Playing Through Pain: Remembering Neil Peart, 1952–2020 by Jude Joseph Lovell “Changes aren’t permanent,” wrote Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist of the legendary Canadian rock trio Rush, “but change is.” Here in this new year, Rush fans around the globe now face one change that unfortunately is permanent: Peart’s untimely death from brain cancer on January Read more
Reading Aloud to Seniors: Top 10 Tips by Lucy E.M. Black Several years ago, when a family member was hospitalized and in a great deal of pain, I was striving to find something that would comfort her. In desperation, I picked up a Gideon Bible and began to read aloud from the Psalms. Occasionally she Read more
Two Favorite Books of 2019 by Jude Joseph Lovell ’Tis the season for year-end lists! Picking up on a new “tradition” I started last year in these pages, and as someone with a passion for reading and writing about books, I now offer my favorite nonfiction and fiction titles from those I read in 2019. Read more
Cooking With Wine or Booze? : Three Cautionary Truths by Michael Orr The explosion of cooking shows (and networks) and Tasty Kitchenware ads on Facebook has caused people to get out of their comfort zone with their culinary endeavors. For the most part that is a very good thing. But there are missing nuggets of Read more
December 4, 1927 Duke Ellington Opens at Cotton Club Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was born April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. and moved to the Big Apple in his early twenties. Duke Ellington was an American jazz legend. Composer, jazz orchestra leader and pianist, his career spanned more than sixty years. But his big break Read more
Language in Opera Singing by Cathleen McGowan As an opera singer, people comment that I must know a lot of languages. I wish I did, but currently I speak and understand two languages fluently: English and not-English. Not-English is a hybrid of the languages I’ve studied and is nearly incomprehensible outside of my own brain. Read more
Holiday Dinner Hosting: Top 5 Tips for Avoiding Stress By Lucy E.M. Black I freely admit to being a glutton for punishment. I love to cook for a crowd. I love hosting dinner for friends and family, especially for important occasions and holidays. I recognize that this puts me in the category of being somewhat Read more
INTRODUCING “THE DOUBLYS” – THE LITERARY OSCARS A modest proposal by Jude Joseph Lovell Hollywood recently rolled out its red carpets yet again in Los Angeles, California, for the 71st Emmy Awards, honoring the best achievements in American television. All the brightest and prettiest people paraded across them, posed for pictures, and made small talk Read more
Histories and Stories of Truth by Lucy E.M. Black For many in our generation, the word history has, for the most part, often seemed rather benign. History was a subject taught in schools with battered textbooks and an endless droning of facts and dates. At the time, it did not occur to us that what Read more
The Old 5 & 10 by Tammy Grey Stepping into Dick’s Old Time 5 and 10 is like stepping back into a nearly forgotten era. This Missouri landmark has called Historic Downtown Branson home for over fifty years now. Richard (Dick) and June Hartley started the business, and they ran it together until Dick’s death Read more
