Karen T Miller

Since baseball season has arrived I’ve been thinking a lot about W. P. (Bill) Kinsella the author of Shoeless Joe, which was made into the movie Field of Dreams. As you probably know, Kevin Costner played the role of Ray Kinsella, a young Iowa farmer who builds a baseball field on his farm in response to…

For a long time, I’ve been a fan of Iris DeMent’s music. A few months ago, while running errands in Kansas City, I was reminded of what a great musician she is. The community radio station KKFI featured her, and I was glad to hear she was coming out with a new album: Workin’ on…

Last year while visiting the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, I discovered another William Gay book had been published posthumously. “Stories from the Attic” is a collection of stories recovered from boxes in the attic of Gay’s former home. It’s a powerful addition to his already impressive publication record. If you’re not familiar with William…

This is my second winter in Overland Park, Kansas, after twenty-two years of living in the Red River Valley of the North, where the river snakes along the border of North Dakota and Minnesota into Canada. The weather in Kansas is much milder, which I love. For example, this morning when I checked the weather…

I was born and grew up in Arkansas, the fifth child of a Pentecostal minister, where faith and storytelling are a way of life and humor is much appreciated. Whenever people gather, there is always a sad or funny story to tell about something they did, saw, or heard, and more than likely a new…