The Christmas Ornament
Yes, he broke my heart, but I survived it. And the ornament was a symbol of that survival.
Essays
The Conversation That Continues
It was the fall of 1970, and we were freshmen in high school, that tender, socially feverish age when your friendships are everything and time stands still around every relationship.
The Pulitzer Prize
Thomas Stribling won the Pulitzer Prize for a trilogy he wrote about Florence, Alabama. But when I was growing up in the 1960s, no one in Florence spoke of Stribling anymore.
Handyman Blues
In spite of my failures, I haven’t given up my handyman aspirations. I still believe I can fix things.
Reading Our Way Toward Otherness
At the close of the year I found myself thinking about one of the most wonderful, significant Christmas gifts I ever received. I was ten, and I got it because I didn’t get the thing I asked for first.
Going to Meetin’
Here it is, finally, the day when writers and readers throng into Nashville on an October weekend seeking fellowship and elevation of the spirit and news and gossip. But especially old friends and new books.
