Mystery Plant! #752 John Nelson Posted 12/6/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comOne of the nice things about moving to a new neighborhood, like we did recently, is taking new walking adventures. There’s always something to see: maybe a hidden garden behind someone’s house, or maybe a winter-time water feature, complete with late season...
Does the sin we commit in secret only hurt us?
Living on Purpose: Does the sin we commit in secret only hurt us? Dr. William Holland Posted 12/4/23By Dr. William HollandThe sin of Achan found in Joshua 6:17-19 is a powerful example of how one person committing evil in private can negatively affect their family, church congregation, or place of...
Tune up your eyes & ears
Tune up your eyes & ears By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach I used to assign rookie reporters to interview mayors and police chiefs and others who might be newsworthy. Before they left, we discussed issues that might make a news story and their questions that needed answers.When they returned, I asked...
Mystery Plant! #751
Mystery Plant! #751 John Nelson Posted 11/29/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comIt's a member of the tomato family, and it doesn't matter which way you pronounce it. The tomato family is also quite properly referred to as the potato family, as well, and again, don't worry about pronunciation. The take-home here is that...
Feathers Fit For A King
Feathers Fit For A King Tom Poland Posted 11/29/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI wanted to hunt birds when a boy. Problem was no one would take me hunting. Dad tried but hunting wasn’t in his blood. And so my hunting adventures lay between the covers of magazines and books where...
Loving God is knowing His will and doing it
Living on Purpose: Loving God is knowing His will and doing it Dr. William Holland Posted 11/27/23By Dr. William HollandMost of us have heard the 1969 song, “More Today than Yesterday” by the band Spiral Staircase. The chorus says, “I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much...
Capture A Country Store Christmas Feeling
Capture A Country Store Christmas Feeling Tom Poland Posted 11/27/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSigning back-road books at Mast General has become a tradition. For four Christmases now, I’ve signed books at Columbia’s Mast General. This Christmas makes five. This store, rich with memories, is down on Main Street, as Bob...
Mystery Plant! #750
Mystery Plant! #750 John Nelson Posted 11/22/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comAn oak tree is just an acorn’s way of making more acorns. --an old sayingAll of the 400 or so species of oaks in the world belong to the genus Quercus, and North Americans are blessed with about 100 of them. You...
One View, Two Civilizations
One View, Two Civilizations Tom Poland Posted 11/22/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netOn a November Saturday, I drove to the geographic heart of Georgia. The cool breath of autumn and a blue-sky day had pulled people outdoors. I rolled past yard sales and a classic car show into my first stop:...
Giving thanks with an attitude of gratitude
Living on Purpose: Giving thanks with an attitude of gratitude Dr. William Holland Posted 11/20/23By Dr. William HollandWe just celebrated Veterans Day and we are so thankful for being able to live in a country where we are not being held under the terror of a dictator. Our son is...
The Luck Of The Draw
The Luck Of The Draw Tom Poland Posted 11/20/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netDecember 1, 1969, was no ordinary Monday. It was a day when your birthday was your destiny. In Athens, Georgia’s Benton Apartments my roommates and I were glued to the TV. CBS correspondent, Roger Mudd (His name really...
Mystery Plant! #749
Mystery Plant! #749 John Nelson Posted 11/20/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comThe other day I was getting a bit philosophical…or at least introspective, I suppose, thinking about how things change, especially people. Can it be that during our lifetimes, each of us goes through a number of identities as we age? Well, sure....
Does Using Personal Devices Foil FOIA?
Does Using Personal Devices Foil FOIA? Published November 2023 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications Most of us use our cellphones and other portable devices for a wide variety of purposes each day, such as accessing news and information, checking our e-mail and social media,...
Learn from the ones that get away
Learn from the ones that get away By John Foust, Advertising Trainer When I was a kid, my family took a weekend trip to Atlantic Beach on the coast of North Carolina, which is a popular place for fishing in the fall. One night, Dad took me to the Triple-S...
Jesus did not call us to be a bench-warmer
Living on Purpose: Jesus did not call us to be a bench-warmer Dr. William Holland Posted 11/13/23By Dr. William HollandI’ve watched Kentucky basketball since I was a kid and I admit that sometimes I do get a little carried away. I was reading an article a few years ago and...
