Kathy Payne May 10, 2023 Sun Valley Writing Project Fireflies A memory from long ago comes back to me. I am six and living in the pink house on Ebenezer Road in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the town where my mother and father both were raised. It is the house between Mr. and Mrs. GodfreyContinue reading “Fireflies”
Category Archives: Creative Writing
Payne Train
Kathy Payne 2023 Sports Writing Final Essay Payne Train I passed the artwork hanging on the wall as I ascended the stairs to the sound of Kendall’s sobs. I saw Kendall’s musical mixed media collage and Halle’s self-portrait. I passed the framed artwork and ribbons for the library “bookmark” drawing contest. Halle won first placeContinue reading “Payne Train”
A Three-Room School
We arrived at Katmandu airport, loaded our bags into a van and started the drive to our hotel. Katmandu was chaotic. Motorcycles zipped by through the crowded lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. There was one stop light in the entire city. It seemed voluntary to stop there and mandatory to blow your horn. Our driver toldContinue reading “A Three-Room School”
The Shot
I once commented to a Kentucky fan wearing a UK shirt that it was almost perfect, except they forgot the D at the front and the E at the end. He did not appreciate my humor. Kentucky’s hate for Duke runs almost as deep as that of Duke’s biggest rival, The University of North CarolinaContinue reading “The Shot”
On Brave Old Army Team
Like fireflies signaling on a hot, summer night of my youth, my first and only experience watching the Army-Navy game in person burned brightly for me, ephemeral, not to be repeated. I grew up for most of my formative years at West Point, New York, the home of the storied United States Military Academy. MyContinue reading “On Brave Old Army Team”
A Walk with Bodi
Below is my Final Essay for Invitation of the Redwood Grove. It is a glorious sunny day in our neighborhood. Temperatures are near perfect at 71 degrees. I’m not sure that anyone who was raised in California can ever appreciate how lucky they are to enjoy this spectacular beauty and weather all year long. MaybeContinue reading “A Walk with Bodi”
Secrets
She had a secret. One that I didn’t know until long after she had died. One that even her son, my father, did not know. Once revealed, it explained a lot about her. But I knew Katharine when I was young and that was long before I knew that most adults had secrets and otherContinue reading “Secrets”
Kissing Frogs
Below is the final essay I wrote for my Memoir Writing with John Evans. I was talking to him again face-to-face. He was healthy and handsome, like he was before the long illness took its toll and did all the terrible damage that cancer does to someone you love. He was wearing his beautiful camelContinue reading “Kissing Frogs”
The Cathedral of the Redwoods
The circle is wide at the bottom. The ground is covered with moist soil, Branches and dried needles and leaves. The trees reach upward, Rising high. Their trunks are strong and protective, Thick and textured. They have weathered many storms. And yet, there are multiple Crooked highways in the trees, All leading up, Toward theContinue reading “The Cathedral of the Redwoods”
A Year at Stanford 