Category: writing

‘The Quest: a Montanan’s Photographic Journey’ by Richard S. Buswell

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn books, writing

After it acquired Buswell’s complete works, the Montana Historical Society partnered with the University of Montana Press to bring those photographs out in The Quest.

From the Publisher

Richard S. Buswell has created images of some of Montana’s most haunting relics of the settler period. Ghost towns can have an eerie allure or architectural charm, but Buswell’s technique captures more than decrepit buildings and historic trash. To date, Buswell’s work has hung in exhibits worldwide, is held in over two hundred museum collections, nationally and internationally, and has been the focus of six books.

“The Quest” showcases seventy-one arresting photographs, a powerful collection that carries readers into an evocative and contemplative space where images of a deteriorating past are captured to bring out their hidden beauty. The abandoned material things of everyday life take on new energy through his camera lens, strange and wonderful. This is a journey between a receding past and the magical present.

About the Author

“The 78-year-old Buswell is retracing footsteps of his childhood, when he would go ghost-towning with his parents.

“In the past half-century, he’s carried a 42-pound backpack of camera equipment on his mostly lone sojourns on weekends.

“’Hiking alone has attuned me to sights and sounds that I would otherwise miss. The sound of quiet causes me to lose my hurry.’”

“During this photo career he’s taken a total of 534 photos. One year, “’I only took one photo,’” he said during an interview at his kitchen table in his Helena home with his wife Sue, who assisted with details of the book.

“Yale University and the Montana Historical Society are the only ones to buy his entire collection of photos; 232 other museums have partial collections.

“He also acknowledged he would never have been able to pursue this passion over the decades without Sue’s support.
“Working as a doctor during the week, he would hike to far-flung ghost towns in the mountains many weekends, while she took care of their three children and household.” – from The Independent Record.

–Malcolm

Good Plants: American Water Plantain

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn herbs, writing
USDA Photo

“A tall, spindly, many-branched aquatic with small white (rarely pink) flowers in whorls. In this typical emergent aquatic, the lower part is often submerged, while the upper part is exposed. Leaves formed underwater are ribbon-like and soon rot; they are seldom seen on adult plants. The bulb-like base of several species of Alisma was dried and eaten by Native Americans.

“Members of the Water-Plantain Family grow in water, in swamps, on muddy banks, or occasionally in wet sand. Each plant has long-petioled leaves in a clump with a flowering stem rising among them. The flowers have 3 green sepals, 3 white or pink-tinged petals, 6 or more stamens, and several pistils. Stamens and pistils may be in separate flowers.” – Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, “With their whorl of oval leaves with thick, ridged stems, water plantains look like gigantic versions of the plantains that commonly appear unwanted in yards. Water plantains are water-edge plants that bear large, elaborately branching stalks of tiny, white, three-petaled flowers.”

Edible Wild Food drawing

The plant, which grows fron one to thee feet,  can be found from Minnesota to Massachusetts and from there, south to Florida and Texas in ponds, seeps, marshes and other slow-moving water in full sunlight. Its broad leaves float on the water’s surface but are also found submerged; are more like ribbon when they form under water. The leaves and peitoles are toxic raw, but are considered edible after boiling. (Do not eat them or use as medicine without consuling a doctor or herbalist first.)

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies says water plantains have been used as a diuretic, help with bladder infections, applied directly to wounds to control bleeding and as a food helps lower cholesterol. Note: causes skin  and/or digestive tract irritation in some people.

Eat healthy after you’re sure of a plant.

–Malcolm

News sites seem to have an abnormal fascination with solstices and equinoxes

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn seasons, writing2 Comments

Every year it’s the same. Everyone and his and/or her brother writes a feature story about these times of the year as though we’ve never heard of them. That seems as unnecessary as writing an essay about why the sun rises and sets. Didn’t we learn about day and night and the seasons in grade school?

EarthySky headlines its 2024 vernal equinox page with: “March equinox 2024: All you need to know”

When it comes down to it, most of us don’t need to know anything unless we synchronize our planting with moon phases and the seasons. Otherwise, the day will come and go without notice, alien landings, frogs falling from the sky, or a higher than usual number of wild boar attacks in shopping malls.

