Most of us are weary of the same old story, wondering how we can do more than survive, take charge of our communities, be more gentle with ourselves and others, and protect our families and way of life. None of the political promises or economic success models have worked in our small towns. Investments and funding often benefit the few and not the many or use up our resources with no lasting local benefit. Nobody knows the answers anymore—too much is changing.
I have written for readers in and around central West Virginia for nearly 30 years. My words have appeared in publications at Glenville State University, The Calhoun Chronicle, The Hur Herald, The Trader’s Guide, The Charleston Anvil, Wonderful West Virginia Magazine, two local publications I no longer wish to endorse, and in Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine, which I produced and published for ten years.
I earned my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from West Virginia Wesleyan College and hold degrees in English, Journalism, and Liberal Arts. During my three decades in the donut hole of West Virginia, I have served as a public librarian, college professor, editor, copywriter, news reporter, tutor, career counselor, and in various other traditional employment positions.
But I am happiest on the farm, in the gardens, fields, and woods, and working remotely from my home studio. I write about local issues, life in rural Appalachia, homesteading, self-reliance, and spiritual growth. Your free subscription will get new posts sent to your email address and/or feature this publication in your Substack app.
Subscribe and Support:
Knowing how to care for ourselves and our families is a core part of our purpose in life. But we are also bound to contribute to our communities, help our neighbors, stand up to bullies, and hold leaders accountable. When you support TLR as a paid subscriber, you make room for more voices to be heard, more lessons to be learned, more questions to be asked, and more perspectives to be presented. If you can afford to do so, thank you for joining me as a paid subscriber.
Paid community members are the only readers who can comment on posts and they have full access to all life guides, eCourses, writing prompts, etc. For short-term, single-month access to these features, subscribe for $5 per month. To join the community in full, for full ongoing access, subscribe by the year for a mere $35.
Community expectations
We expect members of this community to treat each other with kindness and respect, and reserve the right to remove anyone we judge to have behaved uncivilly in this space. We do not tolerate racist, homophobic, transphobic, or ableist slurs.
Housekeeping
If you are buying an annual membership, please note that we are unable to offer refunds if you change your mind. If you are unsure, we recommend choosing a monthly membership, which can be canceled at any time.
We are unable to reply to personal messages. If you can’t find the newsletter, check your spam folder. And please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If the newsletter isn’t in your spam folder, either, you should look in the Promotions tab.