Ordering Please, One Big Boy
Ordering Please, One Big Boy Tom Poland Posted 11/8/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netDaddy set me straight. “If you want some spending money, get a job.” Thus did I work two jobs while going through college at Georgia. I delivered flowers for Carolyn’s Flowers, where I learned a bit about that...
Mystery Plant! #748
Mystery Plant! #748 John Nelson Posted 11/8/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comDuring my first semester in college, a few years back, I had a class every Saturday (true!) at 8 AM. It was a real ordeal getting there on time, and fortunately, I think, we don't have things scheduled that way now. But...
Folk Artist Leonard Jones—Giving Old Tin New Life
Folk Artist Leonard Jones—Giving Old Tin New Life Tom Poland Posted 11/8/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netDuring my school days the yellow bus rolled me past chicken houses. In 1972, when I taught creative writing in Lincolnton, Georgia, I’d pass those houses each day on the way to class. At the...
Sustaining Rural Journalism
INTO THE ISSUES Sustaining Rural Journalism Published Nov. 8, 2023 By Al Cross Nonprofit newspaper journalism, until now largely a feature of urban areas, is going rural – especially if the National Trust for Local News keeps up what it’s doing and plans to do.“By December, we will be the...
God is not only watching, He intervenes
Living on Purpose: God is not only watching, He intervenes Dr. William Holland Posted 11/6/23By Dr. William HollandLate one stormy London night in 1763, a man filled with despair was determined to end his life. He hired a driver to take him to the river and was convinced that if...
Mystery Plant! #747
Mystery Plant! #747 John Nelson Posted 11/1/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comI knew it would happen: it’s gotten cold here in central South Carolina, definitely sweater-weather, at least on these brilliant, clear mornings. I managed to get in one more botany field trip last week just before it got chilly. You might say...
Clawfoot Tubs Hold Memories
Clawfoot Tubs Hold Memories Tom Poland Posted 11/1/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netWhen I see a clawfoot tub, which is rare, four memories surface. First, I go back to my grandfather’s old homeplace. Next I go back to an abandoned home once magnificent. Then I go back to a farm in...
Is it true we can live in peace?
Living on Purpose: Is it true we can live in peace? Dr. William Holland Posted 10/30/23By Dr. William HollandHave you considered that worry and anxiety is an issue we can control? Many within the medical world agree that stress is not a lurking monster that forces us to be afraid,...
Write your stories in your head
Write your stories in your head By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach I’ve spent much of my life writing about people caught up in perilous and life-threatening situations. Driving to the office from an accident, fire, court house or other location, I would write a provocative, short, five- or six-word headline...
Ageratum, Wood, & Water
Ageratum, Wood, & Water Tom Poland Posted 10/25/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netOn a Sunday walk I spotted a splash of blue. Blue wildflowers. They say blue flowers are sometimes difficult to grow in gardens. “They say.” That was Dad’s go-to validation when he shared news back home. He’d come in...
Mystery Plant! #746
Mystery Plant! #746 John Nelson Posted 10/25/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comIt would not be exaggerating to say that grasses are the most important plants, economically, in the world. For one thing, it turns out that every major civilization has depended upon one (or more) grass species as a major food source. (Consider...
The greatest love ever known
Living on Purpose: The greatest love ever known Dr. William Holland Posted 10/23/23By Dr. William HollandI stumbled upon this story a while back that has been retold many times, and as I read it again recently, it caused me to think about God’s love which cannot be measured or fully...
Treasure hunt for ad ideas
Treasure hunt for ad ideas By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Some years ago, I attended an exhibit of treasure from the Atocha shipwreck which treasure hunter Mel Fisher had located off the coast of Florida. The Atocha was the most famous ship in the Spanish fleet that sank in 1622...
Conifers’ Fragrant Pull On Memory
Conifers’ Fragrant Pull On Memory Tom Poland Posted 10/20/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI read that fragrances stimulate recall more so than any other sense. I knew from experience that it had to be true. You and I, we’re scentimental creatures … See what I did there? Think about your favorite...
Oops, They Did it Again….
Oops, They Did it Again…. Published October 2023 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications Just over five weeks after all five justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court issued resounding statements on the importance of open court proceedings—even if they differed on the consequences of...