USA TODAY headlines:

What to know about the 2024 vernal equinox that brings on a new season

The Associated Press says:

The spring equinox is here. What does that mean?

Does it embarrass you as a human being to be spoon-fed this kind of information every year? It should. If you didn’t learn it al in elementary school, weren’t you barraged with the whole story last year and the year before?

It’s hard to escape the news coverage.

–Malcolm

Old Books Provide Novelists With an Area’s Local Color

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn writing

A Tallahassee Girl, published in 1882 by Maurice Thompson (September 9, 1844 – February 15, 1901) is listed on Amazon as fiction. It reads more like non-fiction, and perhaps that has the author’s intent. Thompson was a busy naturalist who turned to writing books. You can read the story for free by checking this information page.  The original cover is shown here (right) and the current cover displayed on Amazon is shown on the left.

I did not buy the book at  Amazon’s $30 price, choosing to go to one of the free sites. As fiction, I found the story to be a plodding experience. Yet, if I were writing novels that touched on the early days of Florida’s capital city, I might find value in one of the free versions where I could take notes like a student in a history class. For a dash of local color, you can say in your story that a visitor to a friend’s house saw this book on the shelf potentially with others by Thompson.

You can find an overview of Thompson’s work in The Library of Southen Literature where the author likes his poetry best. Wikipedia’s entry begins: “James Maurice Thompson  was an American novelist, poet, essayist, archer, and naturalist.” He was quite prolific and is probably best known for two books about archery and for his bestseller Civil War novel Alice of Old  Vincennes.

Looking for local color takes a novelist on interesting journeys. I learned about this author while reading about the “so-called” Florida Volcano!

—Malcolm

The Cassadaga, Florida Devil’s Chair

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn folklore, writing

“The term devil’s chair (or haunted chair) in folklore is frequently attached to a class of funerary or memorial sculpture common in the United States during the nineteenth century and often associated with legend tripping. Nineteenth-century graveyards sometimes included carved chairs for the comfort of visitors. In this function, the object was known as a “mourning chair,” and cemeteries have since provided benches for similar purposes, most often movable units of the type used in parks, but also specimens in the tradition of the carved chairs.

“Some carved chairs were probably not intended for use as anything but monuments, while the “monubench” is still commercially available. Once the original purpose of these chairs fell out of fashion, superstitions developed in association with the act of sitting in them. In a typical example, local young people dare one another to visit the site, most often after dark, at midnight, or on some specified night such as Halloween or New Year’s Eve. Variously, the stories suggest the person brave enough to sit in the chair at such a time may be punished for impudence or rewarded for courage.” — Wikipedia

Florida’s  Creepy Urban Legends reports that “Cassadaga is known for being Florida’s spiritual center where thousands of psychics and clairvoyants gather year round to exercise their talents. As you might imagine, this spiritual haven is a hotbed of spiritual activity, though one particular site is known to send chills down your spine. Known as the Devil’s Chair of Cassadaga, many people in the community believe that if you sit in this chair late at night while no one is around the Devil will visit you. Better have a cold beer on hand because legend also has it that the Devil will be expecting one.”

According to the Serpent’s Pen, these stone chairs were originally called “Mourning Charis” and were placed near loved one’s graves use by family and friends who stopped by to pay their respects. The spooky legends began when these chairs or benches fell out of fashion and became objects of superstition.

One of the more notorious cemeteries has been Greenwood in Decatur, Illinois where my grandparents lived (in the town not the graveyard). In addition to numerous devil’s chairs,  the place was filled with ghostly lights and other weird stuff that we didn’t want to see at night.

Only in Your State says that Greenwood (shown here) is one of the most haunted sites in the country. “One of the most evil parts of the graveyard is the Civil War Memorial. It is said that a prison train carrying Confederate prisoners to camps went through this area and that many died from Yellow Fever while on board.”

I didn’t even like driving past Greenwood in the daytime. The same is true of the graveyard in Cassadaga. Some places are best left alone.  These Devil’s Chairs at Greenwood are such a place: they’re just asking for trouble. Or worse!

