Dec

23

Live And Let Live.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

December 23, 2008 | 3 Comments

“Gassing the woodchucks didn’t turn out right.
The knockout bomb from the Feed and Grain Exchange
was featured as merciful, quick at the bone
and the case we had against them was airtight,
both exits shoehorned shut with puddingstone,
but they had a sub-sub-basement out of range.”
- Maxine Kumin, “Woodchucks”
I have a contract with the squirrels. It’s understood by both [...]

Nov

14

Halloween At The Library.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

November 14, 2008 | 4 Comments

I can finally provide some of the promised video of the special storytelling event at the Vanderbilt University Library on October 30th. Storyteller Boone Westfall told some very funny and some very chilling stories. I acted as photographer and videographer for the event. And here I am reading Tim Burton’s poem Vincent, which was done [...]

Nov

1

Word Of The Week: November 1st, 2008

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

November 1, 2008 | 1 Comment

The term raptor really became popular because of Jurassic Park, even though there it was short for velociraptor. Anyone who knows birds, though, especially birds of prey, is familiar with the term because, from the Oxford English Dictionary, it’s “the name of an order of birds of prey, including the eagle, hawk, buzzard, owl, etc.” [...]

Oct

31

Telling Stories.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

October 31, 2008 | 4 Comments

Hi kids! This is quite possibly the scariest thing you’ll find at the library at 11 o’clock at night…a view right up my nose. As I mentioned previously there was a storytelling event at the Vanderbilt library last night. It was a great success. Everyone enjoyed the hot chocolate and getting to sit out [...]

Oct

31

Snake Charmer: A Ghost Story.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

October 31, 2008 | 1 Comment

There is a place in the mountains in Johnson County, Tennessee, called Rattlesnake Rock. In addition to finding rattlesnakes there, supposedly, on certain nights, you can hear a fiddle being played. The story of the mysterious fiddle player has been told in various books, including The Granny Curse by by Randy Russell and Janet Barnett [...]

Oct

8

Aftermath.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

October 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment

It’s strange, but, within a few days after the burning of Mario’s Italian Restaurant, I’d forgotten the event. And yet, as I took an afternoon walk to clear my head during a stressful day at work, I walked down toward Mario’s. There was a smell of wet ash on the wind, a reminder of the [...]

Sep

16

Burning.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

September 16, 2008 | 7 Comments

(Photo credit: Angel Craddock)
No pleasant tale shall ‘ere be told,
Nor things recounted done of old.
No Candle ‘ere shall shine in Thee,
Nor bridegroom’s voice ere heard shall bee.
In silence ever shalt thou lye;
Adieu, Adeiu; All’s vanity.

–Anne Bradstreet, “Upon the Burning of Our House - July 10th, 1666″
The strange thing about seeing [...]