Fellows Riverside Gardens
Fellows Riverside Gardens in Youngstown, Ohio is part of the sprawling Mill Creek Park. Elizabeth Fellows donated the land and money for a free public garden which was first planted in 1963. I stopped by the other day (after four hours in the car 😩) and enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of a garden in spring.
Beautiful foxglove
Columbines
Goldenstar
View across the water from the gardens.
Federal Frenzy 2018
A change of plans for me — I won’t be attending Federal Frenzy on Saturday because I’m sick. Bad timing — I was really looking forward to it! Anyway, if you’re in the Youngstown area please stop in and enjoy the music and arts. Maybe I’ll catch it next year.
This is something new for me, and it sounds like fun. On the afternoon of April 21, I’ll be one of the vendors at Federal Frenzy in Youngstown. Federal Frenzy (held on Federal Street) is a music and arts festival, presented by YSU Penguin Productions, Youngstown State University and the City of Youngstown.
The event includes live musical performances, art, and vendors. I’ll have my books there, including the new issue of Gathering Storm Magazine which includes my short story “City of the Dead”.
For more information, check out Federal Frenzy’s Facebook page.
“The Stories on their Faces”
My short story, “The Stories on their Faces”, has been published in the April 2018 issue of Bards and Sages Quarterly.
In this story Malla, an older woman who is leader of her people, tries to save them by breaking one of their oldest customs — a tradition that is an integral part of who her people are. The story is about her leadership, and the consequences she must face as she tries to protect them from a frightening future.
GET LIT! Cincinnati 2018
GET LIT! Cincinnati is a free event founded by publisher Post Mortem Press. Local authors and small-press publishers will be at the Urban Artifact Sanctuary on Saturday, April 7 from noon to 6 pm to talk about writing and reading.
Here’s a link to the GET LIT! Cincinnati website with info on location and a list of attending authors, publishers and artists. If you’re in the area and if you love books and writing, stop by!
“City of the Dead”
Gathering Storm Magazine, March 2018
Exciting news! My short story “City of the Dead” will appear in the upcoming issue of Gathering Storm Magazine, along with work from other authors, poets and artists. The print issue will be available from Amazon soon.
A Few Images from Florida
A few memorable images from my recent trip to Florida:
Sunset over St Augustine, FL from the deck of the Schooner Freedom
Rigging. One mast of the Schooner Freedom, St Augustine.
Magnolia Ave, St Augustine, on a misty morning.
Sand dollar. Treasure Island, Florida.
Cool sign on the Thunderbird Hotel, Treasure Island Florida.
Hydra Publications
Loconeal Publishing — the publisher of Color Mage and Sword of Jashan — has now become an imprint of Hydra Publications. Hydra features science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Hydra also has other imprints that feature mystery, thrillers and romance.
I’m excited to become a Hydra Publications author! Here’s a link to Hydra’s main page, where you can check out recent posts from this multi-genre publisher, or click on the “Authors” tab to discover some of Hydra’s talented writers.
Here’s a link to my Hydra Publications author page, featuring both Color Mage novels.
The Silver Bridge
The Silver Bridge (also known as the Cinderella Bridge) is in Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio. Built in 1895, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It looks as if it belongs in Narnia.
The Post
When Steven Spielberg has an opinion about the value of a free press in America, he doesn’t just make a Facebook or Twitter post like the rest of us. Instead, he reaches back into history and makes a movie like The Post.
The Post is set against the backdrop of a time when the government tried to hide from the people the disastrous results of years of failing Vietnam policies. Meanwhile, we kept sending more soldiers to Southeast Asia to die in a war we couldn’t win.
Those were dangerous times, with a President in power who disdained and tried to control the press to serve his own ends. When Nixon’s government obtained an injunction ordering the New York Times to cease publication of the Pentagon Papers, the Washington Post obtained the documents and had a big decision to make — whether to publish. The consequences of a wrong call could range from financial ruin to imprisonment.
Even though we know the outcome of this movie at the start, it’s a good story. Not a thriller — but an examination of themes of power, responsibility, and courage, illuminated through the eyes of some contentious newspeople and attorneys, as well as a socialite turned champion of investigative journalism.
The movie is also a wonderful story of Katharine Graham, who inherited her position at the Washington Post after the death of her husband, and how she began to exercise her leadership in a world ruled by men. Spielberg embraces the feminist aspect of this story.
Tom Hanks does his usual good job as executive editor Ben Bradlee. Meryl Streep is excellent in the perfect-for-her role of Katharine Graham. The movie is full of lots of interesting characters, as well as a needed touch of humor here and there. It’s full of cool details from the past, showing how reporters did their jobs in the days before the Internet or cell phones. And there are fascinating touches, such as the rumbling of the newsroom when the big presses started up in the basement of the Washington Post’s building.
This movie made for an enjoyable couple of hours. And a reminder — that without the legitimate free press we’re at the mercy of those in power to control what we know. And maybe more than ever today, when anyone with an Internet connection can publish, that makes the responsible press the advocate of the people.
Here’s more information about Katharine Graham at this article at The Smithsonian magazine.
Also a wonderful Washington Post article about the closing of their historic building in 2015, with some history and stories about the old days of the newspaper business there.
Here’s some more info about the movie on IMDb.
