When I travel, I love to contrast the differences between where I live and where I’m visiting. Last week’s trip to Boston to give three speeches to nursing organizations on my book “American Nightingale” was full of such fascinating differences: … Continued
Bob Welch’s Top 10 “Where Were You When?” Memories (See May 18, 2010 Register-Guard column) My criterion: How deeply did this event singe itself into my memory, for better or worse.* 1. 911 terrorist attack, 2001 My wife and I … Continued
In my book, “Pebble in the Water,” I quote the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, whose words have never spoken more clearly to me than they did this week as I spent a week in Massachusetts while speaking to three medical … Continued
When my two sons were small, I remember watching a trailer for a new Superman movie. “You’ll believe a man can fly!” the narrator said. Well, duh. What else would you expect? By the 1980s, technology — and, along with … Continued
My Sunday, May 2, 2010, column is based on a phone interview with a guy now in prison who stole a Eugene man’s war medals, then returned them with a note of apology. Strange, huh? Here’s a young man, now … Continued
Until Friday, I’d never watched a soldiers’ homecoming before. I highly recommend it. When you see hundreds of soldiers and thousands of family members reuniting, it personalizes the reality of war. It humbles you. It warms you to see the … Continued
Today, April 18, is National Columnists Day. Like I needed to remind you! I can just imagine the wild celebrations going on from the Redwood Forests to the Gulf Stream Waters. In realty, columnists are generally revered with the same … Continued
Since words are the raw material I use in writing and speaking, a lot of my posts are going to deal with writing, speaking, books, stories, imagination — you get the idea. I thought I’d mark the start of baseball … Continued
Haiti has been a part of my life now for more than two decades, in part because my sister- and brother-in-law, Ann and Glenn Petersen, have been a driving forces behind the Haiti Foundation of Hope and because my wife … Continued
We still have three spots available for the Feb. 19-21, 2010 Beachside Writers Workshop in Yachats. It’s designed for beginning and intermediate writers. What: An all-new, three-day Beachside Writers Workshop with founder Bob Welch and his guest, novelist Jane Kirkpatrick. … Continued