Bespoke

Reading & Writing

  • The Parable of Spud Dinkins

    Excerpt from the book Seven Hills: This story is fiction, though it feels true. One of my favorite childhood pictures shows me dropping a dime into an offering plate at Church. Mom, Dad, and my older sister watch solemnly as… Continue reading

  • Keep at it for Good

    I came across a short piece written by my good friend Kate Cutts. I hope you will read it. It made me think back to a line from the musical Wicked and the song, For Good. There are moments in… Continue reading

  • Near and Far

    I grew up in a world of rote learning. For instance, I once knew all the abbreviations for the states before someone got wise and decided you only need two letters for each state. Kansas was rendered as Kans. which… Continue reading

  • Unfound Doors

    I’m writing this from the 17th floor of a beach-side balcony with one eye on the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean and one eye on my screen. The sun rises in the east just like at home where Karen… Continue reading

  • April 4, 2020

    March 28  Questions of priority and sanity are framed in stark relief by cataclysm. For instance, “Why is it easier to buy marijuana than a good book these days?”, Wendy Paris asks in an LA Times article. Closer to home,… Continue reading

  • Singing with Al Green

    Karen and I were driving through Wisconsin farmland a couple of years ago, and I was overcome by pastoral splendor although it may have been too many cheese curds. I began singing America the Beautiful, like Ray Charles, because after all,… Continue reading

    Singing with Al Green

  • Pretty Good Romantic Quotes

    Last night, Karen and I snuggled up on the sofa with a soft throw and a cat named Boo while watching a Hallmark movie, “I do, I do, I do,” a plagiarized revisiting of the movie, “Ground Hog Day.” Here’s… Continue reading

  • A Good View of God

    I’m a home builder by trade, but when I grow up, I want to be a writer. Since writers publish books, that’s the next step. Bankruptcy is the one thing common to both writers and builders. While the financial poverty… Continue reading

  • New Book: Lay Down Your Guns

    Greg Taylor has written a compelling read about a remarkable person, Dr. Amanda Madrid. “Lay Down Your Guns” is a book about conviction, courage, and the power of tenacious love. It’s coming out in October 2013. GRT Released in October 2013Read ExcerptOrder from… Continue reading

  • The Funniest People: Tom Achey

    My brother-in-law lives near the edge of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. His 56-year-old hair lives on the edge of a Bon Jovi mullet and a Lynyrd Skynyrd hippy frazzle. His laid back demeanor along with the hair masks the… Continue reading