Workplace Friends Best Come Naturally
Workplace Friends Best Come Naturally Tom Poland Posted 10/18/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI stumbled across an old magazine feature of mine and it made me recall stops I’d made along that long, winding road called “Career.” Some memories were good; some not so great. Let’s be honest. Is there anyplace...
Mystery Plant! #745
Mystery Plant! #745 John Nelson Posted 10/18/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comThey are Brussels sprouts, obviously…but what the heck are they actually? Today, you learn.You also learn that Brussels sprouts and cooked carrots were my most hated foods, as a kid. I believe that I can speak for many thousands of former children...
Good sons, good daughters
Everything and Nothing: Good sons, good daughters Aïda Rogers Posted 10/16/23By Aïda RogersThe news came as it usually does these days – by text. Ben, my sister’s classmate since kindergarten, wanted us to know his mother, Cynthia, had been diagnosed with a fast-moving cancer. Could she visit our mother tomorrow? Our...
Like A Scene From An Old Western
Like A Scene From An Old Western Tom Poland Posted 10/16/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netIt was 1985 when I spent three days in Reno. I didn’t shoot a man just to watch him die, Johnny, but I conjured up images of Old West gunslingers. And when I drove from Reno...
We cannot share what we do not have
Living on Purpose: We cannot share what we do not have Dr. William Holland Posted 10/16/23By Dr. William HollandRecently, I spoke about a wonderful man who is a member of our church, and if you recall he just turned 95 years young. His name is Charlie and since then I’ve...
Your Special Tree
Your Special Tree Tom Poland Posted 10/13/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.net When I was a boy, come Thanksgiving, we observed a tradition that’s decidedly different today. Dad would mix some two-cycle gas, sharpen and oil the saw chain, and we’d scour woodlands and pasture edges looking for a red cedar....
Mystery Plant! #744
Mystery Plant! #744 John Nelson Posted 10/11/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.com Most of us have been thinking that this past summer was really long, hot one. Then they say that this has been the hottest year on record, temperature-wise. This climate change business has very important effects on our local plant life,...
It’s never too late to learn something new
Living on Purpose: It’s never too late to learn something new Dr. William Holland Posted 10/9/23By Dr. William HollandGrowing older is not an excuse to stop advancing in our faith and our prayers. Confess that you have energy and stamina, a sound mind, spiritual discernment, and a desire to live...
My Father’s Razor
My Father's Razor Tom Poland Posted 10/4/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netNovember 15 my father will have been gone twenty years. Twenty years. Seems like yesterday when he lay in a bed at MUSC in Charleston. Seems like last night we were back home changing out his pajamas during all those...
Letting go of enthusiasm wrinkles the soul
Living on Purpose: Letting go of enthusiasm wrinkles the soul Dr. William Holland Posted 10/2/23By Dr. William HollandI dedicate much of my writing to providing positive and encouraging words of hope and inspiration, but I also must be truthful, we are growing older. I apologize for reminding us about that,...
Mystery Plant! #743
Mystery Plant! #743 John Nelson Posted 9/27/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comFrequently the leaves and stems of a plant will prove to be just as fascinating as its flowers. This is a plant like that, and it is a native, aquatic species.Except for its leaves, the entire plant grows below the surface of...
The Morning Routine
The Morning Routine Tom Poland Posted 9/27/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netCome daybreak, my preferred time to get moving, I check on my neighbor’s flag. I check to see that his place is ok after another night of living in America, (thank you, James Brown), and to see if the wind’s...
Take a quiet walk and talk to God today
Living on Purpose: Take a quiet walk and talk to God today Dr. William Holland Posted 9/27/23By Dr. William HollandJesus Christ loves you, and he desires to spend quiet time with you. Our heavenly Father beckons you to draw near to Him and promises that He will respond with compassion....
Mystery Plant! #742
Mystery Plant! #742 John Nelson Posted 9/27/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comI am sad to say that one of my best friends and botany buddies died last year. Steve W. Leonard was a Tarheel from Davidson County NC, graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with his bachelor’s and later master’s degree (in 1973) in botany....
