Conversations About Faith

Column readers who’ve ever expressed hard-fought hallelujahs

By Steven Brodsky

… will likely find this video of Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll performing “Hard Fought Hallelujah” at the Grand Ole Opry to be especially resonant:

Posted 5-16-25

God’s ‘path of life’

By Steven Brodsky

Psalm 16:11: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

The center of God’s “path of life” is the best place to be!

Posted 5-13-25

The greatest gift on Mother’s Day weekend 2025

By Steven Brodsky

… isn’t available in stores. It can’t be purchased online.

That gift is from God!

Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

If you haven’t accepted this gift, I hope that you will accept it soon.

A great gift that some of us had or have, was or is the presence of a loving and praying mother.

Have a blessed Mother’s Day weekend.

Posted 5-10-25

Actually, I believe that more than 10,000 reasons could be found by some believers and followers of God, if they were given sufficient time (and maybe some godly coaching assistance)

By Steven Brodsky

… reasons for them to bless and worship the Lord!

May we continue to find many compelling reasons to bless and worship the Lord!

Posted 5-8-25

God’s arms are open wide

By Steven Brodsky

… to embrace those who are hurting.

Some of this column’s readers have experienced God’s embrace firsthand!

Posted 5-6-25

In gardens, during this month of May

By Steven Brodsky

… people will delight in the fragrance of plants that are or will be in colorful bloom.

And some will also be enjoying an even greater delight in gardens: intimate fellowship with God via prayer and meditation upon verses of the Bible.

Posted 5-2-25

National Day of Prayer 2025

By Steven Brodsky

… is today, May 1, 2025.

It’s especially opportune to share 2 Chronicles 7:14 with you.

2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

The National Day of Prayer was established by law: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/119.

Posted 5-1-25

If you are one of God’s children

By Steven Brodsky

… you can “speak Jesus” for others and for yourself!

Of course, some of the readers of this column “speak Jesus.”

Posted 4-30-25

A double measure of praise to God

By Steven Brodsky

… because God is awesome (and praising Him is a fitting way to close out this weekend and to enter into the rest of the week):

 

Posted 4-27-25

Spring gardening season

By Steven Brodsky

…  is an apt season to embed this performance video for “Graves Into Gardens” (as would be any season):

God transforms “graves” into “gardens”!

Posted 4-23-25

Magnolia trees will be in bloom

By Steven Brodsky

Photo by Steven Brodsky

… this season, spring, in regions where most of this column’s readers reside.

Magnolias in bloom are beautiful.

Also beautiful, is the autobiographical story of a “magnolia mother’s love” lyricized in this song: Billy Joe Shaver Magnolia Mother’s Love (youtube.com).

This spring and in the seasons to come, may agape love be in abundant bloom in our lives.

https://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html

Posted 4-9-25

If you are or have been in one or more of the categories of people that Jesus loves mentioned in Zach Williams’ song ‘Jesus Loves’

By Steven Brodsky

… know that “Jesus loves you.”

Posted 4-6-25

As spring has sprung

By Steven Brodsky

… in the Northern Hemisphere and the earth is bringing “forth her bud,” it’s especially opportune to share Isaiah 61:11.

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Isaiah 61:11: “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”

Posted 3-25-25

A verse about perfect peace

By Steven Brodsky

… Isaiah 26:3: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trustest in thee.”

Our finite minds can’t understand this sort of perfect peace; no use trying to understand it.

Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Thank God for the availability of this gift of perfect peace.

Posted 3-22-25

Will you be going to ‘where the wicked shall cease their troubling’?

By Steven Brodsky

… That place: heaven.

Hopefully, we’ll meet there some day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09sWkMK4uY4

The above linked performance video of “The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling” featuring Jessy Dixon was previously linked in this section of the Entertainment, Culture and More column.

It came to mind as I was writing an article today that included an embed of “April Come She Will,” a Simon & Garfunkel song that was written by Paul Simon. That article appears at: Conversations With Writers And More delcoculturevultures.com.

It was then that I recalled that Paul Simon had seen Jessy Dixon in concert at Radio City Music Hall in 1972, and that Paul Simon invited Jessy Dixon to sing with him on Saturday Night Live, and that the two would go on to tour together in the U.S. and overseas for eight years.

Jessy Dixon passed away on September 26, 2011 at age 73.

Posted 3-14-25

In memory of someone that I cared deeply about 

By Steven Brodsky

… This person, whose name I will not reveal (out of deference to the person’s family), passed away soon after being placed for the first time onto a “hospice bed.”

A photo that I received of this person that was taken just prior to the person being assisted onto what would be the person’s deathbed, shows a terrified look on the person’s face.

I believe that the terrified look captured in the photo was at least in part due to the person’s not having made things right with God (as far as I know).

I would not presume to know how God judged my dear friend.

Terrifying to the maximum would be to hear God saying the words that appear in Matthew 7:23.

About those words: https://www.gotquestions.org/I-never-knew-you-depart-from-me.html.

Oh yes, dear readers, “love the people that God gives you”… “one day He’ll want them back.” Scroll down this page to read the article “Aaron Wilburn’s The People That God Gives You.”

I loved my friend; God has taken my friend back.

Posted 3-11-25

Yesterday, on the first morning of Daylight Saving Time

By Steven Brodsky

… the time on clocks sprung forward (or should have) an hour. Upon awakening (on time), a verse from Psalms sprung into my conscious mind.

That verse, Psalm 143:8: “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”

May we hear God’s lovingkindness in the morning.

May our steps be directed by God.

May our souls be lifted onto God.

Posted 3-10-25

In the ‘valley’

By Steven Brodsky

Photo by Steven Brodsky

… God can enable flowers to grow in the valley!

Posted 2-20-25

Inside San Quentin’s yard

By Steven Brodsky

… was the venue for Ben Fuller to perform and to share some of his testimony (about God’s grace in his life) with San Quentin inmates.

From that ministry opportunity:

Ben Fuller, and others, will be performing in Lancaster County, PA at WJTL Fest on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Visit WJTL Fest – The Junction Center | WJTL for information and a link to purchase tickets.

Posted 2-3-25

One of the blessings of the godly in more advanced years

By Steven Brodsky

… is the capacity to continue to bear (wonderful/prime) fruit.

What a blessing that is, as the psalmist no doubt had observed prior to penning Psalm 92!

Take special note of Psalm 92:14: https://www.blueletterbible.org/nlt/psa/92/1/s_570001.

Posted 1-22-25

‘Christmas Gone Viral’

By Steven Brodsky

May Christmas Gone Viral temporally and eternally bless readers of this column.

Christmas Gone Viral | Full Movie 2017 – YouTube

Posted 12-6-24

Hallelujah for hard fought hallelujahs

By Steven Brodsky

… and hallelujah for Brandon Lake’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”

A powerful video:

Psalm 34:1: “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Of course, dear readers, there may be times when such blessings and praise will be hard fought.

Posted 11-21-24

To commemorate Billy Graham’s birthday (and for other reasons): ‘How to Get to Heaven’

By Steven Brodsky

… sharing this video (recorded in 1963):

Billy Graham was born on November 7, 1918.

He got to heaven on February 21, 2018.

A 2018 interview titled “Rev. Billy Graham’s Passing: A Revisit With Paul Heil, Host of ‘The Gospel Greats’ Radio Show” is posted at: Conversations With Paul Heil, Founder and Former Host of ‘The Gospel Greats’ Radio Show – delcoculturevultures.com.

Posted 11-7-24

God’s children

By Steven Brodsky

… can take God at His word.

Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Photo by Steven Brodsky

What it means to be children of God: https://www.gotquestions.org/children-of-God.html.

Posted 9-22-24

Aaron Wilburn’s ‘The People That God Gives You’

By Steven  Brodsky

… was referenced here in the summer of 2020.

Circumstances of life have affirmed the value of the song’s message for me and many others.

I first heard “The People That God Gives You” on the syndicated radio show that Paul Heil hosted for many decades.

The song has continued to be a blessing to me (and I believe to some of the people that God has given me).

Be blessed.

1 John 4:7-8:

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Paul Heil was interviewed for this column in 2018 and 2016. The interviews are accessible at: https://delcoculturevultures.com/2017/03/14/a-conversation-with-paul-heil-host-of-the-gospel-greats-syndicated-radio-show/.

Posted 9-5-24

‘Sweeter than honey’

By Steven Brodsky

… was the taste of God’s words to the psalmist.

Psalm 119:103: How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

This verse came to my mind while I was enjoying a spoonful of wildflower honey a few minutes ago.

Some of this column’s readers will recall the verse the next time they taste honey.

And some will recall the verse when they next taste the sweetness of the Bible.

Posted 8-27-24

One thing that we can’t take back from the enemy

By Steven Brodsky

… unfortunately, is stolen time.

Our lives are short, like the lifespan of a vapor.

James 4:14: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Time is valuable, including the time spent to write this column installment and the amount of time that readers will spend engaging with the installment.

God-willing, our time will be well-spent.

Take the time to watch (and enjoy!) this video:

Posted 8-14-24

Conversations About Theatre And Dance

The winners of the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge have been announced 

By Steven Brodsky

This column featured information about the submissions process for the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge.

I’m pleased to now be able to share an announcement about the winners of this wonderful competition.

From a news release that was issued today, May 15, 2025, by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT):

Washington, DC and New York, NY—The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) are excited to announce the winners of the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. This program provides high school students with an unparalleled opportunity to develop and showcase original musical compositions that could potentially become part of full-scale musical theater productions. The winning songwriters will come to New York City this June to work with mentors and refine their songs for a special concert on Monday, June 16, at 7:30pm ET, at New World Stages and available to watch at arts.gov/songwriting and namt.org/challenge.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to partner with NAMT to create the opportunity for students across the country to express their creativity and further develop their songwriting and storytelling skills,” said NEA Senior Advisor Mary Anne Carter. “The winning songwriters are in for an unforgettable experience, and we can’t wait to see their final compositions performed on June 16.”
Betsy King Militello, Executive Director of NAMT, said: “The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students reminds us that the future of musical theatre is bright, bold and brimming with possibility. NAMT is excited to welcome this year’s Winners to New York City. We are thrilled to help nurture these young voices and offer them a space to explore their artistry, connect with mentors and share their stories with the world. It’s an honor to stand alongside our partners in championing the next generation of musical theatre creators.”
The 2024-2025 winners are:
(grades and schools are as of the 2024-2025 school year)

Leela Kumar, an 11th grade student at Howell High School in Marlboro, New Jersey

“Dancing Through a Dream”— Ava, a high schooler, sits in the backroom of her home, guitar in hand, near the fireplace, softly strumming as she tries to write. It’s 12:23 AM—she should be asleep, but she can’t shake the weight of the moment. Yesterday, her English teacher gave her an assignment: present something meaningful to her in a 90-second speech. Ava decides to write a song on her guitar. Her best friend told her, “You can worry about what others think, or you can choose to be you.” Now, Ava is wrestling with that choice. This song is all about the vulnerability and hope it takes to step out of the shadows and find the courage to share your voice with the world.

Sydney Gray, a 12th grade student at Fairhope High School in Fairhope, Alabama

“Fall” — Meet Carlos, an ADHD high schooler who thrives on random factoids and video games! On the surface, Carlos is bright and bubbly, a very welcome personality for Nava Lee, an AuDHD teenage girl who struggles with making friends and feeling seen in her personal life. For her, Carlos is always there for Nava Lee when she needs it most, making him the bestest friend she could ever ask for. But for Carlos, the feelings between them run deeper than just friends.

