CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

Political Correctness

January 24, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

This column first appeared in the May 18, 2012 issue. A talk radio personality cast aspersions on a woman and publicly sneered at her point of view on an issue he views with contempt. People objected to his crude characterization of her; some of those who objected were accused of … Read More

Fathers and Daughters

January 17, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

An associate of my youngest daughter expressed incredulity: “Your father is watching her?” Lauren told me that she replied in the affirmative, with some complimentary words about me, the father who is the weekday caretaker for her 8-month-old daughter. When Lauren’s older sister was four years old, her mother went … Read More

Eight Days of Joy

January 10, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

“Dad, I want to go with you,” Lauren said to me. The days were spiraling down toward the Christmas holidays, and it has been my habit in the past to travel to New Jersey to spend time with Lauren’s sister Lisa, and the first two of my grandchildren. Lauren’s daughter … Read More

The Quality of Mercy

January 3, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

The man leaned forward in his chair, intently watching a news report about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. “Those people are brutal,” he said, pointing at the TV screen. My response was immediate: “Yes. They go into synagogues with AR-15s and murder 11 people.” I was seated to the man’s … Read More

Oh, Holy Night

December 20, 2018 | by CJ Woods III

Two friends became lovers and started a journey together in July 1969, and in September 1970, after travelling thousands of miles from their homes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, nestled into another home in Los Angeles, California. There, they sought to bring the man’s dreams of being an artist to fruition. This … Read More