The little town of Montrose, Pennsylvania, in Susquehanna County sometimes seems part myth, part truth. There’s some great stories and amazing characters that have called this place home, but nestled amongst the truth, we often find misinformation about the town. Over the years, I have tried to correct some of these misconceptions, but nevertheless, they …
Continue reading "The Naming of Montrose, Pennsylvania, and Other Misinformation"
Above one of the classroom doors in my high school, there’s a well-known quote credited to Thoreau that so many of us have heard over the years: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagine.” No doubt, it’s a beautiful sentiment. And yet every time I pass that classroom, I …
Continue reading "Transcendentalism and the Problem of Misquotation"
Here's one more poem for April, National Poetry Month, and especially for these "damp and foggy" days in the northern tier of Pennsylvania.
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.
When winter grows in me and I stir in the morning at the least word in anger at what I have done and what my children do I search and hope for longer days where the light rings with new life I yearn for the yellow of forsythia that blooms beside our house in the …
The White Whale 