Editor’s note: Freeman’s work contains very authentic and difficult adult themes. Above, original artwork by Tennille Blair-Neff Picture Perfect by Freeman Our entire family stands together for the last time ever All thirteen of us smiling toward the lens from in front of A red and green hollyhock hedgerow, Holding egg cartons and Easter baskets,…
Above, at left, artist Christiano Bellotti. At right, R’vyn Grega-Szabo with Christiano Bellotti. Try To Imagine by R’vyn Grega-Szabo Here… before you say “I can do that,” try to imagine crawling inside of a cave, alone, in the dark and all that can guide you to the exit is a tube lying on a floor…
24-Hour Horseshoe Hell by Joshua Ong Jazz sax at night as the lights climb up. After a long, hot day, the smell of sweat, chalk, and campfire cooking fills my nose. The cast iron sizzles with vegetables. Four of us — all climbers — dish out dinner and sit down to eat. After inhaling the food, we…
Don’t Be Afraid To Be You: Queen City Beard & Moustache Federation by Joshua Heston SPRINGFIELD, MO — “Everyone is welcome in the beardo family,” explains Bill Petersen, a huge bear of a man with a round, full beard. He is also president of the Queen City Beard & Moustache Federation. The non-profit began in…
Easter Moon, Rising by Joshua Heston Clear skies. Hot afternoon turning to cold dusk. Gravel clattered beneath my truck. It was getting late but not too late to be on the mountain. In the sudden, lingering twilight, sarvisberry blossoms became firework starbursts in white. Delicate new plum flowers trailed the mountainside. From inside Bear Cave,…
March 31 ASA Shoot, White River Bowmen by Joshua Heston Despite the threat of heavy rain, the March 31 Archery Shooters Association (ASA) Shoot just north of Branson, Missouri, hosted by White River Bowmen, was attended by over 60 archers from both Missouri and Arkansas. Davy Wilson and Brandon Beckett work hard to create an open,…
Lessons on the Mountain by Joshua Heston There was once a time when you could scarcely keep me out of the timber. These days, the rigors of editor-in-chief keeps me close to the studio and desktop. For the last couple of years, I’ve kicked myself for not getting out to the mountain in early spring,…
Workout Journey, Feb-Mar ’17 by Joshua Heston Sunday, February 5 After nearly 30 years of not knowing what to do, my journey begins with what I do best: writing and eating. This afternoon, after church, I interview Terry Sartin over the phone and he details working out and eating. We talk for over an hour…
Archery Shoot in White River Country by Joshua Heston One by one, pickups pull into the open space atop the ridge. It is a cold, sunny winter morning above this particular Ozarks cedar glade. Archers of all ages and skill levels amble to the check-in tent, then to the test range. “You know you’re a…
Bonniebrook Autumn by Joshua Ong Apollo’s massive arm encircles Daphne’s throat. The man’s veins and muscles bulge from constraint. Daphne is held tightly to Apollo’s chest, her legs falling limply between his. Both are naked. Daphne’s head is the branches of a tree, her feet setting roots, evading Apollo’s grasp. A Greek god and a…