Article Archives: Words with Woods

The Singing Pool Player

September 25, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

“I heard you were in the Karaoke bar,” my niece said to me. Kelli Daniel’s phone call led off with that statement, and I knew from whence she had gotten that bit of misinformation. I told her that I had not been in a “karaoke bar,” but the bar that … Read More

The Circle Of Joy

September 18, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

In February 2018, I sat at a table at a new cidery with two other people. Wes Homoya, (“Birdman of Indianapolis,” the Weekly View 09/22/2016) was hosting a bird trivia event, and I was teamed with Holly James and Sydney McQuade Otto as a 3-person trivia team. Holly and Sydney … Read More

There’s That

September 11, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

This column first appeared in April 2011. A man walked past me as I sat at a table outside of my local pub. I glanced up from my reading and caught his eye. He smiled and said, “Kind of a nice day for that.” “It’s a great day for that,” … Read More

The Use of Language

September 4, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

A commercial that interrupted the TV program I was watching featured a woman’s undergarment — specifically, a brassiere (commonly known as a “bra”). As the actor showed the audience the benefits of the garment, she used the term “comfortability.” I immediately dove for my big, fat Oxford English Dictionary and … Read More

Poetic Allusions

August 28, 2025 | by CJ Woods III

In 1981 I was a 34-year-old student at Indiana University Southeast, exploring art and literature. A counselor suggested that, based on the number of English courses that I was taking, I should declare that as my major. I did, and all these years later, I still have many of the … Read More