“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” When I was a kid, that children’s chant was a talisman to protect us from the startlingly painful names that kids fling—Fatty, … [Read more...]
500 Words: The Answer, My Friend…
If you’re as old as I am, you’re already singing the next line in this iconic Dylan song. You also know that the answer “blowing in the wind” is both blindingly obvious and as ephemeral as a breeze … [Read more...]
500 Words: Fresh New Hell
The line “What fresh new hell is this?” was famously coined by the American critic Dorothy Parker when her writing was interrupted by the telephone. There’s something deeply true captured by Parker’s … [Read more...]
Let It Flutter
LET IT FLUTTER is a cooperative project of Wide Spot and the Slocan Lake Arts Council. During June, July, and early August, residents of the Slocan Lake area are invited to pick up flags from the Let … [Read more...]
500 Words: Moral Proximity
I am an avid reader; unlike my high-minded family and friends, however, I prefer novels to non-fiction. A well-written novel can introduce me to a whole new way of understanding the world, like … [Read more...]
500 Words: Close the Language Door
I thank my lucky stars (as my mom used to say) that I have a dog. Among other things, having a dog means that I am committed, no matter how somnolent, to an 11 p.m. walk every night around the front … [Read more...]