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
Bruce Springsteen Born to Be You Book review by Jude Joseph Lovell American music legend Bruce Springsteen turns 70 years old on September 23. This prompted me to pick up his 2016 memoir, Born to Run. The book is a magnificent, colorful, unruly story of an epic, valley-to-the-mountaintop life in performance. Reportedly, Springsteen wrote every Read more
Traveling On a Plant-Based Diet by Heather Hunter As one who thrives on a gluten-free vegetarian and vegan diet, traveling often prevents me from being able to stick to my preferred way of eating. But I recently struck gold on a trip to Jamaica, which afforded me an array of rich and colorful plant-based foods Read more
A Hot Summer with Keith Urban by Liz Cruciani If you were to ask me a few years ago if I was a fan of country music, my answer would have been a quick, “No. Not my cup of tea. This rock n roll chick listening to country music? Unheard of!” That all changed one Read more
Indie Author Day: Grow Your Creative Community By Angie Littlefield This year’s Indie Author Day will be held on Saturday, October 12. Because that day is also Canadian Thanksgiving, my local library in Pickering, Ontario, will host its event a week earlier, on Oct 5. Graphic designer, photographer, and webmistress Mary Cook and I are the Read more
Monday Night Mettle Crown of Earth at The Nail, Ardmore, PA by Stu O’Connor A full moon hung in the lazy summer twilight sky, which seemed an auspicious sign for visiting the lair of Philly-area heavy metal enclave, The Nail. First impressions of the event—there were three bands on the bill this Monday night—seemed to Read more
Slipping Away in South Philly The Rolling Stones, 23 July 2019 Lincoln Financial Field by Stu O’Connor The first time I saw the Rolling Stones was during their fabled Exile on Main Street tour in 1972. Chalk it up to urban legend or rock folklore, but a rumor circulated that a guy saw guitarist Mick Read more
As the Crow Flies Book review by Jude Joseph Lovell In a recent, good-natured debate I had with my brother-in-law about books, he let me know that he didn’t care for a novel I had recommended. There were too many open-ended questions at the end of the story, he explained. “I don’t like that,” he Read more
