Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

history

  • Wiser Thursday and Random Thoughts

    I am a person of habits. These routines undergo modification to accommodate others, and, reluctantly, are made with a begrudged concession to age and health. These patterns of behavior are most evident on Fridays. This week, however, my Thursday was… Continue reading

  • Canada, an Off-Islander’s Perspective

    “Home,” as the saying goes, “is where the heart is.” Tony Bennet may have left his heart in San Francisco, but pieces of my heart have been left in various places. I have lived in eight states, meeting a wide… Continue reading

  • A World Without Rules

    A friend commented the other day that he noticed I was shifting my attention. “You’re posting poetry. Are you writing more poems?” Actually, yes. I took a hiatus from poetry to write two novels, travel, paint, garden, and begin the… Continue reading

  • 11 November, Part Three: The Reverberating Gunshot

    “’Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans,” Bismarck predicted would ignite the next war. The assassination of the Austrian heir apparent, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, by Serbian nationalists on June 28, 1914, satisfied his condition.’” So wrote Barbara W. Tuchman in… Continue reading

  • Diversity, Freedom and the Chorus for Union

    Those who know me are aware that I firmly believe in the separation of Church and State. Christian nationalists irritate me with their bending and misinterpretation of the Gospels. They misconstrue the Constitution and misconceive their liberties to fit their… Continue reading

  • ENOUGH!

    You could have been on any college campus or any place where students hung out. He generated excitement, an excitement also felt by the middle-aged and the elderly. There was excitement from the streets of Manchester, New Hampshire, to Manhattan,… Continue reading

  • The Old Time Jim Crow Religion Revival Meeting

    The decision was made. There was a lesson to be learned. The suitcases were packed, and placed in the car. In the early hours of a July morning, my father backed the car out of the garage. We were going… 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

  • On Libraries and Freedom

    I hesitated in the grip of withdrawals. “Go! Get out!” Lynn Tanaka firmly told me on my final day on Mayne Island. Taking a few reluctant steps towards the door, my eyes locked on the neatly arranged shelves in her… Continue reading

  • The Running Man

    EXPECTATIONS, EXCEPTIONS & DEPORTATION It happened quickly. He knew the risks, but what choice did he have? There was a family to feed. Maybe today, they wouldn’t notice him. He kept to the speed limit. Then, in the review mirror,… Continue reading