When I’m not sitting at a computer writing stories, I often spend time traveling around New England, entertaining at banquets, conferences and conventions with stories. Over the years I’ve noticed a change in what people wear to such events. Not too long ago, if there was a dinner at a conference or convention, almost everyone […]

The flow of e-mails continues unabated here at Storyteller Central. Peter from Virginia writes: “John, we’ve been staying a few weeks in a nice cottage on the grounds of a resort on the coast. We first want you to know how much we enjoyed reading your column in the local paper. After reading a few […]

With not yet a week gone in the young summer, Maine is experiencing a welcome reversal from the awful weather of a year ago, when a rain-soaked spring was followed by a summer that never seemed to let in the sun. After a warmer-than-usual spring, the summer of 2010 opened this week under hot and […]

Watching silently from the sidelines this time of year as speaker upon speaker doles out advice to newly minted graduates can be a difficult task for journalists, as prone as we are to believing we know more than most. But as we are usually passed over for time at the podium by honored members of […]

Here’s another collection of random facts for cocktail party and family reunion chatter: Another war “surge”: Over 2,200 veterans under 65 died in 2008 because they lacked health insurance. Relative importance: There are four times as many marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles as there are Starbucks. On the job benefits: There is 1 chance in […]