Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

Henry David Thoreau

  • A Letter to an Artist Friend

    We live on schedules that are responses to what others impose on us. The peculiar aspect of this is that we do this wearing different personas, masking ourselves as if in Greek plays, alternating between comedy and drama. People judge… Continue reading

  • Living in the Circuit

    There are all too frequent periods in our lives when our priorities cause us to lose sight of nature’s “staid current,” its circuit that we live within. We sense, but do not pause to see, to observe as we rush… Continue reading

  • Poetry and Standing at the Edge of the Raccoon World

    I had the opportunity to be an early reader of the galleys of Who By Fire by Mary L. Tabor. An excerpt from my review appears at the end of this essay. What do you take with your morning coffee? What… Continue reading

  • Reconstructing the Past and Present

    History provides us with an understanding of our place in time. The words of authors glide into topics that pull us into paragraphs of digression. These allow us to consider the character and nature of those women, men, and events… Continue reading

  • A PERSONAL MESSAGE

    Sun Tzu, Sikong Shu, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde A little more than a week ago, I received an angry note telling me that I am a good writer who says nothing unless I am willing… Continue reading

  • Welcome

    Henry David Thoreau’s words summarize my perspective on how to approach our all too brief time on this good earth. “I went for a walk in the woods…. It was wonderfully warm and pleasant.” I hope you will find your… Continue reading