irvinjgdm, Author at From the Write Side

December: J.A. SMITH

December is a month filled with anticipation and expectation, with wonder and magic. To celebrate these days, I'd like to introduce you to J.A. Smith, more familiarly known as Jeannie, my friend and a fellow writer whose first children's book- Poppa's Treasures -- was released at the end of November. Smith is a retired educator, having taught French in grades 7-12 for more than 33 years. She and her husband have been married for 51 years and have two sons and two "extra-special" grandchildren. A [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-11-30T20:39:54+00:00November 30th, 2023|Author of the Month|0 Comments

As the Old Year Ends

As the Old Year Ends When the cold of December knocks the warmth from my skin, and the trees turn burnt umber and the fields cease their bright goldenrod grins, I grease trays with butter, trim the mantel, light the fire, and dance to the beat of my heart's keen desire: that peace comes dripping, an icicle flow, that joy, like an echo, will follow and grow, that anger will mellow in the fire's red holiday glow, and that all who abide, hurting, will find [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-11-30T20:31:37+00:00November 30th, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

Only the Good

The Autumn Blaze maple in the backyard spreads its glory across the wildflower garden for most of the month of October. While the vegetable and wildflower beds have withered and the tree withdraws into its winter coma, I am blessed with beauty at every turn. Then the rain comes, and the leaves scatter across the grass, laying down a layer of compost for next year. I savor the splendor of a season well-lived, of plans made and revised, of goals reached and not reached. My [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-10-31T17:51:09+00:00October 31st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

November: JUDE WALSH

Welcome, Readers, to the November edition of my Book Nook. This month I'm featuring a woman who crafts memoir pieces guaranteed to lift the spirit and provide guidance for the weary of heart -- Jude Walsh, author of Post Divorce Bliss: Ending Us and Finding Me. Walsh is a writer and a creativity and mindset coach. With a doctorate degree in education, she is as comfortable in a classroom as she is in a lecture hall, bringing her unique perspective on life to receptive audiences. [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-11-01T12:08:10+00:00October 31st, 2023|Author of the Month|0 Comments

Of Traveling and Time

Going on any trip is time traveling. Think about it. The car, train, plane, or bus speeds through time, carrying us forward into the future or backward into the past. Our trip to the British Isles brought this home more abruptly than ever as we journeyed from London in the now to Straford-On-Avon and into William Shakespeare's childhood home. Our odyssey took us to Glasgow, Edinborough, Belfast, Dublin, and Cardiff, treading the stones of past history and ongoing political endeavors. We ended the tour at [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-10-02T16:41:16+00:00October 2nd, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

October: DR. BOIKAI TWE

Dr. Boikai Twe is the author of Which Way Liberia? The Gun or the Book? and Grona Boy Go Zion A Roadmap to African Psychology. Due to health issues, Dr. Twe was unable to complete our interview. However, you are encouraged to research his offerings and find out why he was recognized as a Dayton Skyscraper, an artistic tribute to African-American Heroes of Dayton and the Miami Valley Region. Dr.Twe is best known for his passion for African literature and psychology and is intentional about [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-10-02T16:18:06+00:00October 2nd, 2023|Author of the Month|0 Comments

September and the Relentless March of Time

September always makes me think about Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves setting off on an adventure, his furry hobbit feet and their sturdy dwarf ones whispering through the long grasses of the fields bordering the Shire. Perhaps it's because the prairie beyond our home waves at me each morning, the hummingbirds come to feed, and the app on my phone records the slowly departing birdsong that has sustained me throughout the lovely summer days. There is a hint of mystery in the lessening of daylight, [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-08-31T16:20:26+00:00August 31st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

September: RUTH DUDLEY EDWARDS

When I met author Ruth Dudley Edwards at the PrimeCrime Conference in 2022 in Indianapolis, I immediately knew I wanted to interview her. What I didn't know was that she would be the featured author in September of 2023, the same month I would be traveling to the British Isles for the first time! Nor did I know that I would be in London and have the opportunity to meet her at her favorite café in Covent Garden. Wow! The universe sends gifts when one [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-08-31T17:05:37+00:00August 31st, 2023|Author of the Month|0 Comments

August Reverie

This is my August reverie... There is never a perfect time to ponder one's direction in life. After all, those chores won't do themselves. The workload won't ease up. The needs, wants, demands, and fears of the world conspire to pull us from contemplation into action. But on a hot summer night when the sky glows with sunset smiles and the fireflies ease from their day nests to grace the darkness and the bullfrog on the edge of the pond announces his dominance, I find [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-07-31T16:09:49+00:00July 31st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

August Author of the Month: De’Shawna Yamini

One of the responsibilities of being a writer is giving back to the community that has nurtured me. One of the best ways to do that is to champion new writers when they begin their writing careers. It is always a privilege to discover someone whose passion for a topic had compelled them to write a story that will help others. So this month, I'm so pleased to introduce readers to De'Shawna Yamini. Yamini is a lifelong resident of the Dayton, Ohio, area and a [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-07-31T15:53:36+00:00July 31st, 2023|Author of the Month|0 Comments

Tales from My Reading and Writing Life

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