CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

Revisiting Pittsburgh

Sitting on the passenger side of my best friend’s ride, I listened to a song on the radio. “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn was playing on the station in the rented car and reminded me of my thoughts about walking in Pittsburgh, rekindled by my reading of Michael Chabon’s … Read More

Punch Line

A professional boxer and convicted rapist once said, in reference to an opponent in his upcoming fight, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” He was not referring to Robert Burns’ poem, “To A Mouse,” a line from which has lived on far past its 1785 … Read More

Road Holes

My youngest daughter opened my front door, an action that caused her daughter to cry out, “Mommy!” Myah ran to the door and plowed into her mother; Lauren apologized for her late arrival. “I had to put air in all FOUR of mom’s tires. The potholes on Arlington can swallow … Read More

Teen Storm

My first granddaughter was thumping and thundering around in the background as I spoke to her mother on the phone. Imani was packing for a retreat that she was to attend that weekend but halted her preparations when she overheard her mother give me important “teen-formation” about her brother. “What! … Read More

Whizzing

My column “Water Works” (Weekly View, January 5, 2024) produced at least one chuckle, and that chuckler suggested that I continue the theme for a few more columns. False modesty demanded that I decry the thought: “No, no,” I cried, and sat down to write. When my first child was … Read More