Writer
#TeacherGuide for The Caretaker of Tree Palace For Discussion Why do you think this chapter is titled “soil”? What fears did Doodles have at his new school? Have you experienced similar feelings? Explain. How did he feel about people looking at his drawings? Why? Why did the birds grow to trust Boy after what they’d... Continue Reading →
#TeacherGuide for The Caretaker of Tree Palace For Discussion Why do you think this chapter is titled “seeds”? Describe the relationship between Doodles and his grandmother. Back up what you think with examples from the story. Why does Doodles hide from his grandmother when he first arrives? Why does he go out to the woods... Continue Reading →
#TeacherGuide for The Caretaker of Tree Palace For Discussion Why do you think this chapter is titled “fallen”? What qualities describe Doodles’ mother, Catherine? How is Doodles like his mother? How is he like his father? Compare and contrast the way birds are represented in “The Boy” and “The Birds” sections of this chapter. Describe... Continue Reading →
Dear Mother Earth, I wrote this little book for you. It’s about our Life together. Your loving daughter, Dawn Dear Educator, Having taught in public middle schools for a decade, I have great appreciation for the work you do. This collection of questions for discussion and activities for my novel, The Caretaker of Tree Palace,... Continue Reading →
After a life among pines, they laid you to rest on the back end of the cemetery in Waverly, Texas. Virginia-born, the Civil War wrested you from your Woodvale home, south of Richmond. You brought your journals with you and your longing to acquire knowledge. Through your journals, I know you. I've studied your what... Continue Reading →
There’s a game I used to play when I was a kid. There’s not a name for this game, and I probably never told anyone I did it. If I did tell someone, they’d just think it was strange or they wouldn’t understand what I meant. But I played the game a lot. Every morning... Continue Reading →
I listened to the Guardian's live YouTube coverage of the impeachment hearings today. This was the shot the camera was at the recess. It's an image to ponder. I'm #thankful for those who have the courage to speak up and was moved by Lt. Col. Vindman's opening statement.
Thank God, one of the dozen stolen dogs has been found. Waxahachie is a magical place, somehow. I've had a certain fascination with it since I first heard the name as a child. My great grandparents, Clarence and Edna Mae, we're married here under a mimosa tree, I'm told. Clarence was a mysterious, big-nosed man... Continue Reading →
https://youtu.be/H1Dvg2MxQn8 ... takes my breath away. Delightful.
Someone in need of Resuscitation has been calling for this story tonight. So I'm posting it now even though it's not quite ready. It has bones; it has spirit. It's a rough draft of a story that's part of the "Woman Speaks Softly in a Small Room" series. I'll finish the story later, when I can... Continue Reading →
The Little Free Library boxes in Duncanville, Texas have copies of The Caretaker of Tree Palace nesting within them. This little birdhouse of books is in front of the elementary school I attended in the 1970s, now called Smith Academy. Miss Zula Wylie was my first grade teacher at Smith. Miss Wylie and other educators... Continue Reading →
Heading out for the Day 🌅
God and I have an inside joke about chairs. In the first year or so after I became a Bahá'í, I helped organize the Sunday devotionals program at the Dallas Baha'i Center. This was during the time when the Center was in a funky old house on Northwest Highway, not the big church that it's... Continue Reading →
In the middle of the night (in the aftermidnight, one might say) when I’m sleeping, I’m often awakened by words and phrases. The Night, in a basket full of dreams, delivers these sounds that wake me, and say, “Here, if you’ll take them, they are yours.” Some choices I have at that moment include: get... Continue Reading →
C. Dawn McCallum 