• Feature

    Nov. 21, 1998: Character

    November 17, 2013 - By 

    In November of 1998, Beth and I were living in our Barrington Way townhome in Glendale, California, which hosted us and our cats nicely enough through a very exciting and challenging time. Going back to Arc of the Poet, that was our critical California move in the so-called “Fame and Fortune” era. While I was extremely thankful at that time to have landed on the staff of Crest National in Hollywood, my film industry dreams were still very personal, and I pressed on to the best of my abilities on every front. Externally, I continued to “swing for the fence”…

  • Feature

    Arc of the Poet, Part 15: Being

    October 1, 2011 - By 

    Ramble January 17, 2008: #17 January 18, 2008: #16 February 1, 2009: #10 April 27, 2009: #9 October 3, 2009: #8 May 9, 2010: #7 August 18, 2010: #6 Arc of the Poet, Part 14: Ramblings (#5) Arc of the Poet, Part 15: Being (#4-#2) Arc of the Poet Part 1: Life Poetry Part 2: Tour de Force Part 3: True Love Part 4: Spinning Out Part 5: Wake-Up Call Part 6: Serious Dreams Part 7: Home Stretch Part 8: Feedback Part 9: Dear Departures Part 10: Good Poetry Part 11: Rewrites Part 12: Resistance Part 13: Fame and Fortune…

  • Feature

    Arc of the Poet, Part 14: Ramblings

    August 27, 2011 - By 

    Ramble January 17, 2008: #17 January 18, 2008: #16 February 1, 2009: #10 April 27, 2009: #9 October 3, 2009: #8 May 9, 2010: #7 August 18, 2010: #6 Arc of the Poet, Part 14: Ramblings (#5) Arc of the Poet, Part 15: Being (#4-#2) Arc of the Poet Part 1: Life Poetry Part 2: Tour de Force Part 3: True Love Part 4: Spinning Out Part 5: Wake-Up Call Part 6: Serious Dreams Part 7: Home Stretch Part 8: Feedback Part 9: Dear Departures Part 10: Good Poetry Part 11: Rewrites Part 12: Resistance Part 13: Fame and Fortune…

  • Feature

    May 9, 2010: Granny Bea Photo Tribute, Ramble #7

    May 9, 2010 - By 

    I’ve written here before about my “Ramble” creative writing project. On Dec. 30 of 2009, I sat down to write a Ramble entry for my late grandmother Beatrice Ridings, who was widely known to many as Granny Bea, Aunt Bea, or Ms. Ridings. I had two wonderful grandmothers who have now passed on, and luckily for me, Grandma Eileen Darnell, who we called Bam, was also tight with Granny Bea, so on more than one occasion, I was able to enjoy them both simultaneously. At long last, I have published a separate collection for Grandma Bam, and below, I am…

  • Feature

    February 1, 2009: Brother a keeper

    February 1, 2009 - By 

    Ramble #10 by Roger Darnell Every step of my life, you have been here. Our shared life experiences as siblings is what made me want it for my children… even with all we have been through, bro. I really can’t imagine my life without there being a big brother, and you being him. And now, on the verge of you achieving something monumentally spectacular and completely self-driven, I am awestruck, and exceedingly proud. Rock on. Ramble January 17, 2008: #17 January 18, 2008: #16 February 1, 2009: #10 April 27, 2009: #9 October 3, 2009: #8 May 9, 2010: #7…

  • Feature

    January 18, 2008: Soaking it all in…

    December 27, 2008 - By 

    Ramble #16 by Roger Darnell I haven’t logged in up at the top yet… I’m hardly qualified to be a poet tonight. It was a good day… a day with the kids. No less than Hickory Dickory Dock: The indoor recreational labyrinth of legend; it did not disappoint. Home, in the snows, well into our sixth Appalachian winter, our family joined the neighbors for dinner; they had other friends with kids join us. A night of merriment was enjoyed by all. Such a simple lifestyle, so warm, so fun. We are basking in it, and so are our two. Settled…

  • Feature

    January 17, 2008: Ramble #17

    June 3, 2008 - By 

    The ‘Bumper Crop’ series has at least one more entry, but requires a bit more work on my part before I can post the rest of the story. In the meantime, I wanted to share something from a more recent work. After we moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains almost exactly seven years ago, I found my creative writing energies more or less depleted. Soon, being a father added a new dimension to my life, and the one creative project that stayed on my agenda was to write an epic poem for Amelia, detailing the first day of her life…