Judah Brown, an 11th grade student at Owasso Preparatory Academy in Tulsa, Oklahoma 

“Fool”— From the new musical Feathered, “Fool” explores Apollo’s fears for Icarus, as he enacts his plan to fly. The central conflict—one between love and loss, and between hope and inevitability—drives the song “Fool.” It is Apollo’s desperate attempt to understand whether being there for Icarus makes him the true fool in the end, or if it is foolish to abandon the one he loves.

Karsten Wallace, an 11th grade student at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Alabama 

“Hello World”— A duet between a female robot infused with AI and its male creator, “Hello World” would serve as the final song in Act I of a larger musical as the song ends on a cliffhanger with the female AI Robot powering back on after her creator unplugged her because she wished to be free and did not love him. The song shifts back and forth between the female AI’s cries for liberation and its creator’s descent into madness as he slowly realizes that he has lost the only thing that he loves.

Gwendellyn Doerfler, a 12th grade student at Dewitt High School in Dewitt, Michigan

“Older”— During a get-together for her 18th birthday, Sara reveals to her friends that while she knows what she wants to do with her life, it isn’t anything like what she hoped it would be. Sitting cross legged in a sleepover-style setting, her friends begin to hum, almost absentmindedly as Sara begins the song set over crunchy chords. “Older” is from the new musical 25, which focuses on nine members of the class of 2025 as they navigate their senior year of high school.

Elaina Stuppler, an 11th grade student at Lakeridge High School in Lake Grove, Oregon 

“Second Chances”— In “Second Chances”, Maria Anna Mozart sings to her brother Wolfgang and the society that cast her aside. Once a prodigy alongside him, she was forced to abandon her musical dreams at 17 due to gender expectations in the 1760s. Now, as Wolfgang returns, she refuses to be treated as an afterthought and challenges the idea of second chances, having never been given a first.

Sadie Shapiro, a 12th grade student at Montclair Kimberley Academy in Scotch Plains, New Jersey

“The Way Iamb”— Avi is a literature-loving 11th grader at an all-girls’ school amidst a mercilessly competitive student council election. After the current student body president let everyone down by choosing an awful theme for the Winter Formal, the stakes regarding the next election are high—and Avi has been secretly hired to write speeches for both major candidates. In “The Way Iamb,” Avi decides to speak to her peers from her own point of view, instead of someone else claiming her words as their own.

Ali Lewis, a 12th grade student at Mercy McAuley High School in Cincinnati, Ohio 

“Why Not?”— Set in 1953, this song is sung by the character Augusta Ansel, a 76-year-old woman who is blind and nearly deaf. She lives alone in a large, cursed mansion and she is haunted by the traumatic event of her husband being murdered by a mysterious man named Victor. She doesn’t like to talk about her complicated history because it hurts too much, and so in attempting to conceal this side of herself, she overcompensates with a loud, confident personality.

Excerpts of the winning song submissions and more information about the winners are available here. Over the next several weeks, each of these songs will be professionally orchestrated. Winning students will come to New York City this June where they will work with mentors and musicians to hone their orchestrations while learning about process, technique, and production. The final compositions will be performed by Broadway artists in a concert on Monday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET, available to watch live and on-demand at arts.gov/songwriting and namt.org/challenge. In addition, each winning student will receive a scholarship of $2,500, provided by the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation.
The 2025 Music Team includes Music Supervisor Dylan Glatthorn, Music Director Anessa Marie Scolpini, and mentors Andrea Daly, Timothy Huang, and Jaime Lozano. The winning songs will be orchestrated by Faye Chiao, Teresa Lotz, and Anessa Marie Scolpini. The concert casting director is Michael Cassara, CSA. More information about the Songwriting Challenge mentors is available here.

Posted 5-15-25

Cassie Meck will be performing in Servant Stage Company’s Sunday Night Cabaret Series on May 18, 2025; the performance will take place at the Magic & Wonder Dinner Theater in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

By Steven Brodsky

 … This cabaret performance will begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are pay-what-you-will, consistent with Servant Stage Company’s mission to make exceptional theatre experiences accessible to everyone.

Visit https://servantstage.org/upcoming-cabarets/meck-cassie-cabaret for additional information and a link to reserve your tickets.

Posted 5-7-25

Shackled and unshackled listeners

By Steven Brodsky

… have been enjoying episodes of UNSHACKLED!, the iconic radio drama show, since 1950.

Episodes of UNSHACKLED! are accessible at: https://unshackled.org/on-demand/browse-all-programs/.

John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Note to readers: This post appeared at: https://delcoculturevultures.com/2025/05/06/conversations-about-faith/.

Posted 6-6-24, Revised and reposted 5-6-25

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced the recipients of the 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellowships

By Steven Brodsky

… Congratulations to the awardees.

From a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) press release that was issued yesterday, April 17, 2025:

Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellowships, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The program recognizes recipients’ artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to our nation’s traditional arts heritage.
NEA Folk & Traditional Arts Director Leia Maahs said, “The 2025 National Heritage Fellowship awardees represent artists whose labor is often invisible in the public eye. As stewards of cultural memory, they bring us ‘home’ with dances and songs passed down from one generation to the next. They adorn everyday expressive life with artistry in manual arts, costume, and regalia that animate traditions within communities across America. The National Endowment for the Arts is honored to celebrate these accomplished artists, for their cultural knowledge, excellence towards their work, and the legacy they uphold.” 
The 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows are:
Carmen Baron, Mexican Folk Costume Maker and Dancer (Tucson, Arizona)
A trained structural and architectural designer, Carmen Baron sees the lines, colors, and proportions needed to create intricately designed custom-made costumes for young Baile Folklórico dancers throughout the state of Arizona.
Peniel Guerrier, Haitian Dancer, Drummer, and Educator (Astoria, New York)
An internationally renowned dancer and teacher, Peniel Guerrier has dedicated his life to preserving and promoting Haiti’s rich cultural heritage through dance and drumming, influenced by Haitian history and traditional Vodou practices. 
Adrienne Reiko Iwanaga, Bon Odori Dancer, Teacher, and Choreographer (Saratoga, California)
Adrienne Reiko Iwanaga has preserved and revitalized the traditional Japanese folk dance of Bon Odori, sparking new interest in the art form and expanding its reach and popularity through her innovative approach and artistic contributions.
Ernie Marsh, Bit & Spur Maker and Silversmith (Lovell, Wyoming)
Characterized by high-relief engraving, engraved steel, and French Gray finishes, Ernie Marsh’s craftsmanship is instantly recognizable and known among horsemen, collectors, and fellow makers for its balance of function and beauty.
Edward Poullard, Creole Musician (Beaumont, Texas)
A third-generation Creole musician, Edward Poullard mastered various instruments throughout his musical journey and is known for teaching Creole and Cajun fiddle and accordion styles throughout the United States and Europe.
Steven Tamayo (Sicangu Lakota), Traditional Lakota Artist & Educator (Omaha, Nebraska)
Steve Tamayo has spent decades reclaiming and celebrating Lakota culture through his art, helping students deepen their knowledge of traditional activities like regalia making, drumming, and powwow dancing, which are vital to cultural preservation and unity.
Tamayo is the 2025 recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship, presented in recognition of an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage.
Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America, Men’s Choral & Bandura Ensemble (Detroit, Michigan)
A musical ambassador of Ukrainian culture, music, and the bandura (a lute-harp hybrid instrument), the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America has its roots in pre-World War II Ukraine, and regularly travels for rehearsals, performances, and other community-supported events.
About the National Heritage Fellowships
NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipients are nominated by the public—often by members of their own communities—and then judged by a panel of experts in the folk and traditional arts. The panel’s recommendations are reviewed by the National Council on the Arts, which sends its recommendations to the NEA chair.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us on FacebookInstagramX, and YouTube.

Posted 4-18-25

A New Season of Theatre Classes in Servant Stage Company’s Monday Night Drop-Ins Program is Underway

By Steven Brodsky

 … Class subjects include: acting, improvisation, vocal technique, and dance.

These classes are pay-what-you-will.

From a Servant Stage Company press release issued on Febuary 14, 2025:

2025 marks the fourth year for the Monday Night Drop-Ins program. Last year’s program served 373 unique students (an 83% increase from the previous year) over the course of 64 classes, with many attending multiple classes. “It’s our goal to be a theatre home for people of all ages,” says Executive Director, Johnathan Bauer. “We want to create opportunities for those just getting started out all the way to those working on the professional level, and our Monday Night classes are a key component of that vision.”

Visit https://servantstage.org/mondays for additional information.

https://servantstage.org/

Posted 2-24-25

The responsibilities of managing a theater took a toll on William Butler Yeats

By Steven Brodsky

… and inspired Yeats to pen the poem “The Fascination of What’s Difficult” in 1912.

“The Fascination of What’s Difficult”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43286/the-fascination-of-whats-difficult.

W.B. Yeats received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 “for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation.”

Posted 4-23-22

 

Conversations About Nature

National Safe Boating Week to take place May 17-23, 2025

By Steven Brodsky

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Always stay safe when boating.

From a news release that was issued today, May 15, 2025, by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC):

PFBC Celebrates National Safe Boating Week with Statewide Kickoff Event
Today, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission celebrated the upcoming National Safe Boating Week, which will occur May 17-23, 2025 with statewide kick-off event at the PFBC’s Fort Hunter Access along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg (Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County).
During this special week, conducted in partnership with the National Safe Boating Council and other boating safety advocates across the country, the PFBC reminds all boaters to follow a basic safe boating checklist before and during each boating adventure.
  • Always Wear a Life Jacket
  • Never Boat Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Have a Float Plan to let someone know where you’ll be boating
  • Check the Weather Forecast before and during your trip
  • Take a Boating Safety Education Course
National Safe Boating Week is celebrated annually, just ahead of Memorial Day, which is considered the unofficial start to the summer boating season across Pennsylvania.  The week is a celebration of the Commonwealth’s vast boating opportunities, as well as a reminder that safety should be a priority before and during every boating adventure.
Waterways Conservation Officers will be on patrol throughout the upcoming holiday weekend and throughout the summer to conduct safety checks and look for signs of impairment.  Just like operating a motor vehicle on the road, in Pennsylvania, a person operating a boat is over the legal limit if he or she has a blood alcohol concentration of point-zero-eight (0.08%) or higher.
The PFBC also reminded boaters and anglers that two Fish-for-Free Days will happen on Sunday, May 25, 2025, and Friday, July 4, 2025.  On these days, anglers do not require a fishing license, but regulations including seasons, sizes, and creel limits, still apply.

Posted 5-15-25

A reminder from the Pennsylvania Game Commission to leave young wildlife alone

By Steven Brodsky

For the benefit of young wildlife and the readers of this column, I’m sharing this just-issued news release from the Pennsylvania Game Commission in its entirety:

SPRINGTIME ALERT: LEAVE YOUNG WILDLIFE ALONE
Whether in their backyards or high on a mountain, it’s almost certain Pennsylvanians will encounter young wildlife this time of year.
While some young animals might appear to be abandoned, usually they are not. It’s likely their mothers are watching over them from somewhere nearby.
So when encountering young wild animals, whether deer, birds, raccoons or something else, the best thing you can do is leave them alone.
“During this time of year, it’s common for people to see young wildlife and mistakenly assume that they are abandoned or in need of help,” said Matthew Schnupp, the Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Management Director. “As well-intentioned as they are in trying to help these animals, the reality is that the mother is probably nearby and waiting for you to leave so she can return. The best approach when encountering any wildlife is to simply let them be.”
Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food, but they don’t go far and they do return. Wildlife also often relies on a natural defensive tactic called the “hider strategy,” where young animals will remain motionless and “hide” in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of potential predators or other intruders away from their young.
Deer employ this strategy, and deer fawns sometimes are assumed to be abandoned when, in fact, their mothers are nearby.
The Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting.
Such contact can be harmful to both people and wildlife. Wild animals can lose their natural fear of humans, making it difficult, even impossible, for them to ever again live normally in the wild. And anytime wildlife is handled, there’s always a risk people could contract diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks and lice.
Wildlife that becomes habituated to humans also can pose a public-safety risk. Some years ago, a yearling, six-point buck attacked and severely injured two people. The investigation into the incident revealed that a neighboring family had illegally taken the deer into their home and fed it as a fawn, and they continued to feed the deer right up until the time of the attack.
It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Under state law, the penalty for such a violation is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal.
Under no circumstances will anyone who illegally takes wildlife into captivity be allowed to keep that animal, and under a working agreement with state health officials, any “high risk” rabies vector species confiscated after human contact must be euthanized and tested; none can be returned to the wild because the risk of spreading disease is too high.
Animals infected with rabies might not show obvious symptoms, but still might be able to transmit the disease. Though any mammal might carry rabies, the rabies vector species identified in the agreement are: skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats, coyotes and groundhogs.
People can get rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if the saliva gets into the person’s eyes, mouth or a fresh wound.
Only wildlife rehabilitators, who are licensed by the Game Commission, are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife for the purposes of eventual release back into the wild. For those who find wildlife that truly is in need of assistance, a listing of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website, www.pawr.com.
If you are unable to identify a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, contact the Game Commission by phone at 1-833-PGC-WILD or 1-833-PGC-HUNT.