Blink Book Review #12: History Repeating Itself? Three podcasts and a book, “Against the Tide by Harriet Keyserling”
Blink Book Review #12: History Repeating Itself? Three podcasts and a book, “Against the Tide by Harriet Keyserling” Reba Campbell Posted 9/22/23By Reba CampbellThis book and the recommended podcast episodes should be required reading/listening for anyone who is or was a lobbyist, legislator, page, staffer, reporter or anyone who is...
Mystery Plant! #741
Mystery Plant! #741 John Nelson Posted 9/20/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.com"The average American's simplest and commonest form of breakfast consists of coffee and beefsteak." ...
Bye Bye Mitt
Stuart Neiman Cartoon: Bye Bye Mitt Posted 9/20/23By Stuart Neiman This content is being shared through the S.C. News Exchange and is for use in SCPA member publications. Please use appropriate bylines and credit line
The Work Of Hands
The Work Of Hands Tom Poland Posted 9/18/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netFolks say the future belongs to “Knowledge Workers.” A so-called knowledge worker is someone who manages information within a specific subject area. I suppose I’m a knowledge worker. I’m more at home with a keyboard than I am a...
Breaking free from distorted thinking
Living on Purpose: Breaking free from distorted thinking Dr. William Holland Posted 9/18/23By Dr. William HollandWe continue the conversation about those who occasionally think about what their life might have been like had they made different choices. It’s true that if we had decided to make other choices our lives...
Have Fireflies Left Us?
Have Fireflies Left Us? Tom Poland Posted 9/15/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netAmong sedges and along tree lines, across lawns and fields they’ll soon cease blinking. Maybe they’ve already ended their nights of miraculous lights. The experts say they left in August. They being lantern bugs, lightning bugs, or fireflies. I...
Coming Full Circle
Coming Full Circle Tom Poland Posted 9/13/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI felt like I’d been tied to the whipping post. I was as low as the proverbial snake’s belly. May 30 a tornado destroyed my Athens, Georgia, home. My marriage was floundering, and I found myself with nothing but the...
Coming Undone
Coming Undone Aïda Rogers Posted 9/13/23By Aïda RogersWhen my uncle died I was confident I could get through the funeral dry-eyed. He’d suffered a long time and because I lived next door, I felt somehow I was suffering too. The funeral would be nothing compared to what had come before.Then the...
Mystery Plant! #740
Mystery Plant! #740 John Nelson Posted 9/13/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comMy plan yesterday was to get up early and prepare for a field trip with one of my former students. It was to be something of a “busman’s holiday”, as we wanted to botanize somewhere, and it didn’t really matter where, as...
We only have one chance to make it right
Living on Purpose: We only have one chance to make it right Dr. William Holland Posted 9/13/23By Dr. William HollandThe other day I was speaking with a person I’ve known most of my life, and he asked me if I could go back in time and live my life again,...
Mystery Plant! #739
Mystery Plant! #739 John Nelson Posted 9/6/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comWhen it rains it pours, and I don’t mean that recent hurricane.Among the plant identification requests we got last week here in the Herbarium, there were three separate questions about this very odd plant. I can’t quite figure out if it is...
Glancing At Leaves
Glancing At Leaves Tom Poland Posted 9/6/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThis time of year I catch myself glancing at leaves. On walks through woods and bike rides along trails, I see the occasional red leaf. I glance again and see a few more leaves turning crimson. Soon red outnumbers green....
Jimmy Buffett RIP
Stuart Neiman Cartoon: Jimmy Buffett RIP Posted 9/6/23By Stuart Neiman This content is being shared through the S.C. News Exchange and is for use in SCPA member publications. Please use appropriate bylines and credit line
Catching Up With Lou Miller
Catching Up With Lou Miller Tom Poland Posted 8/30/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netNo. 87 lay on Buddy Bufford Field as still as a stone. Louis Miller, senior end, had broken ribs, but better days lay ahead. The undefeated Red Devils would beat Dade County to claim the 1960 Class C...
Take steps now to report on 2024 budgets
Take steps now to report on 2024 budgets Published August 18, 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant We’re more than halfway into 2023, and many local governments are well involved in exploring 2024 budgets. Are your newsrooms aware of the process? Are you keeping readers abreast of the dynamics?It’s not...
