seem to assume that homo sapiens, that destructive and abusive species, is, in some way NOT natural. Oh, we do create artificial machines and devices which can do stuff, often destructive stuff, at levels previously unimaginable in the hi

I’m always in a state of wonder about what drives people, real and fictional. Why do they do what they do, often against their better judgment? Speculating on motivation is what gives me the juice to write. I find the possibilities of short-form writing of all kinds infinitely interesting. My lat

I saw the following quote this morning by Karl Kraus (Austrian, 1874 - 1936). "“Love and art do not embrace what is beautiful but what is made beautiful by this embrace.”" I enjoyed the quote, but, being the nitpicker that I am, I might have said "not merely embrace", and, "but also what is made b

Melville began Moby Dick with, "Call me Ishmael" Not to be outdone, I often begin some of my comments with, "I call myself a poet." I have the "creds" as they say. Never said "good" poet, but I do write stuff that others have recognized and acknowledged to be poetry. Even had a few works published

I'm always wary of absolutes... okay, usually, almost, probably. Still, my radar comes on when I see statements like, "Do this to get rich, happy, taller..." whatever. Usually involves chocolate, wine, or cabbage soup. While we humans do share many common traits and feelings... desires, even lus

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Often these days, people are praised for what they do. Not often enough, probably. However, I tend to look around for people who try. Everybody likes to quote Yoda (Star Wars) "Do. Or do not. There is no try." Sorry, Yoda, while that may work for a Jedi Knight, we mortals need a looser code fo

Sometimes as I read through comments on social media sites, I start to feel bad. So many other people are posting comments that offer deep and important thoughts on life, business, politics, religion, the economy... etc. Here I sit, chatting about climbing trees and swimming in the bay as a boy,,

Many things in life are hard. Often the contemplation of them is the hardest part. Little trick I learned in the Army - No matter how long the march, the run, the days in the field, all I had to do was take that next step, make it through the next five minutes. If I looked at the miles and hour

I’ve been publishing and marketing my books for more than a dozen years. I’ve had some successes and I’ve been ripped off a few times. In the last six months or so, I’ve spent a lot of time just think about social media marketing and how I’ve used it. I’ve come to a few conclusions that I’ll share i

It was a shock when Mary discovered that the husband she just got married to was a Muslim. Her husband, Ahmed, who disguised to be called Mike, was thinking of how to find a virtuous lady. He hoped to find one in a church which prompted him to started attending church services. He joined the wor

This article was previously published in Westword Magazine. We reprint it because we believe that her experience can help others. We also ask you how ArtsKeeper can help artists protect their rights. The saga began with unusual weather, the kind that causes a person to reassess her life. On June

There's an old carpenter's adage, "Measure twice, cut once." In other words, don't just lay the tape out, assume that what you saw, or thought you saw (no pun intended - well, maybe a little), was correct. It's worth checking what you're about to do before doing it so that you don't have to regret

In 1966 I applied for a job with Delchamps grocery in Pensacola. When I was hired, I was sent to this store in downtown Pensacola for training on the cash register, including counting back change, before being assigned to their store at Town & Country Mall (outdoor mall). I also spent a day working

Creativity and art can provide an outlet for self-expression and emotional release, allowing individuals to process and cope with their feelings, including those associated with depression. Engaging in creative activities can also promote a sense of accomplishment and boost self-esteem. Additionally

In the old American TV western, Maverick, gambler Bret Maverick (James Garner) often handed out some homespun aphorism preceded by, "As my old pappy used to say..." When my old-school ways are mentioned, I often say, "My daddy would come up out of his grave if I didn't...", hold the door for a lad

"The same movements are symptoms of health to one man, symptoms of disease to another... There seems to be no common ground left on which the observers may meet with any hope of agreement. The old religious and political standards will now hopelessly divide any roomful of educated men and women. You

Memory... I was recently reminded of a story, an event out of my life... better get comfy and get yourself something to drink.. . Years ago, I was a federal purchasing agent for the Texas Army National Guard. One summer, military units from El Paso needed to convoy back to El Paso from Fort Hood,

When I was a boy, I was happy when I got a new yo-yo, or top. I played roller-bat, tag, and kick the can with my friends on Bayshore Drive in Pensacola, Florida, when the part by our house was still dirt. On New Year's Eve, and 4th of July, my sister and I got to run around like crazy kids in the f

Have you ever wondered what would happen if everybody in the world was capable of doing everything, without needing one another? If our entire existence was created for a sole purpose and that is to do everything? It will be boring because there would be no uniqueness, besides one's ability to get i

Check all your superscript in-text number citations. Make sure they are all there, in order, none missing, none duplicated, and that they correspond to the correct citation at either the bottom of the page (footnotes) or the end of the book (endnotes). Check your point of view (POV). If you a