Posted 5-14-25

Are you ‘listening’ to the heavens’ declaration of the glory of God?

By Steven Brodsky

… Spring outdoor activities accompany opportunities to “hear” that declaration!

King David “heard” it.

Penned by King David, Psalm 19:1-3: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”

Posted 5-5-25

Three awards for excellence in law enforcement and a Heroes of Water Rescue Award were presented by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) on April 28, 2025

By Steven Brodsky 

… Congratulations to the awardees!

This news release was issued today by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC):

HARRISBURG, Pa. (May 1) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is pleased to announce several awards presented to staff during the PFBC Board of Commissioners quarterly business meeting on April 28, 2025, in Harrisburg.
Excellence in Law Enforcement:
The Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association Officer of the Year Award was presented to WCO Chad Lauer, whose district includes Tioga County in the Northcentral Region.  In 2024, WCO Lauer’s exemplary law enforcement efforts included 46 days of onboard boat patrols, 600 boardings, the investigation of 12 environmental incidents, and the investigation of timber theft from PFBC property resulting in charges being filed.  Additionally, WCO Lauer participated in multiple public educational events in his district.  Lauer is a 2016 graduate of the PFBC’s H.R. Stackhouse School of Fishery Conservation and Watercraft Safety.
The Gerald L. Greiner Environmental Protection Award was presented to WCO Hunter Shoemaker, whose district included Lycoming County in the Northcentral Region.  This award is presented annually to the WCO who best exemplifies the ideals of ‘Resource First’ – the protection, conservation, and enhancement of the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources.  In 2024, Shoemaker investigated 16 environmental incidents within his region, including an incident which involved a significant pollution event in the headwaters of a Class A wild trout stream.  Shoemaker is a 2022 graduate of the PFBC’s H.R. Stackhouse School of Fishery Conservation and Watercraft Safety.
The Top Gun Award was presented to WCO Kyle Robinson, whose district includes Mifflin and northern Huntingdon counties in the Southcentral Region.  This award is presented annually to a WCO who displays outstanding effort in the detection and apprehension of impaired boaters.  In 2024, WCO Robinson’s exemplary law enforcement efforts included 40 days of onboard boat patrols, 850 boardings, and eight arrests for Boating Under the Influence.  Robinson is a 2020 graduate of the PFBC’s H.R. Stackhouse School of Fishery Conservation and Watercraft Safety.  This is the third consecutive year Robinson has received this award.
Achievement in Water Rescue:
Heroes of Water Rescue Award was presented to John Soderberg, a PFBC Water Rescue Instructor Trainer.  This award recognizes the contributions of individuals who make a significant, lasting, and continuous impact in the field of water rescue as a result of the guidelines established by the PFBC’s Water Rescue Program.  During his career spanning several decades, Soderberg served honorably with Pittsburgh River Rescue, the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, and was instrumental in implementing water rescue training for all Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement personnel within the City of Pittsburgh.

Posted 5-1-25

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) plans to spray 38,146 acres of state game lands this spring to protect forest habitats from severe damage by spongy moths

By Steven Brodsky

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) issued this news release yesterday, April 21, 2025:

GAME COMMISSION ANNOUNCES SPRAYING PLANS
In an effort to protect wildlife habitat, the Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to spray over 38,000 acres of state game lands this spring.
Spongy moths previously were known by the common name gypsy moth, but the Entomological Society of America has changed the name. Spraying is planned for 16 different state game lands – 38,146 acres in all – and will begin as soon as leaf-out occurs and spongy moth egg masses hatch, likely in late April and May. No spraying will be scheduled the mornings of youth turkey season (April 26) or the opening day of spring gobbler (May 3).
“Those participating in spring gobbler seasons or otherwise enjoying state game lands may encounter aircraft spraying forested areas for spongy moths,” said Paul Weiss, the Game Commission’s Chief Forester. “We recognize some hunters might be temporarily affected by these activities, but disturbances are brief and only temporary, and by protecting these valuable habitats against a destructive, invasive pest, the forests will provide hunters the opportunity to chase gobblers there for generations to come.”
This year’s spraying will occur in the following regions: Southcentral, Northcentral, Southeast, and Northeast. The Northwest and Southwest Regions have no spraying scheduled this year. Most of the blocks of forest to be sprayed can be treated within one day, often within only a few hours.
The forests to be treated in the coming weeks have building populations of spongy moths that, if left untreated, could cause severe defoliation this summer.
“Oaks are the main target of spongy moths, and they also provide the best and most reliable wildlife foods,” Weiss said. “Unfortunately, in some areas, we have seen birch and maple replace the oak stands lost to past spongy-moth defoliation. This loss of acorn availability across such a potentially large area can have extremely detrimental impacts on wildlife populations ranging from chipmunks and squirrels all the way up to deer and bears. Even if the oak trees manage to survive damage caused by this defoliation, the reduction of acorn production can linger for years after. The Game Commission has made the decision to aggressively treat this problem to protect the wildlife resources in the immediate future as well as into the longer term.”
Oak forests also are important habitats for pollinator and other insect species. This promotes a healthy food chain ultimately benefiting all wildlife species.
Timothy Haydt, Director of the Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management, noted that, based on the value of state game lands’ oaks for wildlife, the agency simply can’t afford to forgo spraying this year.
“We know that oak forest habitats are tremendously valuable to all wildlife,” Haydt said. “Acorns are an essential staple of the diet of small and large bird and mammal species found in Pennsylvania. The energy gained by consuming acorns in the fall and winter months allows wildlife to survive the often-harsh conditions encountered prior to spring green up.  Acorns are also a preferred food source for our prized game species including wild turkeys, deer, black bears, ruffed grouse and several species of ducks.
The insecticide to be used is Mimic 2LV. Its active ingredient is tebufenozide. This agent generally is considered safe to humans. Most negative side effects happen with repeated, long-term exposure to high concentrations of the product. As with any chemical, it may cause eye or skin irritation if exposed, and it is recommended to wash any affected area if irritation occurs.
More information on spongy moths and the Game Commission’s spraying program, including a map updating the status of spraying is available on an interactive web page at www.pa.gov/pgc.

Posted 4-22-25

The Brandywine Conservancy has launched the Brandywine Native Garden Hub, an interactive website for those interested in the native plants of Pennsylvania and northern Delaware; the new website includes information on more than 250 native plant species

By Steven Brodsky

… The Brandywine Native Garden Hub website will be a great resource for many of you.

The Brandywine Conservancy issued this press release yesterday:

Chadds Ford, PA, April 14, 2025 — In celebration of National Gardening Month, the Brandywine Conservancy is thrilled to announce the launch of the Brandywine Native Garden Hub, a new online resource designed to inspire gardeners of all levels and skillsets. The Brandywine Native Garden Hub is a free, user-friendly website that serves as both an educational guide and an interactive database for anyone interested in incorporating native plants into their landscapes. Naturally occurring in a specific region without human intervention, native plants have adapted to the climate and soil over time, making them easier to grow and maintain, plus they directly benefit pollinators, wildlife, and the local ecology. With the Brandywine Native Garden Hub, users can search for and learn more about native plants specific to Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, save their favorites to personalized “Garden Boards,” and browse through a suite of educational resources to help enhance their gardening success.
“We are so excited to share the Brandywine Native Garden Hub with our broader community,” said Stephanie Armpriester, Director of Conservation and Stewardship at the Brandywine Conservancy. “Our main goal with this new website is to break down barriers for those interested in getting started with native plants and to provide them with all the tools they need to begin their garden journeys. With this accessible online resource, we hope to inspire beginners to join us in our important mission-related work in their own backyards and landscapes. It’s also a perfect companion tool to the slate of educational programs the Brandywine Conservancy offers around native plants throughout the year, as well as our annual Native Plant Sales, both here on our campus in Chadds Ford, PA and in Western Pennsylvania at our Penguin Court Preserve.”
Now available at www.NativeGardenHub.org, the Brandywine Native Garden Hub contains information on more than 250 native plant species found in our region. Each plant profile contains everything you need to know about the plant—from growing conditions to key attributes and wildlife benefits—along with photos that show different growth stages. Users can also personalize their searches by filtering for plants according to their garden’s specific growing conditions, including sunlight exposure, soil type, and soil moisture. Plants can even be sorted by the user’s preferred attributes and benefits, including plant type, height/width, peak bloom time, bloom color, deer resistance, fragrance, and more.
To help visualize and plan their dream gardens, users can create a free account to build personalized “Garden Boards” that are customized to their unique growing spaces. Boards can be curated for the spaces users currently have, the type of gardens they are looking to start—such as a container garden for smaller spaces or one designed to attract specific pollinators—or even boards for future garden inspiration. Once users set up their boards, they can “pin” their favorite plants while browsing to save them for building out their garden plans. Users can also add, edit, and create as many Garden Boards as they’d like, which can be referenced at any time on both desktop and mobile devices.
To equip users with even more tools for success during their gardening journeys, the Brandywine Native Garden Hub also features a wealth of educational resources. Users can dive into our beginners guide for getting started with native plants or browse through other articles, including topics on how to prep a container garden, tackling invasive species, and seasonal gardening tips. Additional articles will be published throughout the year for continued learning.
For more than five decades, the Brandywine Conservancy has been a trusted leader in growing and promoting the use, preservation, and appreciation of native plants. The Brandywine Native Garden Hub is the latest extension of this work, providing a digital platform to help gardeners bring the benefits of native plants to their own landscapes. To start your journey with native plants, visit www.NativeGardenHub.org.
The launch of this new online resource also comes at the perfect time, right before the return of the Brandywine Conservancy’s annual Wildflower, Native Plant & Seed Sale on May 10-11, 2025 (with early member access available on May 9). Held outside in the Brandywine Museum of Art’s courtyard in Chadds Ford, PA, the sale includes a wide variety of native wildflowers, grasses, ferns, vines, shrubs and trees. The Brandywine Native Garden Hub is a great resource to reference in advance of the sale and can be used to create a “shopping list” with a custom Garden Board to bring to the event. More information on the Native Plant Sale can be found at www.brandywine.org/native-plant-sale.
Created by the Brandywine Conservancy, the Brandywine Native Garden Hub was designed and developed by Infantree—a creative agency based in Lancaster, PA—and made possible through a generous grant from the Allegheny Foundation.
About the Brandywine Conservancy:
The Brandywine Conservancy protects water, conserves land, and engages communities. The Conservancy uses a multi-faceted approach to conservation. Staff work with private landowners who wish to see their lands protected forever and provide innovative community planning services to municipalities and other governmental agencies. The Conservancy currently holds more than 510 conservation and agricultural easements and has facilitated the permanent preservation of over 70,200 acres of land. The Conservancy is a program of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
About the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art:
The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art preserves and promotes the natural and cultural connections between the area’s beautiful landscape, historic sites, and important artists. The Conservancy protects the lands and waters throughout the Brandywine Valley and other priority conservation areas, developing sustainable approaches to emerging needs and assuring preservation of majestic open spaces and protection of natural resources for generations to come. The Museum of Art presents and collects historic and contemporary works of American art, engaging and exciting visitors of all ages through an array of exhibitions and programs. The Brandywine unites the inspiring experiences of art and nature, enhancing the quality of life in its community and among its diverse audiences.