—Malcolm

‘The Florida Skunk Ape’ by Jacob Desjarlais

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn folklore, writing

“The skunk ape is a large and hairy human-like mythical creature purported to inhabit the forests and swamps in the southeastern United States, most notably in Florida. It is often compared to, synonymous with, or called the “cousin” of Bigfoot, a prominent subject within North American popular culture.

Many dubious articles have been presented in an attempt to prove the skunk ape’s existence, including anecdotal sightings, disputed photographs, audio and video recordings, and casts of large footprints. The majority of mainstream scientists have historically discounted the existence of the skunk ape, considering it to be the result of a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoax, rather than a living animal. The skunk ape has permeated into the popular culture of the southern United States, especially in Florida” – Wikipedia.

Books about Florida’s folklore often reference the Skunk Ape. Among those is a short Kindle book released in 2020 by Jacob Desjarlais that bills itself as “A Compete History” all in 26 pages.

From the Publisher

“Jacob Desjarlais grew up on the edges of the swamp less than 50 miles from where the original Skunk Ape sightings started popping up. The Skunk Ape, the stinky cousin of the Pacific Northwest’s Bigfoot, was the original Florida Man, known for bursting out of bushes and attacking cars. Desjarlais examines Skunk Ape sightings that pre-date Florida statehood as well as the history of the beast’s name. With a look at how breeding populations would work with the sustainability of the cryptid, fossil evidence, and even social media’s impact, Desjarlais leaves no fern unturned in his search for the possible realities behind the Skunk Ape myth. Through his investigation, he outlines who has been involved in furthering the myth and who could be profiting from it along the way.

“The Florida Skunk Ape: A Complete History is Book One in a series of Conspiracy Chapbooks written by Jacob Desjarlais that explore controversial subjects and outlines the history and ramifications of them. From who believes to who profits, Desjarlais investigates topics ranging from Skunk Apes and Ticks to the Panama Papers and Phantom Time.”

You can also find information about the critter at Shealys Skunk Ape Headquarters in Ochopee, FL.

–Malcolm

Good Plants: Black-Eyed Susan

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn herbs, writing

Black-eyed Susan is a member of the Aster/Sunflower Family and is found throughout eastern and central North America. It is also called brown-eyed Susan, hairy coneflower, gloriosa daisy brown Betty, yellow ox-eye daisy coneflower, poor-land daisy, and golden Jerusalem. The prefers full sun and moist to moderately dry soil.” –The Lost Book Of Herbal Remedies

Both an annual  (usually) and  a perennial the plant is 3-foot tall by 1.5 foot wide with alternate, coarse-haired leaves, branching stems off a single tap root, reproduces by seeds, and displays flowers in the fall with a brown/black center and yellow petals. It is toxic to cats, and probably some farm animals (cattle, sheep, pigs). The seeds are poisonous.

Wikipedia classifies the plant as follows:

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Rudbeckia
Species:
R. hirta

Its primary use is in parks and home gardens.

It has medical uses–taken under a doctor’s consultation, including, (according to Practical Self Reliance) “snakebites, earaches, and get rid of parasitic worms. It has a long history of treating colds and the flu, but fewer people turn to this popular wildflower for anything other than filling a glass vase over the last century.”

Poison Control warns that “it should not be eaten. It can cause allergic skin reactions and asthma attacks in people sensitive to the plant.” Consult a doctor or herbalist before experimenting with slack-eyed susans. This information is provided for historical usage.

