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Indie Exodus

May 18, 2016 by Watt Childress 9 Comments

Today I went to the Secretary of State’s voter webpage and changed my registration to Independent. A mass civic migration over the coming weeks and months could have volcanic political consequences. [Read More]

Filed Under: Featured Writing, Politics Tagged With: Bernie Sanders, Independent Party, Oregon

Let’s Remodel the Housing Market

May 5, 2016 by Watt Childress Leave a Comment

Before we rush to enlarge our urban footprint, we should make more efficient use of our existing built environment. [Read More]

Filed Under: Culture, Featured Writing Tagged With: affordable housing

Legacy of a playful local resistance

October 13, 2015 by Watt Childress 4 Comments

Forever playful, John Fraser. In communities where people approach life with a bit of whimsy, his kind of disposition becomes part of our civic identity. If neglected, we are easily overrun by tedium. [Read More]

Filed Under: Art, Featured Writing Tagged With: Cannon Beach, John Fraser, Juan Man Band

Make Good Deals

August 12, 2015 by Watt Childress 5 Comments

Trade is an old reason to gather round the table. Two deals now focus our attention. One seeks to relax trade sanctions on Iran in exchange for a halt to nuclear armament. The other seeks to liberalize trade among Pacific-rim nations in exchange for, well, we haven’t been told yet. [Read More]

Filed Under: Featured Writing, Politics, Spirit Tagged With: Iran nuclear deal, Israel, trade policy, Trans-Pacific Partnership

Sentences

July 6, 2015 by Watt Childress 2 Comments

Minds dip all day into words,
seining food from conversations
and roving stacks of books.
We gather, compose, revise —
slowly meaning more.
[Read More]

Filed Under: Art, Poetry, ULE

Indie Strum at Jupiter’s

May 15, 2015 by Watt Childress 2 Comments

Indie authors exude do-it-yourself spunk. They’ve learned to sustain their creative work with internal drive and direct contact with readers.[Read More]

Filed Under: Books, Featured Writing

Return to the scene of our baptism

April 2, 2015 by Watt Childress 3 Comments

A little oasis lives in the city of man,
a place insiders drink to divinity.
Their libations skim the surface bare —
lauding scapegoats, mocking strangers.

Filed Under: Poetry, Spirit, ULE

Waddling toward Jerusalem

March 22, 2015 by Watt Childress 2 Comments

There are two ways of viewing the idea of sacrifice in human culture. One is a selfless gift or a waiver of gratification. The other involves a taking of life for personal gain. [Read More]

Filed Under: Nature, Spirit, ULE

Portland pays an old debt of gratitude to Billy Hults

November 9, 2014 by Watt Childress 1 Comment

It’s taken three decades for Billy to receive public recognition for the magic he stirred up in Portland. He’s been honored as a “side player” by the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, an eight-year-old organization that few musicians here on the coast have heard of. Better late than never, some might say. Lessons can be gleaned from the lag time. [Read More]

Filed Under: Featured Writing, Song and Dance

Psyche combs the clearcut for lost souls

October 30, 2014 by Watt Childress Leave a Comment

After the cutters were finished, 50 acres of forested watershed near our home was pretty much gone. Familiar habitat was replaced by strips of trees surrounded by stumps, slash, and orderly heaps of logs — cash crop to grease the skids of our consumption. Read More

Filed Under: Books, Culture, Featured Writing, Nature

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More Gleanings

Memoir

February 13, 2026 By Steven Mayer Leave a Comment

End of the Street

August 4, 2025 By Steven Mayer 2 Comments

Here Try Some of This Ointment

April 17, 2024 By Watt Childress 4 Comments

We are the Luminaries

August 8, 2023 By Watt Childress 2 Comments

Open Letter for Creation’s Caregivers

June 19, 2023 By Watt Childress 5 Comments

Additional Wisdom...

Readers’ Comments

  • Watt Childress
    June 13, 2026 at 2:40 pm
    on Reverend Billy wants Oregon to Legalize Potlucks
    I can see how one comes to that conclusion, given all the frustration that accompanies disempowerment. Here's a truth that
  • DHCG
    June 7, 2026 at 2:49 pm
    on Reverend Billy wants Oregon to Legalize Potlucks
    “ They could encourage togetherness by example, tee-up other practical reforms to help free folks from the overreach of top-down
  • Susan Banyas
    June 7, 2026 at 11:00 am
    on Opening the Book of Indigenous Grief
    "The future is made from grief that has been grieved." Thank you Cliff. Thank you Little People, for this gift
  • Watt Childress
    June 6, 2026 at 4:18 pm
    on Reverend Billy wants Oregon to Legalize Potlucks
    I imagine most members of city and county governments here on the coast support open community potlucks. It would help
  • Watt Childress
    June 6, 2026 at 4:13 pm
    on Reverend Billy wants Oregon to Legalize Potlucks
    I'd like to believe it would never get to that point, where someone would be penalized with a fine and/or
More Comments...

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