Words and Photos by Ken Billett From overhead speakers, Jimi Hendrix’s whispery voice sings the story of “Little Wing.” The song’s slow tempo and bluesy…
Read More Reconciliation: What’s Left BehindCategory: Time Capsules
Reconciliation: Dock of the Bay
Words and Pictures by Ken Billett A gray squirrel scampered across the painted concrete deck, darting between thick-cushioned outdoor furniture. Glass chimes, hanging overhead, rattled…
Read More Reconciliation: Dock of the BayFinding Peace
Word and photos by Ken Billett Birds, mostly gulls, swooped and squawked, playing in the oak trees lining 4th Avenue North in downtown St. Petersburg,…
Read More Finding PeaceBlues With a Feeling: the 2023 International Blues Challenge goes on
Words and photos by Ken Billett January 28, 2023—On a wet Saturday night, John Nemeth and his band, The Blue Dreamers, opened their set to…
Read More Blues With a Feeling: the 2023 International Blues Challenge goes onFamily Ties III: Winnie Ille Pooh
Words and photos by Ken Billett At the bottom of a plastic bowl, Winnie the Pooh smiles up at Tigger who has bounded atop the…
Read More Family Ties III: Winnie Ille PoohFamily Ties II: Our Roots Run Deep
Words and photos by Ken Billett Television coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade quietly played in the background. While the morning coffee brewed, I…
Read More Family Ties II: Our Roots Run DeepFamily Ties: The Last Supper
July 17, 2022—Drawn together by ritual, almost by instinct, we gathered around our kitchen table, perhaps one last time, for a family lunch. Zach, our…
Read More Family Ties: The Last SupperJust Another Day
August 30, 2022, around 8:45 a.m.— “So, that’s a good question…in fact, that’s a great question.” My oncologist looked down at his notes and then…
Read More Just Another DayCats! (Not the musical, but the real thing)
Tawny stretched, yawned, and then mewed out her version of Good Morning. She’s lying on top of an old garden bench inside our carport, comfortably…
Read More Cats! (Not the musical, but the real thing)What’s Old is New, Again
This article originally appeared in Volume I, Issue II of StoryBoard Memphis Quarterly in March 2022. I headed straight to the magazine rack adjacent to Novel’s check-out…
Read More What’s Old is New, Again