SECRETS ARE FUNNY things. All families have them. Skeletons in the closet. Things you don’t talk about in polite company. Usually, they involve sex. I suppose I was fooled when I was young by the virtual openness in our family. My father hated … [Read more...] about How to Tie a Necktie
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Driving with Joe Overholt
WHEN I THINK back to my childhood, I remember one person who was truly unforgettable. Within our community, Joe Overholt was an authentic individual. He lived a life which broke all the rules. He was a gypsy, a lover of learning, a musician. He … [Read more...] about Driving with Joe Overholt
Chaim Potok: Creating An Emotional Blueprint for Those Who Leave
I WAS STRUGGLING with my decision to leave my Amish-Mennonite world when I first discovered the author Chaim Potok. In the audio/visual section of the Stark County District Library, I spied what would become my favorite novel. My Name Is … [Read more...] about Chaim Potok: Creating An Emotional Blueprint for Those Who Leave
Edna Sommers: “She was a mother to us all.”
WHENEVER WE APPROACH this time of year, I think of my first-grade classroom at Thanksgiving. The careful decorations, colorful construction paper cut into orange pumpkins bursting open, that Horn of Plenty with colorful fruit and fall vegetables … [Read more...] about Edna Sommers: “She was a mother to us all.”
Tom Rickman: How NOT to write a screenplay
RECENTLY, I DISCOVERED I am the same age as Quentin Tarantino. Truly. There are so many similarities between us. For example, the year I turned 50, he turned 50. He used to run a video store, and I used to run to the video store. Before I moved to … [Read more...] about Tom Rickman: How NOT to write a screenplay
Dale King: His Voice was the Voice of God
IT IS HARD to imagine Mr. Dale King without talking about his voice. Rich, rolling, booming — a deep baritone marvel. No one who knew him could forget it. His closest friends, his students who held him in awe, even his peppery daughter, all jokingly … [Read more...] about Dale King: His Voice was the Voice of God
