Author Archives: Tom Poland

I’d had the thought before. My Aunt Imelda (Jean to many) in upstate New York sent me an email that asked a simple question. “Do you ever think of writing a column about the people who literally keep our country … Continue reading →

Writer Tom Poland Gets His Kicks on Highway 76 And the taillights dissolve, in the coming of night … Sensing too well when the journey is done. There is no turning back … – Robert Plant In a way, the … Continue reading →

A rat and a cat. Those were two things my Grandfather Walker would not allow in his house. Well there’s one thing I won’t allow in my house. A politician. That’s why I change the channel when one of those … Continue reading →

An email came my way May 8 from one of you, the readers. It began “As I was reading your last column a thought occurred to me about families. There is a recurring theme in your columns. It is closeness … Continue reading →

I appreciate the education I got in Lincoln County, Georgia. I had good teachers, but being interested in Journalism, I especially remember four teachers: Helen Turner, Lib Estes who taught me as a substitute teacher, Alice Albea, and June Kelly. … Continue reading →

If you want to know what animals roam your land after sunset, you’ll need a drift fence, a sampling technique biologists favor. A drift fence is a fence of canvas or aluminum flashing, 18 inches or so high and as … Continue reading →

Sometimes Your Writing Comes Back To Haunt You Before I read Deliverance, before I saw the movie, I heard James Dickey read from his novel one evening at the University of South Carolina’s Longstreet Theater, a fitting place. Augustus Baldwin … Continue reading →

Across The Savannah Photo by Tom Poland I was on my way to buy sunflower seeds for my bird feeders, which the squirrels, especially, appreciate. Along the way, a vagabond perched near the interstate holding a sign, “Will work for … Continue reading →