Article Archives: Words with Woods

A Musical Approach

March 21, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

“He was a furious, even romantic, typist, prone to crescendos, diminuendos, dense and barbed arpeggios …” The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon. My youngest granddaughter was sitting on my lap when a song by Michael Franti and Spearhead came on my iPod; as she listened to the … Read More

My Daughters Told Me That

March 14, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

When my youngest daughter comes from my bedroom after placing her daughter’s rock-and-play next to the dresser, she often pauses beneath a dark spot on my light ceiling. Lauren is a construction worker and has previously identified the spot as a “nail pop,” a construction term that means a nail … Read More

Kiddie Lit

March 7, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

Someone I met in my favorite cider house opted to include me in her search for recommendations for books for young children. Jennifer Delgadillo works in the communications department for Early Learning Indiana, which started a program called “Brighter Futures Indiana.” This website has “resources and supports to help Hoosier … Read More

The Lion and the Lamb

February 28, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

The low moans of the wind through the trees outside my bedroom window woke me, and I listened to the sound of the snapping, slapping and scraping of branches against the roof of my apartment building. From my rumpled bed, I heard the caprice of the wind, knowing that in … Read More

A Difficult History

February 21, 2019 | by CJ Woods III

A few years ago, I spent some time in the city of my birth, helping my youngest brother to recover from a bout of illness. While in Pittsburgh, I found that a playwright I admired – and whose play, “Fences,” I had seen at the Indiana Repertory Theater — had … Read More