Hi, everyone,
I have nothing on my mind today but sadness for the grief and destruction caused by this latest catastrophic storm system.
David
Show and Tell
Hi everyone,
Can you believe it’s nearly June? By now I assume that many of you have written at least one poem that has never been shared. Today is the time! Or, if you want to share something that has been posted and/or published elsewhere, trot that one out too.
Today’s goal is to fill the post with poetry — any kind and every kind. If you want to fill in some back story, that’s fine too. Let the poems flow.
David
A nice day for a time capsule
Hi everyone,
I hope you had a day yesterday as beautiful as we had in Springfield. 
I spent part of it in Phelps Grove Park, a lovely park where our family often went to relax and picnic when I was a child.
Items that were going into the 100-year time capsule were displayed on half a dozen tables. They included pictures, magazines, scrapbooks, ball caps, a horseshoe, and other items relevant to the various parks in the system. 
My book was relevant because Riverbluff Cave is part of the system.
I saw lots of old friends yesterday, including Virginia Gleason, former director for children’s books for Springfield-Greene County Library District. Many others too. It was a pleasant time.
After several presentations about the history of our park system during the past 100 years, the time capsule was duly buried. I took a few shots to share.
David
Still seeking Quill Award nominees
Hi everyone,
I posted this notice a few days ago but want to make sure that everyone sees it. Each year the Writers Hall of Fame selects a distinguished writer with ties to Missouri to receive its highest honor – the Quill Award. This award serves as a reminder of the importance of writing, and encourages young people to develop their own joy for writing.
At this time, the Writers Hall of Fame board is gathering names of Missouri writers to consider for the 2014 Quill Award.
Candidates may be from any field or genre of writing
Anyone can nominate a candidate
Nominations must be received by June 3, 2013
To submit a nomination, please provide the following information:
1. The writer’s name and how he/she qualifies as a Missouri author
2. Describe briefly (2 or 3 sentences) what makes this writer a deserving candidate for the Quill Award
You may mail your nomination to: Writers Hall of Fame, 1036 W Hovey, Springfield MO 65802 or send it via email to: writershalloffame@gmail.com (please put Quill Award on the subject line). Here’s the link to Writers Hall of Fame website: http://www.writershalloffame.org . You can also like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WritersHallOfFame
The 2013 recipient is Ridley Pearson, author of PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS among many. A complete list of all previous honorees can be found on the website.
David
Time capsule news
Hi everyone,
Saturday, in a ceremony at Phelps Grove Park in Springfield, Missouri, a time capsule will be buried as part of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board’s observation of the system’s Centennial Celebration.
Why am I telling you this? Because this is not only a momentous occasion but a book of mine, CAVE DETECTIVES, is going into the capsule, slated to be reopened in one hundred years. It’s the book I wrote about Riverbluff Cave, which was discovered on 9/11 and has gone on to fame as the oldest known depository of ice age fossils found in any cave on the North American continent.
This is my second time capsule. The speech I gave at the grand opening of David Harrison Elementary School also went into one. As an editor pointed out to me, one hundred years from now a book made of paper might be a rarity. I’ll sob in my pillow tonight over that thought!
Here’s something you might not know. I have a fossil named for me. Years ago when Matt Forir, chief paleontologist for Riverbluff Cave, discovered a new crinoid fossil embedded in the limestone outcropping on the hillock overlooking the entrance to Riverbluff, he named it Physetocrinus harrisoni.
Hear this, I will harbor no rude comments connecting my age with fossils. Old crinoids can be crusty.
David
