CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 5, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

A long-time friend told me recently that she had detected an anomaly in her breast; medical tests revealed that she had cancer, and she subsequently had a double mastectomy. She is recovering well and will soon began chemotherapy. Her breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery is a reminder of how … Read More

Speaking of Language

September 28, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

The phone in my office rang, and I answered it, identifying the place as Household Finance. “May I speak to Mr. Woods?” the woman’s voice asked. “This is he,” I replied. The woman exclaimed, “Oh! Your mother must have been a fine woman, to teach you to speak so well!” … Read More

The Phone Booth

September 21, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

In his 1997 novel Straight Man, Richard Russo describes “an old-fashioned telephone booth … you can enter and close the folding door behind you.” I paused when I read that passage, remembering just such a telephone booth at Jack Patrick’s Bar and Grill in St. Louis, Missouri. I have written … Read More

The Fear of Flying

September 14, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

Settle down: It’s not about Erica Jong’s book. At the neighborhood block party down the street from my house, I sat at a table with two of my neighbors and we discussed the ways in which our lives intersected. The main thread was embodied by the Australian Blue Heeler who … Read More

The Dreamers

September 7, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

“The Temptations” were on the Ed Sullivan show, and I was watching it with my fiancé at her parents’ house. I believe that the lead singer on the song, “The Impossible Dream” was Otis Williams, but I remember the camera showing a close-up and sweat was streaming down the soloists’ … Read More