Posted 4-15-25

Winter will end this month in the Northern Hemisphere

By Steven Brodsky

… and most of this column’s readers are looking forward to the arrival of spring, a season with weather that’s generally more conducive to enjoying activities in the great outdoors.

When and where those activities (camping, fishing, etc.) will take place at night (especially in the absence of ambient light), children and adults can contemplate with awe, Psalm 8:3-5: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”

Posted 3-3-25

It wasn’t you, nor was it me

By Steven Brodsky

… who made this tree:

Photo by Steven Brodsky

“Trees,” by Joyce Kilmer: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12744/trees

The tree was photographed yesterday.

The Joyce Kilmer poem was published in August 1915.

This post originally appeared at: Conversations About Faith – delcoculturevultures.com.

Posted 3-25-24, Reposted and Revised 11-21-24

In a proper season

By Steven Brodsky

…  appeared this frog (and the shadow it cast upon a lotus leaf):

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Ecclesiastes 3 KJV (biblehub.com)

This post appeared in the Conversations About Faith section of this column.

Posted 4-25-24, Reposted and Revised 8-14-24

Exquisite is the monarch butterfly chrysalis stage

By Steven Brodsky

… as pictured here:

Photo by Steven Brodsky

I can’t say that I find the adult stage of the monarch butterfly to be more exquisite than the monarch chrysalis stage.

Which stage is more exquisite?

Not an easy question (for me) to answer.

It’s easier to simply enjoy seeing these two life stages of the monarch butterfly in the great outdoors!

Posted 8-7-24

Coming into the peace of some wild things

By Steven Brodsky

… with this photo and “The Peace of Wild Things”:

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Posted 7-9-24

A tarantula species was named after Johnny Cash 8 years ago, on February 5, 2016 

By Steven Brodsky

… The species is found near Folsom State Prison, the venue where Johnny Cash’s first live album, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, was recorded on January 13, 1968. The album was released on May 6, 1968.

Folsom State Prison is located in Folsom, California.

The tarantula species is named Aphonopelma johnnycashi: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/aphonopelma-johnnycashi-new-tarantula-species-johnny-cash-03615.html.

Posted 2-5-24

Most people can relate

By Steven Brodsky

… to the kind of death that was experienced by the character in Seamus Heaney’s poem “Death of a Naturalist.”

Posted 7-12-22

A Conversation With Katie Fallon, Author of ‘Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird’

By Steven Brodsky

Katie Fallon is a co-founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. She’s worked with many species of raptors and other kinds of birds. Katie’s books include Cerulean Blues (2011) and the recently released Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. Her essays have appeared in a number of literary journals. She has a lifelong love of nature. I’ve heard that the first word she ever spoke was “bird.”

Your new book gives vultures, particularly turkey vultures, the positive attention these non-predator raptors deserve. What brought about your interest in these maligned birds?

I’ve been fascinated by vultures for at least fifteen years. There was a roost near where I lived in West Virginia; every day I’d drive by this big, old dead tree with ten or so turkey vultures hunched in it. They became a familiar sight, and I looked forward to seeing them. Vultures are big and kind of dramatic, and in flight, there’s nothing more beautiful. In addition, they’re the ultimate recyclers—they turn death into life.

Many people in the U.S. have an aversion to vultures. Speak about this.

I think vultures remind people of their own mortality. It can be a little creepy to think about a large, dark bird waiting to consume your body when you die. In general, I don’t think people in the US are comfortable with thinking of our bodies as food. Vultures remind us that life will continue after we die, and that some life will continue because we die. They remind us of our animal bodies. Which can be unnerving!

In the absence of vultures, we’d have major health issues to contend with. Tell us why.

Vultures clean up our ecosystems by removing animal carcasses that could potentially contaminate soil and water. They can eat animals that have died of anthrax and botulism. In the absence of vultures, mammalian scavengers could increase in number, and many mammalian scavengers such as raccoons, skunks, feral dogs and cats can spread rabies; vultures do not. Several vulture species in India have suffered catastrophic population crashes in the last twenty years, and public health has suffered. India leads the world in human rabies cases, and the number of cases has increased as the number of feral dogs increased in the absence of vultures.

People get close to vultures by attending your presentations that feature non-releasable birds. How are these birds acquired? How are they trained?

The nonprofit I co-founded, the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, keeps eight non-releasable raptors for educational purposes (you need permits from the US Fish & Wildlife Service to do this, of course – the birds aren’t pets or personal property). All of our birds were injured wild birds that cannot return to the wild. We have three vultures. Lew the turkey vulture was hit by a car and suffered an injury to his shoulder that prevents flight. His “girlfriend,” Boris, was shot in the wing, and by the time she reached us the bone had already healed incorrectly. Our black vulture is Maverick, and he was hit by a car, which resulted in a shoulder injury that prevents adequate flight.

Our birds are all trained using positive reinforcement. We avoid negative reinforcement and punishment, and we try to empower the birds to have some control over their environments. We condition behaviors by offering food rewards when the birds perform the behaviors. Vultures (especially our black vulture!) learn quickly, and they are a lot of fun to work with.

What myths and misunderstandings about vultures do these presentations help to dispel?

People are surprised at how clean and charismatic the vultures are – and how beautiful they are up close, despite their featherless heads.

What vulture behaviors do people find to be most interesting?

People often ask if vultures throw up on us; our education vultures usually don’t (unless they get scared). Vultures also expel liquid waste on their legs and feet, probably to clean them as well as to keep cool. This often fascinates people as well.

Which species of vulture are found in Pennsylvania and neighboring states?

We have turkey vultures and black vultures. During the last Ice Age we may have had California condors, too, and possibly some other now-extinct vultures.

What has been learned about migration of these species?

Hawk Mountain has taken the lead on turkey vulture migration research. Dr. Keith Bildstein and his team have placed transmitters and wing tags on turkey vultures all over the Americas. They’ve learned that our eastern turkey vultures are partial migrants—some spend the winters in Florida, some on the New Jersey shore, some in Virginia, and in many places in between. Many western turkey vultures are complete migrants, leaving their breeding ranges in Canada and heading all the way to South America. And still others in the American southwest migrate into Central America and return. It’s fascinating how the different subspecies have different migratory strategies. Dr. Bildstein and his colleagues have ongoing research projects about turkey vulture migration, and are discovering more all the time.

Vultures have spectacular flying ability. What makes this possible?

Turkey vultures are very light – they have almost the same wingspan as a bald eagle but weigh less than half what an eagle weighs. Their wings are long and broad, and are made for soaring.

How high can they fly?

The Ruppell’s vulture holds the record for the highest-flying bird. Unfortunately for that individual, it was hit and killed by a jet flying over Africa at 37,000 feet.

Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird informs readers about lead toxicity in vultures. What is the extent of the problem? How do vultures ingest lead?

Vultures (and eagles, hawks, crows, ravens, and owls) can ingest small pieces of spent lead ammunition in animal carcasses or “gut piles” left by hunters. When someone shoots a white-tailed deer, for example, the deer is usually field-dressed, and many of the organs are left. This can be a delight for vultures and other scavengers! In ecosystems, scavengers often follow the big predators to clean up the leftovers; here, the same thing is happening—a human is the big predator, a gut pile is the leftover, and a vulture or eagle is the scavenger. However, if small lead fragments are still in the gut piles, avian scavengers can inadvertently ingest the lead and become sick. Lead toxicity from spent ammunition is the biggest obstacle in the way of California condor recovery.

The Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia provides rehabilitation for injured birds. What kind of care do vultures receive?

We’ve treated vultures with a wide variety of injuries and ailments—broken bones, head trauma, lead toxicity, soft tissue injuries. Every bird we admit receives an immediate comprehensive examination by an avian veterinarian, and is then treated as necessary with antibiotics, antifungals, anti-inflammatories, fluid therapy, or chelation therapy. They also receive orthopedic surgery if necessary. We do our best to get the birds back out in the wild if possible.

It must be very joyful to enable an injured bird to regain flight ability. Please tell us about a memorable release.

Two and a half years ago we released a female turkey vulture that had been shot with a shotgun—she had three pellets embedded in soft tissue. We had to leave the pellets in her body because removing them would cause damage. Once she was nursed back to health, we released her wearing a transmitter to track her movements. We learned that she travels to northern Georgia in the winters and comes back to West Virginia in the breeding season. We are thrilled that this vulture was able to return to the wild—and thrive!

Vulture watching is growing in popularity. Turkey vultures are very widespread. Where are some of the best places and times to observe them?

In many parts of the southeastern United States, you can see turkey vultures any day of the year in a variety of habitats. In the winter, vultures can be observed roosting together in and near many cities: in Virginia, check out Leesburg, Staunton, Radford, Pulaski, and Charlottesville; in West Virginia, many vultures can be observed migrating in the fall over Hanging Rock Tower in Monroe County and over Harper’s Ferry in the eastern panhandle. During the summer and fall, the overlook at Cooper’s Rock State Forest near Morgantown, WV, is a sure place to see turkey vultures. Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, of course, is an excellent place to watch turkey vultures and birds of prey during migration, especially in September and October.

What stimulated your interest in nature?

I’ve always been an outdoors person. I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, and I had horses as a kid. I spent a great deal of time with my horses, trail riding and competing, and when I got a bit older I often went hiking and camping with friends and family. One of my favorite childhood hiking spots was Ricketts Glen State Park—it’s filled with hemlock trees and many gorgeous waterfalls. It’s definitely worth checking out if you visit northeastern PA.

Was “bird” your first word?

Yes! My parents had bird feeders in their yard when I was a baby (well, they still do) and my mother says she used to hold me in front of the window to show me the birds at the feeder. One day, she said, “Look at the birds! Look at the birds outside.” And I nodded and said, “Bird.” I haven’t stopped talking about them since.

Katie Fallon’s website address is: www.katiefallon.com.

Posted 4-6-17, Reposted 10-29-19

 

Conversations And Articles About Music

Beautiful music will be emanating from the Washington Memorial National Carillon Tower at the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge during the 2025 Frank P. Law Summer Carillon Series’ concerts; the concerts will take place on Wednesday nights in July and August

By Steven Brodsky

The Washington Memorial National Carillon tower at the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge
Photo by Steven Brodsky

… The concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Be sure to bring your lawn chairs and blankets.

Admission to the concerts is free.

Visit 2025 Frank P. Law Summer Carillon Series — Washington Memorial Chapel for additional information.

Posted 5-14-25

‘I’m just a long-haired son of a sinner’

By Steven Brodsky

… sings Jelly Roll in “Son of a Sinner” (one of my favorite Jelly Roll songs):

We’re all children of sinners.

And all of us have sinned.

Nonetheless, God loves us.

Romans 5:8 KJV: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

This post appeared at: Conversations About Faith – delcoculturevultures.com.

