Category Archives: Uncategorized
Unsung Heroes
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
Notes From The Road
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
Run The Country Like It’s Your House
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
A Simple Rule To Live By
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
Look Homeward Angel
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
Drift Fences, Nighthawks, & Loneliness
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
Your Life Story
What if you knew you had six months to live? It’s a question I pose to students in a course I teach, “Memoir, Your Life Story.” What might you write about your time in this world? Think about that. My … Continue reading
James Dickey—231 Bullets
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
The Gathering Place—The Country Store
Across The Savannah You never see a true country store anymore. Changing times and interstate highways put them on the endangered species list and today weeds, kudzu, and pines advance through and over their empty shells. For decades, country stores … Continue reading
An Economy For The Birds
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