CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

The Bottle Farm

August 15, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

On my way from home and toward the Irvington Presbyterian Church, I passed a house at the corner of Lowell and Layman Streets. In my 1.2 mile walk to the place where I practiced singing in preparation for a choral performance with Harmony Collected, an arts group affiliated with the … Read More

Out of Tune

August 8, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

This column first appeared in the Aug. 5, 2016 issue. “The world is too much with us; late and soon, / Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours; / We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” — William Wordsworth … Read More

Barefoot Running

August 1, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

Looking out of my front door, I saw a young runner approaching the intersection of E. St. Joseph Street and N. Hawthorne Lane. I opened my screen door just as he turned South on Hawthorne, toward Ellenberger Park. My toes curled up involuntarily when I saw that the young man … Read More

Get A Horse, And A Sword

July 25, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

I was a shy and lonely high school freshman, clustered with the “W’s” at the back of the class, when I was befriended by one of the most popular girls in school. I responded in the way of all adolescent boys: I fell in love. But she was popular and … Read More

Chess On Felt

July 18, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

Two men came into the back room of Si Greene’s Pub in Indianapolis; one of them was carrying a pool cue case. They passed me as I was surveying the pool table, trying to determine what would be my next best shot. I was my own opponent in the game … Read More