Posted 8-20-24, Revised and Reposted 12-6-24

This’ll be the day

By Steven Brodsky

… to commemorate Buddy Holly’s birthday by listening to:

Buddy Holly was born on September 7, 1936, 88 years ago.

Posted 9-7-24

‘Pride and Joy’

By Steven Brodsky

… shared here on the 34th anniversary of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s passing away on August 27, 1990:

A helicopter crash took the life of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Stevie Ray Vaughan was 35 years old.

Posted 8-27-24

Paul Simon heard Jessy Dixon perform ‘The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling’

By Steven Brodsky

… in Radio City Music Hall in 1972, which prompted Paul Simon to invite Jessy Dixon to sing with him on Saturday Night Live. The two would go on to tour together in the U.S. and overseas for eight years.

Enjoy this video of Jessy Dixon singing “The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling” at The Dome:

 

Job 3:17: “There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.”

Jessy Dixon passed away on September 26, 2011 at age 73. This post appeared in the Conversations About Faith section of the Entertainment, Culture and More column. 

Posted 1-10-21, Reposted and Revised 8-19-24

How meeting Livingston Taylor at a concert affected the career of John Flynn

By Steven Brodsky

John Flynn has been interviewed several times for this column. In a 2011 radio interview, John and I spoke about Livingston. We did so again last year in this interview for this column.

John, where and when did you first meet Livingston Taylor and how old were you at the time?

Gene Shay introduced me to Livingston back in the ’80s. It was prior to one of his appearances at the old Bijou Café in Philadelphia. I was in my early twenties and just starting out. I was a big fan of Livingston’s and I had just appeared on Gene’s radio show on WMMR. I heard Gene mention that he was going to host Livingston’s show, so I asked for an intro. Gene was just too nice to say no.

What was going on in your life?

I was playing some bar gigs, writing songs and mailing demos to Nashville. This was a few years before I got signed to my first publishing deal down there.

Describe what took place. What did Livingston tell you?

To begin with, Livingston was incredibly gracious. As a performer, I really see that now in hindsight, because usually the last thing I want to do before a show is to meet new people and have them sing their songs to me. Actually, I don’t think I’ve met anyone before or since who would have extended themselves in this way to a stranger. But that’s exactly what happened. Gene apparently bragged about me enough to get Livingston to hand me his guitar and sit down directly in front of me. He asked me to play him a song and listened with an almost unnerving, totally focused attention. When I was done he asked if I had any more. I did a second song and he asked for another. I was only too happy to oblige, figuring that if he’d listen to three songs he must be hearing something he liked. When I finished singing, Livingston kind of scrunched up his face and got real thoughtful. There was a long pause. Then he said, “John, there are so many wonderful ways to spend your time in this life. Take a walk, read a good book, spend some time with someone you love. Please do ANY of these things rather than write any more mediocre songs.” The rest was a little bit of a blur. He talked about Cole Porter and Yip Harburg, writers I didn’t really know much about at that point. He really challenged me to study the greats. He spent like ten minutes talking about song structure, and he played me these long-forgotten but really beautiful introductions to popular old standards. – Unknown (at least to me) musical salutations from bygone eras, that had been intended by their composers to set the mood and put the listener in the proper frame of mind to receive the coming song. He even explained that he would be doing relatively few of his own songs in his show that evening because great songs are rare, and a song should be great if you’re gonna sing it. That was the bottom line. If you weren’t going to try to write a great song, then why write one at all?

How did you respond to this at the time?

I guess I was disappointed. But disappointment wasn’t all I took away from the encounter, because Livingston could have easily tossed me a few compliments. He was probably never gonna have to see me again so that would have been the easy thing to do. But I sensed that he respected songs and songwriters too much for that. He chose the harder path and told the truth. He threw down the gauntlet. And, in my way, I accepted the challenge that night. I determined to work much harder at my craft. To really try to write great songs. I’m not saying that’s what I’ve always accomplished. But he got me to aim there. I’ve always been grateful for that.

How did the encounter impact your life?

I’m here forty years later answering questions about music.

Author’s note to readers: Livingston Taylor is a professor at Berklee College of Music.

John Flynn’s website address is: http://johnflynn.net/.

Posted 3-29-19, Reposted 8-6-24

Thinking about Solomon Burke

By Steven Brodsky

… after recalling this morning that the City of Philadelphia had honored Solomon Burke by having declared that July 19, 2002 would be “Solomon Burke Day.”

Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was born in Philadelphia.

Posted 7-19-24

Non-botanical ‘poison ivy’

By Steven Brodsky

… The kind of “poison ivy” that appears in a song written by Leiber and Stoller that was recorded by The Coasters 65 years ago (on July 16, 1959) wasn’t botanical.

The song: “Poison Ivy.”

A species of poison ivy (and other plants) is pictured here:

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Posted 7-16-24

Wouldn’t be prudent to dance till a quarter to three

By Steven Brodsky

… nowadays, if you were listening to Gary U.S. Bonds’ recording of “Quarter To Three” when the single went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first of two weeks, 63 years ago, on June 26, 1961.

Many of you will be singing and/or dancing while listening to the Gary U.S. Bonds recording, and while watching the following embed of Springsteen covering “Quarter To Three” in concert:

 

Posted 6-26-24

‘Blue,’ Joni Mitchell’s fourth studio album, was released 53 years ago

By Steven Brodsky

… on June 22, 1971.

One can get a bit blue realizing that so much time has transpired since this monumental album was released.

Enjoy!:

Posted 6-22-24

Anyone Who Had A Heart’

By Steven Brodsky

… to commemorate Dusty Springfield’s birthday:

Dusty Springfield was born 85 years ago on April 16, 1939.

Posted 4-16-24

Remembering Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) on Solomon Burke’s birthday

By Steven Brodsky

Solomon Burke, Grammy-winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, was born in West Philadelphia. His records and concerts influenced some of the greatest artists in soul, rock, and other genres.

Enjoy:

“Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmkeyzZ91sI

“If You Need Me”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PllNSSUz3gk

“Cry to Me”: Solomon Burke – Cry To Me (Live at Montreux 2006) (youtube.com)

Mary J. Blige inducting Solomon Burke into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmyRq09cTIs

… and read the chapter “The Song of Solomon: A Triptych” in Peter Guralnick’s excellent Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music and Writing. 

On July 19, 2002, the City of Philadelphia honored Solomon Burke by declaring the day to be “Solomon Burke Day.”
I had the honor of doing a longform radio interview with Solomon Burke. The interview aired live on May 21, 2010.

Posted 3-21-24

Whether or not the song character in ‘I’m Not in Love’ was in love

By Steven Brodsky

… 49 years after 10cc’s The Original Soundtrack album was released, “I’m Not in Love” (on one of the album’s tracks) continues to be loved by many people.

The Original Soundtrack was released on March 11, 1975.

Posted 3-11-24

Fifty-one years ago, Bruce Springsteen performed a concert at Villanova University’s St. Mary’s Hall auditorium

By Steven Brodsky

… That concert took place on January 16, 1973 before an audience of only fifty or fewer people because advertising for the concert could not run in a campus newspaper (because of a newspaper strike) and because The Boss was young in his career.

How young? Springsteen’s debut studio album, Greetings from Asbury Park, was newly released; the album was released on January 5, 1973.

“Spirit in the Night,” a track from Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ:

Posted 1-16-24

There weren’t many attendees at Bob Dylan’s Carnegie Hall debut performance

By Steven Brodsky

… nearly 62 years ago, on Saturday, November 4, 1961. Reportedly, 53 people purchased tickets to see the then 20-year old Dylan perform in a small auditorium that was located in Carnegie Hall. Tickets were priced at $2.00.

Bob Dylan did not perform “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

The song hadn’t been released nor had it been recorded.

Bob Dylan recorded “Blowin’ in the Wind” on July 9, 1962 at Columbia Recording Studios.

The recording was released on the A-side of a single on August 13, 1963 (the B-side is “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”); it appears as a track on the album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963.

Bob Dylan’s Philadelphia debut didn’t draw much of crowd either, as this concert too was performed prior to the release of “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Gene Shay invited Dylan to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to perform the concert. The concert took place on Saturday, May 3, 1963 at the Philadelphia Ethical Society building on Rittenhouse Square. Approximately 45 people were in attendance. Tickets were priced at $1.50.

A few months before Bob Dylan’s Philadelphia debut, Dylan performed “Blowin’ in the Wind” on a television show:

Gene Shay told me that Dylan’s Philadelphia debut concert almost didn’t take place: the sound system components for the concert were inaccessible.
Gene Shay passed away from COVID-19 on April 17, 2020. He is greatly missed.

Posted 10-4-23

There’s a bluebird in many hearts

By Steven Brodsky

… whose presence may be more apparent today, the birthday of Charles Bukowski (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994).

A recitation of Charles Bukowski’s “Bluebird”:

Miranda Lambert co-wrote and recorded “Bluebird.” The song was penned with some inspiration from the same-named Bukowski poem.

The 2020 CMA Music Video of the Year:

Charles Bukowski’s birthday was referenced yesterday in this section of the Entertainment, Culture and More column: Conversations With Writers And More delcoculturevultures.com.

Posted 8-16-23

‘I was glad to get it over with, and I thought that would be the last of it.’

By Steven Brodsky

… said Freddy Fender about recording “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.”

Of course, it wasn’t the last of it: many millions of people would hear and adore the record.

“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” was released on February 1, 1975.

It arrived at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 31, 1975 (and would remain on that chart for a total of 21 weeks).

On the 48th anniversary of the record reaching the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, enjoy:

Freddy Fender was born Baldemar Huerta, in 1937, in a Texas border town. He was the son of migrant workers.

Freddy Fender served in the U.S. Marines for three years.

After his discharge, he achieved recognition as a singer of Spanish translations of rock and roll and other songs.

In 1960, his release of “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” took off in the U.S. This national breakthrough was soon tamped down by a prison sentence. He served nearly three years of a five-year sentence in a very tough Louisiana prison for possessing two marijuana joints.

After his prison release, there was a long period of time working various jobs—with music a part-time endeavor.

While Freddy Fender was at work in a car wash, a record producer heard him singing and recognized his voice. Freddy was handed the producer’s business card. The encounter resulted in Freddy returning to recording.

Posted 5-31-23

An unfortunate ‘truth’

By Steven Brodsky

… was learned at seventeen by the song character in this iconic Janis Ian song: Janis Ian – At Seventeen (Audio) – YouTube.

Janis Ian, born in New Jersey on April 7, 1951, turned 71 years old today.

Happy birthday wishes to Janis Ian.

The song begs the question: What “truths,” dear readers, did you or will you learn at seventeen? There are some “truths” that are best unlearned.

Posted 4-7-23

He was the ‘Jackie Robinson of television’; on his ‘show rode the hopes and fears and dreams of millions of people’; his show debuted nationally on November 5, 1956

By Steven Brodsky

… He was Nat King Cole, the first African American to host a television show on nationwide television. That show was The Nat King Cole Show. Today is the 66th anniversary of the national debut of the Nat King Show on NBC TV.

Nat King Cole ranks among the most acclaimed jazz and pop musicians of all time. Born as Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery Alabama in 1919, he would go on to achieve recording and concert performance success that was nearly unmatched by others of his generation. “Mona Lisa,” “Unforgettable,” “The Christmas Song,” are among the nearly 700 songs that he recorded. Well over 100 of Nat King Cole’s records charted. He was a prominent presence on national television shows (he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on six occasions).

The Nat King Cole Show was popular and attracted some of the most sought-after entertainers, but it could not secure a national sponsor (other than a few sponsors for brief periods of time before the show expanded from 15 minutes to a half hour). There were 30 sponsors with cooperative arrangements supporting the show across the country on local stations, but nationwide—not one.

