“After leaving an air show just before a crash, and reading an article about our government’s increasing reliance on drones, I imagined this column written by a witness to a flying robot crash in a future air show.” — R.W. Bonn
Watt’s Gospel at the Farmer’s Market
Stop and talk to Watt Childress (who founded this website) any day at Jupiter’s Books in Cannon Beach and you’ll hear the gospel of community. The good news that our community is full of talent and special people and that we have much to give each other if we would find ways to share. Upper […]
Playing With Fire (Short Fiction)
This short story was inspired by my frequent and prolonged contact with my Kindle Fire. I’ll let you figure out how and post your guesses! Pondering this particular ‘relationship’ summoned the image of a prehistoric boy slipping into a cave and the rest flowed from there. Hope you enjoy!
Surfing Pop Culture: Dick Clark Presents…
Dick Clark was my first boss in Hollywood and, still, I almost never met the man. Deep within the ivy-covered brick walls of his Burbank building, I would nervously peek into his office on my way to the copier. He was often obscured by paper, people streaming in and out, or his two giant dogs who sniffed me like they owned the place. But I never entered until the day I delivered a memo.
To a Mentor Lost…From a Child Found
Out of darkness and balloons, Jim Young stepped into my life. It was Intro to Theater, freshman year, and I had slid from harsh daylight into a darkened womb called Arena Theater, a black box theater at Wheaton College in Illinois. The balloons were tied to the floor, suspended mid-air, so that we had to walk through them like trees…
River Running Still
The river gurgled next to him, spilling over its bank and sinking into the sand beneath glistening twigs and pine needles. He looked back at its bend and watched ripples gallop like horses down the stretch. With water flowing in from the ocean, however, it gave the curious perception of fast flowing waves standing still.
Surfing Pop Culture: Searching For Rainbows
The first time I heard the opening banjo notes of The Rainbow Connection coming from a frog on a stump in the swamp, I was ten years old and sitting transfixed in the old Admiral Theater in Bremerton, Washington, watching The Muppet Movie. That was a palace with its marquee rimmed by lightning-trapped bulbs, a real ticket booth, a slanted hall with cavernous ceilings, balcony, and cushioned seats. [Read More]
Surfing Pop Culture: The Globes Are Golden Again
The Golden Globes will always hold a special place in my heart. See, I was at the Beverly Hilton as a Production Assistant for the 50th Annual Golden Globes. A night of glory. My first Hollywood job. The first time the curtain fell – or, rather, the screen. You know the one. Between audience and […]
Surfing Pop Culture: 3D or Not 3D?
Just over a month ago, our movie theater in Astoria added a 3D projector. Finally, coastal cinephiles need not drive the 69 miles to Hillsboro to see the splendors of multi-dimensional cinema (and I’m mostly talking about the visual technology, not the depth of story or theme). And, boy, is it worth the extra three bucks in my opinion.
Surfing Pop Culture: Gaga Over Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving cheer and inspiration came from an unlikely source for me this year – “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving” which aired on ABC Thanksgiving night. And while I can in no way be labeled a ‘little monster’ (as she calls her true fans), I admit to being wooed by this 25-year-old superstar.