It’s times
like this when I know why I keep a blog. When I had regular writing gigs (which
became a soul-killing complication for me after 25 years), I kept regular
writing rhythms, telling one little story at a time. Now….I have these
explosions of inspiration that lead to a burst of ideas, and then I can go back
to the fiction and political analysis I’m working on the rest of the time.
Last week, I
went down to Okemah, Oklahoma to see a group of old friends and to finally
experience Woody Fest, which previously I’d only encountered during its end hootenanny.
I couldn’t stay the whole time, but what I experienced--with my brother James
McGraw, Blue Door owner Greg Johnson, singers and players Michael Fracasso,
Chris Buhalis, Marie Burns, Sarah Lee Guthrie, the Red Dirt Rangers, Terry
Ware, Gregg Standridge, Ronnie Elliott, Kevin Welch, Dustin Welch, writers Bill
Glahn, Daniel Wolff, Dave Marsh and Barry Ollman, encountering the important new book about the “deportees," Tim T. Hernandez's, All They Will Call You, and sharing the excitement with so many others—is fodder for dozens of
blogs. I’m resisting the urge to attempt a comprehensive one and focusing on
one thing at a time.
First up, a
review I wrote at Amazon.com regarding Daniel Wolff’s new book, Grown-Up Anger—