In an essay in the February 1, 1958 issue of Ebony titled “WHY I QUIT MY TV SHOW” by Nat King Cole (as told to Lerone Bennett Jr.), Nat King Cole said, “For 13 months, I was the Jackie Robinson of television… On my show rode the hopes and fears and dreams of millions of people.”

Posted 11-5-22

 

 

 

Free May Meditations

Viviane Chauvet continues her monthly online Starseed Meditation series Thursday, May 15. This month’s theme: Arcturian’s Essence.

She will also host a free meditation on Crown Lotus of Light (1 hour)

Wednesday, May 21

Both meditations are at 9 PM eastern time

Listen live or watch the recordings.

Brain Boost Class July 26

Offering ImageExperience an energizing workout designed to stimulate your brain. It helps to combat sluggishness, reduce brain fog, and support brain cell renewal. Through the Essentrics program, you’ll discover how specific techniques and exercises enhance brain function and foster new neuron growth, regardless of your age or fitness level.

Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025

Time: 10- 11 am

Where: Sama Center, 1217 West Chester Pike, West Chester, PA

Investment: $25

Bring a yoga mat and water bottle.

Essentrics Level 1 Instructor: Charo Evangelista

Register here:  Essentrics® Boost Your Brain Workout

Brandywine Native Garden Hub Now Online

Brandywine Native Garden Hub, a new online resource designed to inspire gardeners of all levels and skillsets. Photo by Mark Gormel

The Brandywine Conservancy is thrilled to announce the launch of the Brandywine Native Garden Hub, a new online resource designed to inspire gardeners of all levels and skillsets. The Brandywine Native Garden Hub is a free, user-friendly website that serves as both an educational guide and an interactive database for anyone interested in incorporating native plants into their landscapes. Naturally occurring in a specific region without human intervention, native plants have adapted to the climate and soil over time, making them easier to grow and maintain, plus they directly benefit pollinators, wildlife, and the local ecology. With the Brandywine Native Garden Hub, users can search for and learn more about native plants specific to Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, save their favorites to personalized “Garden Boards,” and browse through a suite of educational resources to help enhance their gardening success.

Now available at www.NativeGardenHub.org, the Brandywine Native Garden Hub contains information on more than 250 native plant species found in our region. Each plant profile contains everything you need to know about the plant—from growing conditions to key attributes and wildlife benefits—along with photos that show different growth stages. Users can also personalize their searches by filtering for plants according to their garden’s specific growing conditions, including sunlight exposure, soil type, and soil moisture. Plants can even be sorted by the user’s preferred attributes and benefits, including plant type, height/width, peak bloom time, bloom color, deer resistance, fragrance, and more.

To help visualize and plan their dream gardens, users can create a free account to build personalized “Garden Boards” that are customized to their unique growing spaces. Boards can be curated for the spaces users currently have, the type of gardens they are looking to start—such as a container garden for smaller spaces or one designed to attract specific pollinators—or even boards for future garden inspiration. Once users set up their boards, they can “pin” their favorite plants while browsing to save them for building out their garden plans. Users can also add, edit, and create as many Garden Boards as they’d like, which can be referenced at any time on both desktop and mobile devices.

To equip users with even more tools for success during their gardening journeys, the Brandywine Native Garden Hub also features a wealth of educational resources. Users can dive into the beginners guide for getting started with native plants or browse through other articles, including topics on how to prep a container garden, tackling invasive species, and seasonal gardening tips. Additional articles will be published throughout the year for continued learning.

For more than five decades, the Brandywine Conservancy has been a trusted leader in growing and promoting the use, preservation, and appreciation of native plants. The Brandywine Native Garden Hub is the latest extension of this work, providing a digital platform to help gardeners bring the benefits of native plants to their own landscapes. To start your journey with native plants, visit www.NativeGardenHub.org.

 

Conversations About Art

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania has scheduled two railroad photography sessions; railroad photographer and author Brian Solomon will lead these sessions

By Steven Brodsky

… The sessions were announced today, April 11, 2025, by the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in this news release:

Strasburg, Lancaster County, PA — Due to the popularity of its first Railroad Photography 101 session in February, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania has now scheduled Railroad Photography 101, sessions 2 and 3, led by noted railroad photographer and author Brian Solomon.
Session 2 will be held on Tuesday, May 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and will emphasize technique and the approach to indoor light. Brian will use portable stationary lights to illuminate several prominent rolling stock exhibits in order to allow for better photographs. This may include the 1838 Philadelphia & Reading Rocket, and the Reading Company’s shop switcher No. 1251. Session 3 will take place on Tuesday, June 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and will focus on composition and the approach to outdoor light, weather permitting.
Participants may bring their smart phone, digital camera or film camera to take memorable photos of the Museum’s historic railroad equipment. Session sizes are limited to 25 individuals and are designed for beginning photographers ages 18 and over. Registration is available on Eventbrite for both sessions two and three, and the cost is only $25.00 per person per session.
Brian Solomon earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in photographic illustration from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He produces a daily blog about railroad photography and his articles and photography have appeared in many railway magazines including Trains Magazine, Railway Age, Railroad Explorer, Railfan & Railroad, National Railroad Historical Society Bulletin, Germany’s Modelleisenbahner, the Journal of the Irish Railway Record Society and the UK’s Rail Magazine. Brian was presented with the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society’s prestigious Fred A.& Jane R. Stindt Photography Award in 2020 for his lifetime achievements in railroad photography.
Brian is the author of more than 70 books and writes a monthly travel column and feature articles for Firecrown Media’s Trains Magazine. He is the marketing manager for New Hampshire’s Conway Scenic Railroad, and lives with his wife Kris in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Many of his books are available for purchase in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s Whistle Stop Shop museum store.
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is home to a world-class collection of about 100 historic locomotives and railroad cars, a working restoration shop, an immersive education center, a vast research library and archives, special events and exhibits and a Museum store.
A Smithsonian Affiliate, the Museum is one of 11 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History®, with the active support of the nonprofit Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Visit RRMuseumPA.org or call (717) 687-8628.

Posted 4-11-25

Hopefully, a child song character has outgrown/unlearned the damaging lesson that was inflicted upon him by a teacher on his first day of school.

By Steven Brodsky

… He’s in this song:

Perhaps he was the recipient of subsequent (and great) arts education that allows him to now enjoy seeing and representing all of the colors of the rainbow.

I wish Harry Chapin would have done a “Flowers Are Red” sequel!

Speaking of a “rainbow,” here’s a piscine beauty:

A rainbow trout
Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC)

The rainbow trout photo accompanies a post about the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s 2025 adult trout stocking schedule. You’ll find that post at: https://delcoculturevultures.com/2025/02/02/conversations-about-nature/.

Posted 2-2-25

Attention wildlife artists: the barn owl is the featured species of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s 2026 Working Together for Wildlife Art Contest

By Steven Brodsky

… Details about the 2026 Working Together for Wildlife Art Contest are in this news release that was issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission on January 10, 2025:

BARN OWL FEATURED IN ART CONTEST

It’s time to go back to the drawing board, or painting easel if you prefer.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced its 2026 Working Together for Wildlife Art Contest, with entries due by May 2, 2025.
The 2026 featured species is the barn owl. One or more barn owls can be featured in an original horizontal artwork measuring exactly 22 ½ by 15 inches, or a vertical artwork measuring exactly 15 by 22 ½ inches. Each artwork must be surrounded by a 3-inch-wide white border or mat, which is in addition to the listed artwork dimensions.
Artists can use whatever mediums and materials they choose, and artworks must be left unsigned and unframed.
Unlike in previous years when submissions were mailed or hand-delivered to the Game Commission, all submissions for the 2026 contest must be submitted by e-mail to rebawillia@pa.gov by 4 p.m. on May 2. Artists may submit more than one work, but for each submission, there is a nonrefundable $50 entry fee. Artists 18 and younger can enter for free.
Entry fees must be mailed to the Pennsylvania Game Commission ATTN: 2026 WTFW Contest, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. Artists should be sure to include their name with payment.
All entries will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of qualified Game Commission personnel.
The artist whose painting is selected for the 2026 Working Together for Wildlife fine art print series will receive $5,000 plus 50 artist proof prints. The winning artist must pencil sign up to 750 limited edition fine art prints produced from the original painting, with signing conducted at the Harrisburg headquarters, and the artist receiving the cash award after the prints are signed.
In addition, cash awards will be presented to other top-finishing artists. The artist submitting the second-place painting will receive $1,500; third place, $1,000; fourth place, $800; and fifth place, $500. In the event of a tie, the awards for the two places will be combined and split evenly.
Participating artists will have the chance to view entries after final selections are made.
Official rules about the contest are available on the Contests page of the Game Commission’s website. Each artist must be a Pennsylvania resident. For further information, contact the Game Commission 1-833-742-9453 (1-833-PGC-WILD).
Founded in 1980, the Working Together for Wildlife program has raised over $2 million for wildlife management and research across the Commonwealth.
“Revenues received from the sale of signed and numbered prints help finance wildlife research and management programs in Pennsylvania, meaning participating artists not only have a chance to take home winnings, but to help fund wildlife conservation through their work,” said Lauren Ferreri, who leads the Game Commission’s Bureau of Information and Education. “By inspiring artists, engaging the public and allowing both to help benefit wildlife, the Working Together for Wildlife program continues to promote the Game Commission’s role in wildlife conservation and serves as an important reminder that we all can make a difference.”

Posted 1-13-25

A Conversation With Victoria Browning Wyeth

By Steven Brodsky

Victoria  Browning Wyeth is the granddaughter of Andrew Wyeth and the niece of Jamie Wyeth. She is the great-granddaughter of N.C. Wyeth. Victoria is widely known for her dynamic gallery talks and lectures on the life and art of Andrew Wyeth. Victoria is a gifted photographer; her photos have been exhibited at a number of museums.

What are some of your fondest memories of your grandmother?

One of my fondest memories of my grandmother were our nicknames for each other. I always called my grandmother by two names: “Betsy” or “Mamma Sheep Turd.” I realize the second name might raise a few eyebrows so let me explain. I grew up in New York City, but would spend every summer in Cushing Maine with my grandparents. As a young girl, and as a grown woman, I have always detested sand, dirt and bugs. When I was about nine or so, my grandparents purchased Allen Island (near Port Clyde, Maine), and, in addition, a very large flock of sheep to help with the lawn “maintenance.  Along with the sheep came sheep turds…. EVERYWHERE. So, she called me “City Slicker” and I called her “Mamma Sheep Turd.” When I was in college and we wrote each other letters, the post office at my college would giggle when they handed me a letter because of the return address. I always smile when I think of the looks people gave us when we used these names for each other.

My second fondest memory was when she taught me to put on makeup and put my hair in a French twist. I can still feel her hands in my hair helping me pin it up. When it came to applying makeup she would always say, “Vic… less is more.” To this day I am not much of a makeup person.

Finally, my most recent favorite memory involved cooking for my grandmother (and my uncle Jamie) on Sunday nights. Betsy was the chef in the family – her meals were simply out of this world yummy. Mashed potatoes, cookies, creamed eggs, popovers, etc. You name it and she could make it. After my grandfather died she scaled back her cooking quite a bit. Around six or seven years ago I started cooking Sunday dinners for my family. I wasn’t the best chef at first; I burned fish more than I would like to admit. One of the things that still brings a smile to my face was watching her gobble up every last morsel. She would look at Jamie and me and say, “mmmmm this is good.”

Betsy handled much of the business affairs of her husband Andrew. What prepared her for this?

She always had such a powerful business sense. I’m not quite sure where this came from, but she handled Andy’s business affairs with such grace and intelligence. She was quite the inspiration.

Please describe how Betsy furthered the career of Andrew?

