There was a graduation ceremony recently in Springfield. Nothing unusual about that, especially this time of year. But the setting — the back yard of 830 S. College Ave. — was remarkable, as was the school holding it. The occasion was the conclusion of the first year of the Heartland Peace Academy, sponsored by the […]
Will Burpee
Posted inNews
Ten years after
Bob Bartel remembers the trip that gave birth to what became the Poets and Writers Literary Forum of Springfield. “My wife, Janice,and I visited New York in 1993. We toured coffee shops in Greenwich Village that had poetry readings seven days a week. The very first place I read was in a church basement. The […]
Posted inNews
The action Faction
“They eat, they drink, they read, they talk.” Siobhan Pitchford’s description of the group she and her husband, David, co-host, if a bit concise, sums up what takes place when it meets. The Fiction Faction is a small group of writers — currently five — who meet twice monthly to share examples of their work, […]
Posted inNews
Keeping it real
Wally Hartshorn still remembers his first reaction when a friend suggested they organize a group to explore paranormal claims and fringe science. “I thought it would be a lot of work,” Hartshorn recalls. David Bloomberg, who had floated the idea, laughed. “How much work can it be? A couple meetings, put out a newsletter – […]
Posted inOpinion
“The Last Great Radio Show”
You might not remember it–the show last aired more than 25 years ago–but for those who do recall Monitor the memories are vivid. Depending on the listeners, they’ll cite the celebrity hosts, the improvised comedy sketches, or the nonstop flow of news, sports, and music. Most recall the theme–a series of beeps and tones known […]