Learning Along The Estuary
Learning Along The Estuary Tom Poland Posted 8/15/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThe children of Sandy Island board a school bus boat for an eight-minute journey across the Waccamaw River to the mainland. There, they ride a traditional bus to public schools. A school bus boat brings to mind a floating...
Get more mileage out of testimonials
Get more mileage out of testimonials By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Back in my ad agency days, I worked with a real estate client on a series of customer testimonials. We started with one, then added another and another. The final count was more than a dozen, which kept the...
Blink Book Review #9: “Pops: Learning to be a Son and Father” by Craig Melvin
Blink Book Review #9: "Pops: Learning to be a Son and Father" by Craig Melvin Reba Campbell Posted 8/10/23By Reba CampbellStories of local folks who’ve found national acclaim always interest me. And if they’re in the world of journalism or politics even more so. That’s part of the reason I...
Waterfall Country
Waterfall Country Tom Poland Posted 8/9/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSeveral hikes proved easy. One proved tougher than nails. By the time we made it to the third waterfall of the day, an idea had firmly cemented itself. “Hiking to waterfalls is a grueling form of physical conditioning. Mountain terrain is...
Hartsville’s Duffee making the most of post-‘Idol’ opportunities
Hartsville’s Duffee making the most of post-‘Idol’ opportunities Posted 8/9/23By Bob Sloanrsloan@scnow.comWhen Preston Duffee takes the outdoor stage for Hartsville’s Downtown Block Party on Aug. 18, it will be yet another checkmark on a list of dreams accomplished.“I can remember when I was about 15 and Hartsville held an All-American...
The Miraculous Green Lizard
The Miraculous Green Lizard Tom Poland Posted 8/9/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netWe call it a lizard, except it’s not. It’s an anole, and it can re-grow its tail, “regenerate” in the words of scientists. Think about that. Something else to consider, the connection between a napkin holder I gave my...
Blink Book Review #8: “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Blink Book Review #8: "The Personal Librarian" by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray Reba Campbell Posted 8/2/23By Reba Campbell“The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray was such a delightful surprise. Historical fiction isn’t normally my top reading choice, but to stay true to one of my...
Touch your readers with sensory words
Touch your readers with sensory words By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach You may remember onomatopoeic words from the 10th grade.These words express sounds such as to squeal or whoosh.There’s a different, more subtle category of words, says writing coach Henneke Duistermaat. Visual words for sight allow you to paint vibrant (or...
Ad lessons from a wall poster
Ad lessons from a wall poster By John Foust, Advertising Trainer I remember going to the opthalmologist a few years ago for my regular eye checkup. In the exam room, there was a large poster on the wall which featured a number of photographs of the same view of New...
The Ruins Of Chappels
The Ruins Of Chappels Tom Poland Posted 7/19/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netHighway 34. It’s my route east to places like Ninety-Six, Abbeville, and Greenwood. When I drive Highway 34, I’m in my element—the back roads, but some back roads don’t easily give up their secrets. I’ve written that you can...
The Air Collision Time Forgot
The Air Collision Time Forgot Tom Poland Posted 7/10/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI visit forgotten churches more than the church I call my own. I feel a haunting at an unfrequented church, a poignant peaceful feeling. I see pews, a pulpit, and the occasional piano. A hymnal now and then....
Blink Book Review #5: “Newsroom Confidential – Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life” by Margaret Sullivan
Blink Book Review #5: “Newsroom Confidential – Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life” by Margaret Sullivan Reba Campbell Posted 6/30/23 By Reba Campbell As a lifelong news nerd, I love reading about the machinations of a newsroom – How do news stories actually get to the front page? Who...
Bonus Blink Book Review: “Grace Will Lead Us Home” by Jennifer Berry Hawes
Bonus Blink Book Review: “Grace Will Lead Us Home” by Jennifer Berry Hawes Reba Campbell Posted 6/29/23By Reba CampbellRarely does a book appeal to all my “reading” senses – beautifully written, important message, compelling story and human connections. “Grace Will Lead Us Home” about the shootings at Mother Emanuel A.M.E....