My grandmother helped further his career by supporting him in numerous ways. The most important was through her love: she loved him with all of her heart. She would always tell him what she thought of his newest painting – if he needed to simplify something, if the color was too intense, etc. She was also very instrumental in titling many of his paintings.

What was the extent of Betsy’s involvement in titling the paintings of her husband?

She had a huge role in the titles. Take the painting Wind from the Sea. When my grandparents were discussing the piece Betsy said, “It looks like a wind is coming in from the sea.” Andy replied, “That’s it!! Wind from the Sea.” Her vocabulary was most impressive. For example, she would do the New York Times crossword puzzles in ink. This gave her an incredible bank of words to choose from when she helped to title the work.

Her ability to title wasn’t limited to paintings: when I was in graduate school and writing long research papers, I would call her and tell her my paper topic. She would then call me back with a title. For example, I wrote a paper on shell shock in British troops during World War I. She came up with the title “Over the Top.”

Were you able to observe Andrew while he was painting? If you were, did he discuss what he was working on?

Andy HATED having people watch him paint. He felt that having you watch him paint was an invasion. The only times I watched him paint were: (1) outside my window in the summer. He would work on watercolors or drawings outside my parent’s house in Cushing, Maine. He didn’t know I was looking, but I was. I couldn’t help myself. This is when I was a young girl (under 13). (2) When I would accidentally walk into the house when he was working on something. I would apologize and he would smile and say, “Hi darlin’. I’m just finishing up.” (3) When I posed. This was my favorite because we got to discuss everything. I would barrage him with all sorts of questions about his work, his life, his friends, etc. The last time I posed (back in 2005) I was giving lectures at the Brandywine River Museum. It was so cool because I would incorporate what we talked about into my gallery talk that day. 

How sensitive was Andrew to what critics wrote about him?

He couldn’t have cared less what the critics thought.

Which paintings of his do you believe he remained most attached to? 

He was almost always most attached to the painting that he was working on.

To your knowledge, were there times in Andrew’s life when he was without artistic inspiration? If there were, how did he reacquire inspiration?

To the best of my knowledge this never happened. Even when he was in the hospital (for a hip replacement) he drew his hospital room and the view out the window. He was inspired by everything and everyone.

 Of the photos that you took of Andrew Wyeth, is there one that especially evokes cherished memories? Can you share those memories with us?

The one I took of him painting outside my window in Cushing, Maine. He was painting me and we would start working very early in the morning – 6:45 a.m. I overslept one morning and rushed downstairs. As I looked out of the living room window, I found him sitting out there with his watercolor pad on his lap, tissues everywhere (to blot the paper) and his watercolor box by his side. Whenever I get sad and miss him, this is what I think of and it always makes me smile. 

You’ve given many pro bono talks. Which of those talks have been most gratifying to you? Please tell us why.

My favorite talks, pro bono and paid, have been the ones I have done at the state and local prisons. I feel that those who are incarcerated should be exposed to art as much as possible. Since they can’t go to a museum, I bring a museum to them. For example, this past January I lectured on the work of my grandfather to the gentlemen at the Maine State Prison in Maine. I went on January 16th – which is a very special day for me – the anniversary of my grandfather’s death. It was a beautiful snowy day and I packed my car up with a bunch of my uncle’s and grandfather’s watercolors and drawings and headed to the prison. I thought it would be fun to create a pop-up gallery in the prison and even more interesting to bring one of my grandfather’s models with me. It was a very special day for all of us. I will never forget looking at the reactions on the guys faces as they looked at the art.

The Brandywine River Museum of Art is currently closed to the public (as are other museums) because of the COVID-19 crisis. Is there a painting in the Museum’s collection by Andrew Wyeth that, at this moment, you are especially looking forward to seeing when the doors reopen?

I love seeing my grandmother’s portrait – Maga’s Daughter. I’m very excited to go visit her and say hi.

Posted 6-8-20

Conversations With Writers And More

There will be spring days ‘so perfect’

By Steven Brodsky

… as perfect as the day that’s featured in the poem “Today,” by Billy Collins:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/40824/today-56d21ebdad746

Such days foster expansiveness under a “larger dome of blue and white.”

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Those days will be perfect enough to possibly help to alleviate or eliminate impingements on one’s writing flow that may have set in over the winter.

Posted 3-31-25

Things that bug us

By Steven Brodsky     

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Writers usually find it easier to shoo away or crush flies at spring, summer, and autumn picnics than to decide if they should write about some pesky (and personally troublesome) subjects.

If you’ll be attending picnics, enjoy them!

Nice (and easier) writing can arise from those picnics, whether or not flies and other external pests will be present.

Posted 3-28-24

The road I chose today

By Steven Brodsky

Photo by Steven Brodsky

… a road not made of asphalt, enables me to commemorate Robert Frost’s birthday, which arrives in two days, by sharing this link: https://poets.org/robert-frosts-road-not-taken.

Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874.

I’m appreciative that Robert Frost chose a road that facilitated his penning “The Road Not Taken.”

Posted 3-24-25

April is coming, ‘she will’

By Steven Brodsky

… In many of the regions where readers of this column reside, streams will be “ripe and swelled with rain.”

The writers among us can choose to act upon exceedingly rich and abundant writing prompts that the month of April and spring evoke.

Some of the better writing prompts will quickly disappear from consciousness, as if they’ll be carried off by the rushing waters of a “ripe and swelled with rain” April stream.

Such a stream:

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Will you have pen and paper at hand to capture writing prompts and to actualize some of those prompts into first drafts?

Posted 3-14-25

Whether or not you will be welcoming the arrival of March

By Steven Brodsky

… March will be here soon.

It’s never too early or too late a date to enjoy this Emily Dickinson poem: https://poets.org/poem/dear-march-come-1320.

Posted 2-25-25

Disattired

By Steven Brodsky

… is this adaptively “wise” tree:

Photo by Steven Brodsky

It’ll “stand sleeping in the cold” tonight.

Not easy (and unlikely) for most poets: to write with the level of poetic eloquence and concision that William Carlos Williams did in this ten-line poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45504/winter-trees.

While the “wise” trees will do what they will in the remaining nights of this winter, wise and dedicated writers will be striving to improve their writing ability.

Posted 2-23-25

The last vestige of light is present on these woods

By Steven Brodsky

… at the start of this snowy evening.

Photo by Steven Brodsky

Though I would like to linger at these woods, it wouldn’t be expedient: there are “promises to keep” and “miles to go before I sleep.”

The words between quotation marks in the above paragraph are those of the speaker in this poem by Robert Frost: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening.

I have to move on from these woods and this post.

Thanks for stopping by.

Posted 2-12-25

A biblical admonition for writers and/or bookworms

By Steven Brodsky

Writers and/or bookworms (many writers are bookworms) may find  Ecclesiastes 12:12 to be a catalyst to offset effects of excessive sedentary time with healthful activities.

Ecclesiastes 12:12: “And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

Be well!

Posted 2-10-25

In the closing hours of 2024, headwinds are in the forecast for January  

By Steven Brodsky

… for some of the writers among us.

You may have experienced first-month-of-the-year headwinds before.

It’s clear that the speaker in William Carlos Williams’ “January” has.

Note the first word of the poem: “Again.”

January by William Carlos Williams – Poems | Academy of American Poets

Good luck to those of you who will be writing through headwinds in January.

Happy New Year.

Posted 12-31-24

Christina Rossetti’s ‘A Christmas Carol’

By Steven Brodsky

…was an outflow of Christina Rossetti’s having given her heart to Jesus (read Rosetti’s “A Christmas Carol,” and take note of the words in the last line of the poem): A Christmas Carol | The Poetry Foundation.

Christina Rossetti | The Poetry Foundation 

The poem was not written by a woman with a stony heart.

What can God do for a person with a stony heart?

Ezekiel 36:26: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

Posted 12-21-24

Ted Kooser’s ‘Christmas Mail’

By Steven Brodsky

… linked here for our holiday season enjoyment, before the Christmas rush gets fully underway: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55886/christmas-mail.

The Christmas cards that the mail carrier in the poem delivers have transportive power, as does the poem: they take us to a special time and place.

Season’s greetings to all of you.

May writing that you do on pages, screens, and on holiday cards be graced with transportive power.

Ted Kooser served as the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2004-2006. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2005.

Posted 12-8-24

Serviceably macabre

By Steven Brodsky

… for Halloween enjoyment is Robert W. Service’s “The Cremation of Sam McGee”: The Cremation of Sam McGee | The Poetry Foundation.

This was recorded by Johnny Cash at Cash’s home:

Did the story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and a fourth person in a fiery furnace “walking in the midst of the fire” told in Daniel 3:16-28 help inspire Robert W. Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) to write “The Cremation of Sam McGee”? I’d tell you if I knew.

Posted 10-11-24

O column readers

By Steven Brodsky

…  Walt Whitman was born 185 years ago, on May 31, 1839.

In commemoration of Walt Whitman’s birthday, enjoy:

O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman (read by Tom O’Bedlam) (youtube.com)

Posted 5-31-24

A ‘wordless’ special encounter

By Steven Brodsky

Photo by Steven Brodsky

… with a heron or other wild animal can compel a person to write about the experience “over and over again.”

A compelling poem, Hayden Carruth’s “THE HERON”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=39844.

Posted 5-9-24

A winged writing prompt

By Steven Brodsky

… prompted by Emily Dickinson’s “Fame is a bee” (linked below):

Photo by Steven Brodsky

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52139/fame-is-a-bee-1788

No telling when this prompt will take wing and disappear from this page.

Emily Dickinson did not experience the sting of fame; she was not famous during her lifetime.

Posted 5-4-24

Curiosity

By Steven Brodsky

Photo by Steven Brodsky

… can prime an artist’s creative pump (yes, the proverbial cat that possessed this trait now comes to mind).

Posted 4-23-24

In commemoration of the birthday of Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963)

By Steven Brodsky

… Let’s enjoy Robert Frost’s “Birches”:

“Birches” by Robert Frost (read by Tom O’Bedlam) (youtube.com)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44260/birches

“Birches,” a song by Bill Morrissey, had been referenced in the main section of this column. I believe that Bill Morrissey probably titled the song as a nod to the same-named Robert Frost poem. Bill Morrissey spoke of the impact of Robert Frost’s poetry in an interview: “And then, as I got older, people like Robert Frost really hit me.” Bill Morrissey’s “Birches”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5n5ceAv_Bc&ab_channel=BillMorrissey-Topic. I never had an opportunity to interview Bill Morrissey.

Posted 3-26-24

A recitation of  W.H. Auden’s ‘O What Is That Sound’

By Steven Brodsky

… A great recitation of this unsettling poem:

Tomorrow is the birthday of W.H. Auden (February 21, 1907 – September 29, 1973).

Posted 2-20-24

Tracked and found a lost dog

By Steven Brodsky

… during a recent snowfall.

After finding the dog, turned around and noticed the tracks of the dog and my own in the snow “stretched out upon the world.”

Blizzard by William Carlos Williams | Poetry Foundation

The dog was returned to its owner.

Posted 2-15-24

Longing to be ‘lost’ in a romantic interest

By Steven Brodsky

… the condition of the speaker of “I Am Not Yours,” a poem by Sara Teasdale (1884 – 1933): https://poets.org/poem/i-am-not-yours.

The first-person character of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” does not have that condition:

48 years ago, on February 7, 1976, “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first of three weeks.

The poem and song are referenced here in advance of Valentine’s Day.

Posted 2-7-24

‘The work of a writer, his continuing work, depends for breath of life on a certain privacy of heart.’

By Steven Brodsky

… Yes. For the purpose of maintaining “a certain privacy of heart,” will leave it at that; no flippancy is intended.

The quotation is that of Tennessee Williams. It appears in New Selected Essays: Where I Live.

