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Ella V. Costner: Poet, nurse, veteran, storyteller, bootlegger
In the spring of 2015 I participated in a GoSmokies group hike near the Cosby Campground that included a stop at a cemetery that includes the grave of Ella V. Costner, known as the “Poet Laureate of the Smokies.” I had never heard of her, but I took a photo of her headstone. What I…
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Tennessee schools have a book ban cheat sheet of nearly 400 titles
A list of some 390 books banned earlier this school year by school officials in one Tennessee county is being used as a “cheat sheet” by other school districts to vet their assessment of which books to ban. The list originated in Wilson County, which includes the towns of Mt. Juliet and Lebanon in Middle…
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Exiting the freak show X
I’m joining the crowd rushing out the door at X. I will no longer post at the freak show, but I plan to keep my seat to lurk until the sports accounts I follow find the exit sign. I’m now learning how to get the most out of Blue Sky and Threads. I’ll probably settle…
