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.
Essays
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.
The Home That Lies Always in Memory
This essay originally appeared in Touchstone, a publication of Humanities Tennessee, in 1986.
Holy Ground
Rivendell Writers’ Colony, established in 2013, is closing its doors at the end of March. I’m still in shock at the news because Rivendell was flourishing, on course to be a nationally known residency program, but its benefactor has now made other plans for the property.