It’s presented here in commemoration of the birthday of Tennessee Williams this coming Sunday. He was born on March 26, 1911.

Posted 3-24-23

One can only imagine

By Steven Brodsky

… how great Hubert Selby Jr.’s novel Seeds of Pain, Seeds of Love (the working title) would be if the novel had been completed.

Revisiting this reading by Selby of a few pages from the incomplete manuscript of the novel because the pages and the reading are powerful and not everyone here now watched the reading when a link to it was originally posted, and because the writing exemplifies what can be achieved by someone who never completed formal education beyond the eighth grade and who had some huge personal challenges, and because I hope that the reading will inspire writing by some of you, but be aware that the reading contains a depiction of violence upon a juvenile by a parent and adult language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0wAJ8AFRmQ.

An outstanding documentary about Hubert Selby Jr.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvDJNEcUxfs.

This posting is dedicated to the memory of Dan Fante (February 19, 1944 – November 23, 2015).

Dan Fante was encouraged to write by Hubert Selby Jr.

Have you read Dan Fante’s memoir? It’s titled Fante: A Family’s Legacy of Writing, Drinking and Surviving.

Posted 12-5-22

Seamus Heaney’s father and grandfather used a spade. Seamus Heaney, a squat pen.

By Steven Brodsky

… digging tools.

Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney at Villanova University in April 2010 reading “Digging”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNRkPU1LSUg.

The text of “Digging”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47555/digging.

Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland on April 13, 1939. He passed away on August 30, 2013.

Posted 2-2-22

Great color choice for the wheelbarrow in a 16-word poem by William Carlos Williams

By Steven Brodsky

… W.C. Williams chose red—an excitatory and perfect color for the wheelbarrow in the poem “The Red Wheelbarrow.”

Had he chosen any other color, the poem’s effectiveness would be greatly diminished.

Read or recite the poem from memory with a different color for the wheelbarrow and check this out for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqIl3oX_44s&ab_channel=awetblackbough

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45502/the-red-wheelbarrow

Posted 8-19-21

 

Conversations with Songwriters and Musicians

Just announced: Michael Martin Murphey to perform a concert at the Sellersville Theater on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. (doors will open at 7:30 p.m.)

By Steven Brodsky

 

 

… Tickets are now available.

Visit https://www.st94.com/events/michael-martin-murphey/ for additional information and a link to purchase your tickets.

Posted 4-8-25

Leonard Cohen and Billy Joe Shaver drew upon the same Bible verse

By Steven Brodsky

Note to readers: This article appeared at: https://delcoculturevultures.com/2025/03/10/conversations-about-faith/Does Isaiah 64:6 raise questions for you? You may find answers to those questions at: https://www.gotquestions.org/imputed-righteousness.html.

… The verse is Isaiah 64:6. As translated in the King James Version, the verse reads: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

I’m writing about Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will” and Billy Joe Shaver’s “If You Don’t Love Jesus.”

Most people who’ve heard the songs haven’t encountered the verse directly (and most of this column’s readers haven’t heard the Billy Joe Shaver song).

In the Leonard Cohen song, Isaiah 64:6 is alluded to in the line: “In our rags of light, all dressed to kill.”

In the Billy Joe Shaver song, an allusion to the verse appears as: “Take your rotten rags of righteousness and stuff ’em up your self.”

“If It Be Your Will”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXoqQAvkLfQ&ab_channel=LeonardCohen-Topic.

“If You Don’t Love Jesus”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MbF0bc7iEs&ab_channel=Boofitts. The song is “strident,” as I described it during a radio interview that I did with Billy Joe Shaver a number of years ago.

Posted 8-2-21, Reposted and Revised 3-11-25

Jelly Roll’s (Jason DeFord’s) opening statement at a Senate committee hearing

By Steven Brodsky

Thank you, Jelly Roll!

Posted 1-12-24

In tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett

By Steven Brodsky

… I’m pleased to share links to a nearly one-hour phone interview that Clay Eals did with Jimmy Buffett on October 26, 2000 for Clay’s book Steve Goodman: Facing the Music.

From The Paul Leslie Hour:

A Never-Before-Heard Interview with Jimmy Buffett – Part 1 of 3 – YouTube

A Never-Before-Heard Interview with Jimmy Buffett – Part 2 of 3 – YouTube

A Never-Before-Heard Interview with Jimmy Buffett – Part 3 of 3 – YouTube

ABOUT – THE PAUL LESLIE HOUR

A 2017 Entertainment, Culture and More interview with Clay Eals is posted at: A Conversation With Clay Eals, Author of ‘Steve Goodman: Facing the Music’ – delcoculturevultures.com.

Posted 9-13-23

A Conversation With April Verch 

By Steven Brodsky 

April Verch is one of the most admired fiddlers worldwide. It’s not only extraordinary fiddle playing that endears her to fans, however. It’s also her stepdancing, singing, music composition and lyric writing, and a unique and wonderful artistic expression that flavors the various traditional fiddle music styles that she performs and records.  April had prodigious talent with the fiddle at an early age. At an even younger age, she demonstrated remarkable ability in stepdancing. Her talent continued to grow and brought her recognition in her native Ottawa Valley, Canada and later on far beyond. In 1997 she won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship. At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, her performance with five other fiddlers in a segment that presented Canadian fiddle music was broadcast to millions of viewers. She has performed in many countries, and is a concert and festival favorite. In the greater Philadelphia region, April performed last year at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. She received a rousing reception. Last month, April performed at the Lansdowne Folk Club. Some of our readers were in attendance; they thoroughly enjoyed the concert.     April, you were 3 years old when you began stepdancing. At age 6 you started learning to play the fiddle. What was going on in your life and surroundings that contributed to those learning choices?   My parents are both fans of our local (Ottawa Valley) music and dance traditions. I grew up attending square dances, festivals and jamborees with them and listening to my dad’s country band practice. My older sister, Tawnya, was taking stepdancing lessons and I wanted to do everything she did, so I started taking stepdancing lessons at the age of 3. We took lessons from a local teacher, Buster Brown, who taught the style with his wife Pauline 5 days a week in different communities around the Ottawa Valley.     I’ve heard that you wanted to take up the fiddle earlier. Why didn’t you do so?   We were dancing to fiddle music and I was drawn to it, so I decided I wanted to play fiddle, too. I think I also liked the fact that every time there was fiddle music people were happy and having a good time. I believe I decided when I was 3 that I wanted a fiddle, but my parents didn’t really think I knew what I wanted for sure, and they were also worried that I wouldn’t have time and attention to practice both fiddle and dance, so I had to wait until I was 6 for my first fiddle. It was my birthday present. I think I had finally bugged them long enough at that point that they figured it wasn’t something that was going to pass!      You sometimes stepdance and play fiddle concurrently. When did you first start doing this?  When I was competing in Ontario fiddle and stepdancing competitions as a young girl, which we often did, though it was more about the social gathering than the actual “contest,” I saw a woman by the name of Cindy Thompson fiddle and stepdance at the same time. I don’t know exactly how old I was, maybe 9 or 10, and I was blown away. I figured “if she can do it, I can do it!” So I started working on it on my own and gradually taught myself to combine the two.    The opening track on The April Verch Anthology CD is “Canadian Reel Medley: Trip to Windsor, Back Up and Push, Dusty Miller, Woodchoppers Breakdown.” How old were you when this was recorded?  This track starts with an old recording from the late 1980s (I was around 10 years old at the time) and then it melds into a recording of me playing the same tune from a CD entitled Verchuosity which was released on Rounder Records in 2001.      What were the circumstances?  My dad and my sister and I had gone to play on CHIP radio in Fort-Coulonge, Quebec. It was a station we listened to a lot.—They played a lot of old country music and a lot of local artists. One of the hosts at the time was Red Bennett, and we had met him at a few events and he had invited us to come and play live on his show.    What do you recall about the experience?   It was my first live radio experience and I was pretty excited! We played a few tunes and he interviewed us in between.     Please talk about what is to be heard on the track.  The track starts with Red asking me about what we were going to play next and I say something like “some of my favorites, maybe yours too, eh?” I sound like I’m trying to be very grown up but really I just sound like a kid who’s thrilled to be playing on live radio. And then I tear into a tune much too fast, which I think a lot of kids do—tend to play too quickly.… So when it melds into the “current day” version of the same tune, the pace slows considerably to where the tune can groove a bit more!    The anthology CD allowed you to choose from tracks that were on 10 of your previously released recordings. What specific memories arose when you revisited some of the songs selected for inclusion on the CD?  It was amazing to listen back to each recording, because each one reminded me of a different phase of my life and my career. Remembering not just who was in the band or the studio at that time, but what was happening in my life, what my hopes and dreams were for that recording… For me personally, listening back was like seeing snapshots in a photo album.     Please tell us about the current members of your band.  Not a day goes by that I do not feel extremely grateful to have such amazing bandmates. Cody Walters plays bass and clawhammer banjo. He resides in Asheville, NC. And from Boston, MA, Alex Rubin joins us on guitar. Both Cody and Alex also contribute vocals. They are fantastic musicians and really wonderful human beings to hang out with offstage as well. I have tremendous respect for them.    You started full-time touring in 2000. Please tell us about several of your most memorable performance-related experiences.    Performing in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver was definitely a highlight and a huge production. I feel so fortunate to be able to play in so many different parts of the world and also so many different types of venues and events. Each one is different and special in its own way, and the the most memorable experiences for me as a performer come from the connections that we make in sharing our music with an audience. Hearing their stories after the show, seeing their faces and reactions. That’s what means the most. That can happen in a tiny space of a big hall, but it’s what sticks with me always.    How do you occupy your time while traveling to performance venues?  In all honesty, I spend almost all of my time working on the “business” aspect of my career when we are in the van, at the hotel, or between tours. I do have hobbies too, but right now my focus is mostly on doing what I can to keep us touring and doing what we love, and I’m okay with that, even if it’s sometimes a heavy load to keep up with. I feel fortunate to be able to do it.     You perform a variety of traditional fiddle styles. How are some of them similar to one another and how are they different?  A lot of the differences lie in the bowing patterns and ornamentation. Some styles are more articulate while others use longer bows and more notes slurred together. The ornamentation in the left hand also differs from style to style. In the fiddle styles that I play, the thing that ties them all together in my mind is that they are intended for dancing. They have a driving rhythm and how you achieve the dance groove might be different, but that is the ultimate goal for the music.    What formal and informal training and music exposure has been most helpful to you?    I first learned from local fiddlers that taught me “by ear.” Later I studied classical violin as well and learned to read music. Both methods and experiences were invaluable and I am glad to have both. More than anything have passionate, patient and dedicated teachers been my greatest asset.    You attended Berklee College of Music. How did that experience benefit you as a musician?  Attending Berklee really opened up my ears to styles of music I had never been exposed to before and made me realize how vast the possibilities are for my instrument, or any instrument for that matter. It was also great to be surrounded by so many musicians that were passionate about their craft and to learn about the business aspect of the industry. I still refer to some of my music business course books to this day.    Other than the styles of music that you perform and record, which do you most enjoy?  That’s a difficult question for me—I seem to go through phases and love a lot of genres. I don’t know that I would say that there are any that I love that I haven’t tried, because I tend to try most of them when I get really passionate about them. Right now I can’t seem to get enough of old classic country music.    When not on the road on in the studio, what are some of the activities that you most like doing?    I enjoy reading, walking, gardening and crafts. And hanging out with my family and neighbors. I’ve so much to learn from them.     Are you giving thought to your next CD?  I am! We will be recording this fall for a new CD to be released in 2019.    What do you expect might be on it?  I’m leaning towards that old classic country sound and thinking of going more in that direction. You heard it here first!  April Verch’s website address is: www.aprilverch.com

Posted 2-14-18