Read like a writer
Read like a writer By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach Sounds simple, doesn’t it. You are already a writer.But think about it. Whenever you read – and it should be daily – think like a writer.Pay attention to what the writers are doing, how they hold your attention and keep you reading....
Outdoor Men Of Letters
Outdoor Men Of Letters Tom Poland Posted 6/29/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netBeing a native Georgian, I didn’t grow up reading South Carolina writers. Nor do I recall reading Georgia writers, but I read a lot. Hemmed in as I was by strict parenting and Georgia woodlands, magazines and books connected...
Blink Book Review #4: “Our Best Intentions” by Vibhuti Jain
Blink Book Review #4: "Our Best Intentions" by Vibhuti Jain Reba Campbell Posted 6/28/23By Reba Campbell"Our Best Intentions” by Vibhuti Jain revolves around an Indian immigrant family living in a small, well-to-do New York suburb. The father, Barbur Singh, is raising his teen-aged daughter, Angela, alone after his wife abandons...
A Scrape In The Sand
A Scrape In The Sand Tom Poland Posted 6/28/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSand washes away. Memories last forever.The year was 1982. That would have been South Carolina Wildlife magazines 28th anniversary. I worked in film then and I felt I was part of the magazine staff though I wasn’t. While...
The Beach That Was
The Beach That Was Tom Poland Posted 6/26/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netFrom afar the skyline looks like that of a city, and it is. Myrtle Beach’s skyline of hotels seems to dwarf the skyline of all other South Carolina cities. It even has a SkyWheel similar to Atlanta’s SkyView Ferris...
Blink Book Review #3: “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Blink Book Review #3: “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid Reba Campbell Posted 6/26/23By Reba CampbellMy dream has long been to quit life and join the band. While I’ve taken up music lessons in recent years, this book allowed me to vicariously live out that dream without...
Keep it simple in sports writing
Keep it simple in sports writing By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach Writing about a sport for those who don’t understand the sport is a challenge. Most writers figure they are writing for fans as familiar with the game as they are.John McPhee, author of A Sense of Where You Are and...
Yes, we need white space
Yes, we need white space By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach In a black and white movie, you want shadow and light.In a color movie, you want vibrant colors.Without these, they would be unwatchable movies.The same is true of your own writing – and reading.You want short words, short sentences, short...
Stories within your stories
Stories within your stories By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach Anecdotes are a vital part of compelling storytelling. These are small stories that may open or close your larger story.They also can appear almost anywhere in the middle.John McPhee used an anecdote in a New Yorker article about environmentalist Edward Abbey.In his book, Abbey wrote...
Writing life stories
Writing life stories By Jerry Bellune, Writing Coach To their families, obituaries are final chapters in the lives of those they love.For many, obituaries mark their loved ones’ release from pain.For others, it is the winding down of long and fruitful lives.For the unfortunate, they are wrenching, unwelcome nightmares, whether...
Don’t sell your clients short
Don’t sell your clients short By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Gene told me about an experience he had when he was fundraising for the Boy Scouts. “I was young and completely sold on the value of scouting because some years earlier I had earned the designations of Eagle Scout and...
Blink Book Review #2: “Life in Five Senses” by Gretchen Rubin
Blink Book Review #2: “Life in Five Senses” by Gretchen Rubin Reba Campbell Posted 6/21/23By Reba CampbellIs there anything that we take for granted more than the power of our five senses? Gretchen Rubin’s new book, “Life in Five Senses, How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head...
Lone Star, The Rambling Ghost
Lone Star, The Rambling Ghost Tom Poland Posted 6/14/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI’ve long felt that two of South Carolina’s prettier community names are Silverstreet and Lone Star. Silverstreet I’ve seen many times. Those names, evocative and atmospheric, charm the ear. One conjures up biblical streets of gold; the other...
My Father’s Failed Quest
My Father's Failed Quest Tom Poland Posted 6/12/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netDad had a saying. “I won’t let it whip me.” He prevailed over stubborn bolts, obstinate lawn mowers, welding projects, and just about anything that crossed his path, except one small, elusive critter. Hummingbirds. Oh he had no problem...
Report for America is looking for rural newspapers
INTO THE ISSUES Report for America is looking for rural newspapers Published June 7, 2023 By Al Cross Rural newspapers are missing out on a great deal — subsidized, eager, young reporters who can boost coverage and build the paper’s brand as a public service.The deal comes from Report for...
