There is a restaurant in New Orleans named The Camellia Grill, but the grill part of the name is a bit misleading. The Camellia Grill is one of the finest places to eat in the South. The patrons are served by waiters in white jackets and black bow ties. White linen tablecloths, cloth napkins, and…
Myth and Memoir Writing – Understanding the Difference Between Magical Thinking and Harsh Truth – #MemoirMonday
On Mondays, I like to create a special post about writing a memoir. I call those posts #MemoirMondays. My goal for today is to explain that a memoir must be truthful– But it should not be a harsh account of reality. That is one of the differences between writing for an encyclopedia and writing a…
The Church of the Nativity, an Episcopal Church in Water Valley – My New Home Church
A quaint little Episcopal Church building sits in the middle of the town of Water Valley, MS. Although the current structure was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1984l The church body dates back to 1869. Water Valley is a town filled with old buildings and history, and I am pleased to say that today, I…
The Tapestry of Carole King’s Music: A Message and a Lesson for #MemoirMonday
After several years without melody, I have returned to the songs that have become part of my soul. I recently subscribed to Amazon Music, and I added to my Playlist: Folk music of the 60s, but Amazon also began playing music from Carole King’s Tapestry Album–which I consider to be music of the 70s. From…
Precious Memories, How They Linger – An Older Joan Baez Remembered When the President Sang Amazing Grace
I’m trying to move on from my disappointment about the 2024 election [primarily with the people who elected him]. To help with that effort, I turned off the news channels. Being hooked on the drama of what is happening in our nation’s politics is a drug that was killing me. For years, I had allowed…
Mistakes — Everyone Makes Them — Let’s Move Into the Light!
“Gypsy Rose Lee of Kalamazee, In Kalmazong, Mazoo, Has Looked in Her Ball –Oh! Wonder of All– I See what she Saw was You.” Jacki Kellum Gypsy Rose Lee Jacki Kellum Illustration Reworked in Procreate Several years ago, I started a journey toward learning how to make art on my iPad in Procreate. I created…
Happy Birthday to One of My Heroes – Mary Travers – Because of Peter, Paul, & Mary, I Learned to Ask the Questions that Were Blowin’ in the Wind
When I was a teenager, the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion were at the top of the musical charts, but I still preferred to listen to folk music. Of all the folk musicians, Peter, Paul, & Mary had the greatest influence on my life, and partially because I was a female with…
Contour Drawing Is a Way to Explore and Truly See Your Subject Matter – Jacki Kellum Contour Drawings – Both Traditional and on Procreate
Seeing is a type of looking at something that involves a detailed recognition of all of the object’s physical traits–as well as seeing into the object’s spirit–seeing the essence of the subject. Looking is a physical type of viewing. Truly seeing is more spiritual. Artists and writers must be able to see. Contour Drawing is a type of…
Looking at Toni Morrison’s Words about the 2024 Election – Make Beautiful Things to Heal
This morning, I was thrilled that a new load of gin trash was delivered to my garden. A Load of Gin Trash Being Dumped into Jacki Kellum’s Garden What Is Gin Trash? Gin Trash is a by-product of ginning cotton. Unfortunately for many of you, you must live near a cotton gin to have access…
A Look at Barbara Kingsolver’s Words about the 2024 Election — Quotes from The Poisonwood Bible
In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver wrote: “Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened.” After the 2024 Presidential Election in the USA, she may have recalled those words, but from somewhere deep within herself she managed to say the following: “Truth and love have been smacked down so many more times in…