Essays and Reminiscences

A Sense of the Sacred, by Norman Bakken

Norm Bakken has gathered the trappings of his rich life into a heartfelt
reflection on childhood, parenting, and the ever-changing nature of
faith in society.

Click here

That’s all she wrote, by Judith Clarke

Judith Clarke’s first collection of essays, Mother tough wrote the book, was inspired by her experiences thirty-some years ago when she was a divorced mom raising two daughters using tough, inventive methods. Mother Tough’s voice is still loud and clear, but she’s moved away from “mothering” to topics such as a bittersweet move, Daylight Savings Time, technology, the perils and joys of middle-age, and dilemmas wrought by pantyhose and toothpaste choices, to name a few.  

Appalachian Elders: A Warm Hearth Sampler,
by the Warm Hearth Writers' Workshop,
edited by Nikki Giovanni and Cathee Dennison

A collection of stories, poems, and anecdotes by the members of Nikki Giovanni's writing group. Heartwarming and insightful, these works by 18 retirees represent years of living and loving at their best.

Click here

Retrospect, or Growing up in Blacksburg and Other Tales through a Long Life, by Ellison Smyth

A collection of lighthearted observations on his life, experiences growing up in a small southern college town, life on a farm in Canada and study in Scotland, and his work as a Presbyterian minister. Cover illustration by Victoria Jordan Stone.

Click here

Chips and Shavings: More Stories, by Ellison Smyth, illustrated by Joni Pienkowski

A second collection of tales by a master story teller, former Presbyterian pastor, and member of Nikki Giovanni's writing workshop at Warm Hearth Village in Blacksburg, Va. Bird-watching, gardening, memories of childhood, hearing Hitler address a throng in Germany before he came to power – all told with wit and geniality.