My Good Friend, Steve Blackmon
My Good Friend, Steve Blackmon Tom Poland Posted 6/5/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThe writing life introduces me to some memorable people. Steve Blackmon found me when his daughter, Myra, read my feature, “Remembering Danburg,” in an online journal of Southern culture. She told her father about my story and Steve...
Sweet Talk
Everything and Nothing: Sweet Talk Aïda Rogers Posted 6/1/23By Aïda RogersThere’s not much my friend Kathy and I don’t talk about. Somehow, though, we always end up on the topic of sweets. Usually it’s whatever ice cream flavor she’s discovered and what I’m mixing with my nonfat plain Greek yogurt to...
Blink Book Review #1: “The Art of Calm” by Roger Hutchison
Blink Book Review #1: "The Art of Calm" by Roger Hutchison Reba Campbell Posted 6/1/23By Reba CampbellRoger Hutchison’s recently released book “The Art of Calm” is the perfect mix of thought-provoking, immensely readable, practical and insightful helping bring new awareness to our daily lives.The book is structured around Roger’s journey...
Chasing The Ivorybill
Chasing The Ivorybill Tom Poland Posted 5/30/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.net“Chasing the Swamp Ghost” caught my eye, and I read Garden & Gun’s feature about photographer Bobby Harrison’s quest to capture irrefutable evidence that the ivorybill woodpecker still lives. As I read, I came across a vague reference to the...
My SC Wildlife Dream Machine
My SC Wildlife Dream Machine Tom Poland Posted 5/25/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI grew up in a large hardwood forest in Georgia, and I rambled in woods every chance I got. I saw deer, wild turkey, ducks, and coveys of quail. When they flushed, it sounded like a bomb going...
The Day The Sky Fell
The Day The Sky Fell Tom Poland Posted 5/23/23 By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netA beautiful blue-sky afternoon it was. As I walked back from my mailbox a freshly killed squirrel with half its head missing fell right in front of me. What a shock. I looked up to see a red-shouldered...
A Favorite Place
A Favorite Place Tom Poland Posted 5/23/23 By Tom Poland A Southern Writer www.tompoland.net tompol@earthlink.net Each spring I write of three places, three beautiful places where colonies of rocky shoals spider lilies bloom. One is quite accessible; one is perhaps the world’s largest colony, and the other, though difficult to...
What makes an ad campaign?
What makes an ad campaign? By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Amanda told me about taking over the advertising account of a business which had been placing ads in her paper for a long time. “In our first meeting, the owner said he had been running what he called a ‘campaign’...
Mystery Plant! #722
Mystery Plant! #722 John Nelson Posted 5/10/23 By John Nelson johnbnelson@sc.rr.com All of the maple trees of the world belong to a genus which has been named “Acer”. There are well over 100 different species, and practically all of them are native to the northern hemisphere. Maples play an important...
20 Lessons Learned: From Diploma to Today
20 Lessons Learned: From Diploma to Today Reba Campbell Posted 5/10/23 By Reba Campbell ‘Tis the season for college graduations. USC’s recent graduation weekend makes me realize I walked across the Carolina Coliseum stage 40 years ago to pick up my Journalism degree. Several days later, I packed my car...
States build support for newspapers; how to tell your story
INTO THE ISSUES States build support for newspapers; how to tell your story Published May 9, 2023 By Al Cross Newspapers and other local media seeking help through changes in government policies have turned their attention to state governments, after coming close last year in a Congress that is now...
When A Church Dies
When A Church Dies Tom Poland Posted 5/4/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSome linger in woods. Some stand, for now, at the end or side of a dirt road. Some hide behind other buildings, and some haunt the edge of hamlets and villages.Abandoned churches. How does a church die? I know...
A Story Of Music, Trees, And Family By Two Sons Of The American South
A Story Of Music, Trees, And Family By Two Sons Of The American South Tom Poland 1/19/23 By Tom Poland A Southern Writer www.tompoland.net tompol@earthlink.net On a January day in 2019 I met Chuck Leavell in Georgia’s geographic center. We met to write a magazine cover story. Our story would...