I was devastated when John Prine died in April 2020. I’ve written about this experience in a previous post, and three years later, I still remember spending that evening with my daughter as we played some of his songs, looking for one to post on Facebook as a tribute. We finally decided on “Spanish Pipedream,” …
Continue reading "Jason Isbell and Writing a Song for John Prine"
It begins in high school. It begins with music. It begins with songs by Metallica, Slayer, and Black Sabbath. And it begins with a band, original music, writing lyrics. And yes, it begins in high school, but really it begins earlier. This Friday, October 20, is the NCTE’s National Day on Writing, which celebrates the …
I want to share a poem from my collection about Montrose, Pennsylvania. Maybe I’m feeling nostalgic. Maybe it's an easy way to get up on the horse again here at The White Whale. Maybe it’s just time. It’s been a long hiatus—nearly a year and a half without publishing to my blog. As some of …
The above headlined reached as far as Los Angeles, relating the hanging deaths of Cornelius Shew and James Eagan in Montrose, Pennsylvania, for the murder of Andrew J. Pepper, a wealthy Susquehanna County farmer, on January 9, 1900. The crime occurred the night of October 9, 1897, with both defendants claiming robbery as their motive …
Continue reading "A DOUBLE HANGING for Cold-Blooded Murder for Money"
April is National Poetry Month, and I didn't want the month to pass by without posting something historical thatI've written about Montrose. This poem is one of my favorites, and writing it, became a springboard for the rest of my poems about Montrose.
The White Whale 