Article Archives: Words with Woods

The Trees of Irvington

April 16, 2020 | by CJ Woods III

On the South Circle of Irvington, a great tree grows; it is on the east side of the circle, across from the park. The bust of Washington Irving poses mutely in the face of the massive growth, in contrast to my awe and wonder at the slow, inevitable destruction wrought … Read More

Speaking Truth To Power

April 9, 2020 | by CJ Woods III

A man was speaking to a room full of his subordinates, extolling the benefits to be derived from his company’s customers’ purchases of some of the products offered by the department store he represented. I was one of the subordinates in that room, the representative of a crew of artists … Read More

Don’t Mash My Grandson

March 26, 2020 | by CJ Woods III

“Dad, you’re gonna have to teach your grandson to drive,” said Lisa, my eldest child. “I know he’s going to drive like you, anyway: hunched over the wheel, hands at 10 and 2, looking right, left, right, right, left, right again and left again before creeping into the intersection.” I … Read More

Hand Jive

March 19, 2020 | by CJ Woods III

This column originally appeared in 2013. C.J. is on vacation with limited WiFi. “You must be a doctor, the way you goin’ after those hands,” a man said to me in the men’s room. The only comfort I could take in his observation is that he was waiting to get … Read More

Echo Chamber

March 12, 2020 | by CJ Woods III

noun: an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced, and alternative ideas are not considered. My social media feed contains posts from some people who express views that are repugnant to me, and those posts … Read More