All of It

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

National Poetry Month

This is National Poetry Month. Read poetry. Don't give it lip service. Read some. Go ahead. Now. Online. Google poetry. Or any poet you've ever heard about since birth. Or buy some online (this searches poetry on Amazon). Write a poem. Be funny. Be sad. Be sweet. Be...

Don’t Miss the Message

Don't miss the message. Otherwise, you might get bit by a snake. Where I live, it's a real warning, not merely a metaphor. I took the photo of this sign. Several other signs like this were through the park. Copperheads are the biggest, but not only threat. This isn't...

Rudy Trendl

That's my late dad, Rudy Trendl. More of a joke teller than witty, but as you can see, he had a smile ready to go. Here, he's celebrating his 80th birthday, some eight months before he died. He helped me professionally without realizing it. As founder and head coach...

Don’t Miss the Message

Rudy Trendl

Writing Through Thinking

WRITING TIP: I often write before I touch a keyboard. When I'm working with a client, I listen. I try to learn their voice and their message. Then I write the speech in my head. Actually, I don't write it. I deliver it to an imaginary audience. I'll speak...

On Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature. I don't know if he cares... or if he doesn't. We've never chatted. It is what it is. I'm a writer. Things like that catch my eye. What I like about it -- Bob getting the award -- is it caused a new look at his old work...

Reviewing Poetry Translations

Reviewing Poetry Translations Years back, I reviewed a number of translations: Hungarian-translated-into-English books. Mostly poetry. While I feel comfortable reviewing poetry in English, I realized how important to know Hungarian culture and history is. I know bits...

Language: Cussing, Swearing, and University Pastimes Involving the F-Bomb

Freshman year at Illinois State University... I redefined myself. Wasn't the first time I rebuilt my image, but the previous time, I fell into myself. No control. This time, I was in charge. I was smart, taking literature courses, I read Kerouac, Ginsberg, men of...

Rock Out To Creativity

As AC/DC sings, "For those about to rock, we salute you." I say, rock out and be free. Creativity is about controlled freedom. And it's about controlling freedom. Organizing it. Curating it. And it's about being free from control. All of that at once. As paradoxical...

In the News: Shepard Alumni Wants You

As the director of the Alan B. Shepard High School Alumni Association, I'm published in Patch. Shepard Alumni Wants You We are looking for alumni. Not just any alumni, but alumni from Alan B. Shepard High School. We've got events, humor, and a section for those who...