Click here to read Riehlife profile on Keith Shepherd. (All photos courtesy of Bonnye Brown) Bonnye Brown and Robert Powell in front of Bonnye’s painting “Color Folks.” Keith Shepard in front of his painting “Jelly’s Last Jam.” Keith Shepard, Bonnye Brown, Anthony High, and Ed Hogan (not pictured).

I’m not yet trained to drink coffee, eat icecream, and meals out on my nearby shopping street in the Central West End. City life, cafe life eludes me. I mostly still entertain at home…including entertaining myself. You’ve seen those little tykes in grocery stores with their tiny carts and the tall flags that say, “Shopper in training”? Well, [...]

CNN Trains Its Lens on Race By FELICIA R. LEE CNN explores how black people are feeling, thinking and doing in the two-part “Black in America” series. “Black Americans think there is a black America,” Ms. O’Brien said in the interview. “It’s a metaphor for a chunk of experiences. Every black person will tell you that white people [...]

Joel Heffner is a man of many projects. One of his really fun ones is a site called “How We Became Writers: This is how we did it.” He’s just posted my story of how I became a writer which includes my poem “Scribbler,” from “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary.” You can read the entire post by [...]

Students! Want to enter the annual writing contest, The Big Write? Get started now. Submission deadline is Sept. 12. The three top winners in each of two grade level categories: (1) 4th and 5th graders, and (2) 6th through 8th graders, will win $100 for 1st place, $50 for second place, and $25 for 3rd [...]

What is Foyle’s War? To uphold human values in a time of war, in this case World War II Britain, when those values are put aside in the fighting of the war for the sake of the greater good. If it’s all right to kill in war, is it all right to kill at home? Detective [...]

Annemieke Marie Farrow, Master of the Portable Portfolio Today at 9 p.m. CST (my time!) for 60 minutes check out: The Singing Office Animal Shelter vs. School Bus Drivers Joey Fatone (N’SYNC) and Mel B. (Spice Girls) are on a fun mission to discover hidden talent in workplaces across America. Mel B. is searching at the SPCALA while [...]

Family stories do not have to be diary-like stories. They can be word ideas. Little boy in diaper. Icecream cone. There, now: don’t you get vivid images and memories from these phrases?

Old Time Radio Like three other friends of mine, I’m now, Saturday, 11 a.m., to appear on Blogtalk Radio’s Authors Read program hosted by Lillian Brummet (Conscious Discussions talk radio). Folks, this is a great resource and readily available to any of you authors out there who wanna read from your books! For my show, what I’m [...]

Easy grow. Grow easy. Go easy. How can we grow easier in our lives and our skins?