CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

A Note From Home

March 14, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

“Where did you get those Steeler gloves?” The man’s voice came to me from the edges of a crowd of people, of which I was a part. I was at the intersection of East 10th Street and Bellefontaine, where a historic marker was being unveiled commemorating Wes Montgomery, the legendary … Read More

Street

March 7, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

The calico cat came out to greet my granddaughter and me as we neared the East parking lot of the Irvington Community Schools on University Avenue. We were walking to what Myah calls “The Fountain.” Irving Circle was one of the places the four-year-old would willingly walk to with her … Read More

The Jacket

February 29, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

“That jacket sure does bring back memories.” I could hear the chuckle in the man’s voice, muffled by the black medical mask he wore. We two were exiting the Kroger grocery store at 10th and Shortridge. I had just come from the nearby office of the Weekly View and decided … Read More

Revisiting Pittsburgh

February 22, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

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

February 15, 2024 | by CJ Woods III

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