I have a poem up at Leveler. It'll be up for one week.

I wrote the poem years ago in memory of my friend, Mandy Buchanan, who died after a fall from Cullowhee Falls. I had another friend who died in the same accident, but I haven't yet written anything for him.

The Editors of the journal have written a nice analysis of the poem. They note qualities of the poem I wasn't fully aware of when writing it, and they note qualities of the poem I was fully aware of when writing it, such as the role of repetition and reiteration. It's nice to see the Editors write so adequately about what I was attempting with the poem.

Dear Barack Obama,

I still believe in changing the political system and that there are ways to do so, but find your attempts too few or nonexistent. Also, you haven't followed through on promises made, e.g. closing Guantanamo. I think I would like my vote back.

Sincerely,
Chris

P.S.: I realize that the political system is a flawed organism and the task you set for yourself herculean, but still...

Dear James O'Keefe,

Just because you clandestinely taped one NPR executive expressing vitriol doesn't mean that you have "exposed the true hearts and minds of NPR and its executives." All you've done is "expose" the biases of one individual.

Your conclusion is an example of the Hasty Generalization fallacy. It may also be an example of the Biased Sample fallacy. In any event, use of such fallacies is ill-advised as they aren't logically sound, illustrating a deficiency in critical thinking ability. I'd suggest revising before people draw conclusions about you.

Sincerely,
C. S.

P. S.: Thank you for your hard work; exposing "true hearts and minds" via hidden cameras and elaborate skits isn't easy.

I'm in Waynesville, NC for Christmas. I grew up here. My moms lives here. If she didn't, I wouldn't come back. There wasn't much for me when I was here, and there isn't much for me when I return.

The town has changed, certainly. It's bigger, and there are more people. There are new police and fire stations. There are myriad arts and crafts stores (emphasis on crafts). There's a nice coffee roastery/cafe. There's a bookstore, Blue Ridge Books.

There used to be another bookstore, Osondu, where I gave a reading in 2009. I discovered today that Osondu closed because it'd been bought out by Blue Ridge Books. I was disappointed because a town needs more than one bookstore. It was comforting that Osondu had at least been taken over by another bookstore.