CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

Mixed

April 24, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

A social media post got a response that triggered me. The poster was looking for qualified hair care for a granddaughter that she identified as having both African American and white heritage. A respondent claimed that she was also, “mixed.” I remembered hearing that term when I showed the server … Read More

The Office

April 17, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

“That’s Clop’s work.” Myah, my youngest granddaughter, was sitting in her car seat in the back of her grandmother’s car when they passed the corner of E. 10th Street and N. Emerson Avenue. Myah, who calls me “Clop,” pointed out my “work” to my second bride. Amusement was in Teresa’s … Read More

The Poetry of April: Redux

April 10, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

This column first appeared in April 2024. My friend in Florida sent me a text message telling me to expect an early birthday gift. My birthday is in March, but her gift was delivered to me late in February. She was excited about the present because she knows that I … Read More

The Man Who Plays Guitar

April 3, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

There is a man who plays guitar, and I like the way that he plays. I met him when I heard music coming from the Coal Yard Coffee company on Bonna Avenue in the Irvington suburb of Indianapolis Indiana. I wrote about that experience in “I Run Into Music,” (Weekly … Read More

Spring Has Sprung

March 27, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

“Spring has sprung / The grass has rizz / I wonder where the birdies is?” I don’t remember where or when I learned that bit of doggerel, but it seems to fit with the advent of spring in Indiana, the first day of which was March 20th, 2025. But spring … Read More