This is the blog for the Bentari Project.
Sunday, January 06, 2013
“Bentari Lives” is the title for chapter 24 of my just-released novel ( Bentari [1] ). Now, at long last, the words have new meaning. For they not only answer the story’s implicit plot query—how will this ill-equipped tribe and this small boy survive a well-armed invasion by German Wehrmacht soldiers? Now, the words announce that my book is availab...
Read full postWednesday, November 21, 2012
The age-old German proverb sums up the spirit of Portland’s generous nonprofit organization, Potluck in the Park. As board chairwoman Cheri Baber observes in the recent article “One simple thing” [1] by Jillian Daley: “People do not always choose the situation in which they find themselves, Baber says, and Potluck doesn't ask that they do anything ...
Read full postSunday, October 28, 2012
For my first 13-years, we called a little house on Ash Street our home. Then we made a big move—2 blocks south to a bigger house on Oak Street. My grandson’s name, by the way, happens to be Ash. And my youngest brother is named Oak, after our grandpa. I love that coincidence. It had nothing to do with my childhood fascination with trees, but there ...
Read full postSunday, October 14, 2012
twins of light and life you find eternal moments when each day finds rest Images: Oregon sunset—always a moment between day and night that lasts forever and is filled with promise. And my twin promises—they are 10-year olds today....
Read full postSunday, September 02, 2012
People naturally want to know what Bentari is about. You may read on these blog pages a lot about the story and the making of the story. But, when asked the simple question, what it is about, I often say something like this. Bentari is a story about Africa. The story revolves around a very young native boy whose loving parents share mixed ancestry....
Read full postFriday, August 17, 2012
Families have celebrated special occasions ever since our first ancestor noticed her memory. Today, we honor Angus who has earned an advanced degree. In the Navy, “bunts” (flags) are used aboard ship to make the salute—Bravo Zulu. It means, “Well done.” In the Brown clan, the refrain from Grandpa Clair explains how we feel—proud of you, proud of yo...
Read full postSunday, May 13, 2012
Families have been honoring mothers on a special day for centuries. [1] May it be ever so. Father’s teach us how to love. Mother’s show us how to be strong—and—how to love properly . On this special day, I’m remembering my wife Debra. We’ve been a team for 32 years. If there’s one thing she has taught me, it’s how to persevere. If there’s another, ...
Read full postSunday, April 15, 2012
Dear Bentari Project Blog, How fast the year has passed since you were one [1] ! This year, I once again must thank many people on whose wings I have hitched my dreams. Alix, Raja and Amine—important guides throughout year one, are now joined by David Michael Slater, Jessica Glenn, Vinnie Kinsella and Kristin Thiel who have kindly entered the Benta...
Read full postWednesday, February 29, 2012
Dr. Carter G. Woodson [1] started it all in 1926. Born to former slaves, Carter worked in Kentucky coal mines as a young man, but he managed to work his way through college. He became a historian. It was his grand idea to improve upon the history books by adding the important stories that African-Americans had been contributing since Colonial Times...
Read full postSunday, February 26, 2012
Langston Hughes said that he was influenced most by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman [1] . His residence in Harlem, New York has landmark status, and his block was renamed "Langston Hughes Place". Langston Hughes did more than create beautiful poetry, plays, books and essays. He pioneered social change through his work and by hi...
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