–Malcolm

‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn writing

The Women was released this month by Kristin Hannah. That’s good news for those of us who love her work. According to Publishers Weekly, “Hannah’s emotionally charged page-turner (after The Four Winds) centers on a young nurse whose life is changed by the Vietnam War. Before Frankie McGrath begins basic training for the Army in 1966, her older brother Finley is killed in action. Frankie excels as a surgical nurse in Vietnam and becomes close with fellow nurses Ethel and Barb. After Ethel’s tour ends, Frankie and Barb gets assigned to the base at Pleiku, near the Cambodian border, where some of the heaviest fighting occurs. There, she reunites with Navy officer Rye Walsh, Finley’s best friend, and they become lovers. When Frankie returns to the U.S., she’s met with indifference for her service from her parents, who are still grieving her brother’s death, and disdain from people who oppose the war. She leans on alcohol and drugs while struggling to acclimate to civilian life. Though the situations and dialogue can feel contrived (Rye, after announcing he’s re-upping, says to Frankie at the close of a chapter, “I’m not leaving my girl”), Hannah’s depictions of Frankie tending to wounded soldiers are urgent and eye-opening, and a reunion of the three nurses for Frankie’s benefit is poignantly told. Fans of women’s historicals will enjoy this magnetic wartime story.”

From the Publisher

“Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

“As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

“But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

“The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.”

From the Author’s Website

“From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, comes the story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels―at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fueled by dreams and lost on the battlefield.”

“A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.”

–Malcolm

Putting that Hellhound into a Story

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn writing

Yesterday’s post about hellhounds represents the kind of research a writer does when s/he plans to use a legendary monster, magical helper, or mythical place in a story. First, determine what is known about the place creature and how the beliefs about it change from place to place. In my case, I want to know what makes a hellhound a hellhound and whether or not it’s different in the American South.

Basically, I think stories simply work better when they use attributes that generally fit the legends about the place, creature, or phenomenon because this matches the story to what people have heard and/or believe about the thing being described.

Naturally, authors are free to make up whatever they want, but the descriptions fall flat then they don’t link up to the readers’ general expectations about the critters or places. What I cannot forgive is the use of real places or real groups of people that don’t coincide with actual facts. For example, traditional witchcraft and Wicca are real, so the reality of these groups in a story needs to mesh with their beliefs and methods, not made-up stuff that doesn’t match the real world of these groups’ practices.

What’s real in the real world needs to stay real in the story. What’s mythical or folkloric in the real world needs to stay true to the parameters of the legends. Doing this makes for a better story and one that sounds true enough that readers think it could have happened.

–Malcolm

Of hellhounds

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn myth, writing2 Comments

“I got to keep movin’, I got to keep movin’Blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down like hailHmm-mmm, blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down like hail.” – From Robert Johnson’s blues song “Hellhound on My Trail”

“A hellhound is a mythological hound that embodies a guardian or a servant of hell, the devil, or the underworld. Hellhounds occur in mythologies around the world, with the best-known examples being Cerberus from Greek mythology, Garmr from Norse mythology, the black dogs of English folklore, and the fairy hounds of Celtic mythology. Physical characteristics vary, but they are commonly black, anomalously overgrown, supernaturally strong, and often have red eyes or are accompanied by flames.” – Wikipedia

Shown here, “Goddess Hel and the Hellhound Garmr by Johannes Gehrts, 1889.” Garmr guards the gate of Hel in Norse Mythology.

In Greek mythology, Cerberus guards the gates of hell and is called the hound of Hades. Typically, the hound is portrayed with three heads as is the dog guarding the depths of Hogwarts as shown in the Harry Potter film. The hound guards Hades’s gate to keep people from getting out.

In the U.S., a hellhound is said to guard the hanging hills at  Meriden, Connecticut, and was first mentioned by W. H. C. Pychon  where he claimed that  “If you meet the Black Dog once, it shall be for joy; if twice, it shall be for sorrow; and the third time shall bring death.” The trick here is keeping up with how often you’ve met one before.

Wolves, and their supernatural cousins, the hellhounds, are a universal theme in myths, legends, and ghost stories. “The Omen,” a supernatural horror film released in 1976 to both mixed reviews and commercial success focuses on the nasty big dog. It’s fair to say that the hound of the Baskervilles fits neatly into the hellhound category.

People ask which came first, the chicken or the egg? When it comes to hellhounds and other denizens, which came first, a natural fear of imagined things that go bump in the night or a fear of things that are “really out there” that we think may have come into your lives on a dark and stormy night?

I vote for the things really being out there.

–Malcolm