All posts by Eric Robert Nolan

Eric Robert Nolan graduated from Mary Washington College in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He spent several years a news reporter and editorial writer for the Culpeper Star Exponent in Culpeper, Virginia. His work has also appeared on the front pages of numerous newspapers in Virginia, including The Free Lance – Star and The Daily Progress. Eric entered the field of philanthropy in 1996, as a grant writer for nonprofit healthcare organizations. Eric’s poetry has been featured by Dead Beats Literary Blog, Dagda Publishing, The International War Veterans’ Poetry Archive, and elsewhere. His poetry will also be published by Illumen Magazine in its Spring 2014 issue.
Uncategorized

“Imagine the Moon as Companion” published in The Piker Press 19th Anniversary Issue.

Leave a comment

I am just thrilled today to see that The Piker Press featured my prose poem, “Imagine the Moon as Companion,” on the front page of its 19th Anniversary Issue.  You can find it right here.

Thanks to Editor Sand Pilarski for allowing my work to appear so prominently in marking the occasion for this outstanding online literary magazine!

Uncategorized

Uno, Dose …

Leave a comment

I’ve experienced nearly no side effects from the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine … and I’m pleasantly surprised by that.  I heard round two could be a tough one — and the first shot left me feeling tired for days.

I got the chills shortly after the shot on Wednesday — it happened almost immediately, when I was on my way home.  That was disconcerting.

But after that?  Nada.  Zilch — except for a sore arm.

Uncategorized

“When the pandemic came, did you do what was required to save American lives?”

Leave a comment
The following was written by a great old friend of mine from Mary Washington College.  I took it (with permission) from his Facebook page:
 
Get the vaccine, get the vaccine, get the vaccine, as soon as you possibly can.  Following the advice of scientists isn’t “political.”  Doing the right thing to save the lives of others is not “political”.
 
-562,067 Americans dead from COVID.
 
-284 Americans died from COVID yesterday.
 
YOU can still do the right thing. YOU can still do the very little requested to save lives.
 
When the pandemic came, did you do what was required to save American lives?  Did you properly wear a mask?  Did you look around and decide to change your behavior so that you could support local businesses without putting their lives at risk?  Or were you ignorant and selfish?
 
Are you still being ignorant and selfish?  You might be responsible for someone’s death, or for one of the millions of Americans that will have lasting effects.
 
You want to prove to me that the government doesn’t need to make laws protecting public health?   THEN YOU DO THE RIGHT THING!!! 
 
PLEASE properly social distance and wear a mask while around others, even if you are vaccinated.  YOU still can carry the virus and YOU can still be responsible for killing a fellow American or giving them a long-term issue.
 
Lack of official restrictions means that PEOPLE WILL DIE.  Many laws, rules, and regulations are in place to increase the quality of life for all and to help protect others.  Since too many state governments are abandoning their responsibilities, it’s up to us as individuals.
 
The good news is that people are getting vaccinated and daily deaths are high but down from the tragic peaks in late Jan/early Feb.  HOWEVER, there are still many of us that are not vaccinated and the variants are spreading and have the chance to spread easily and to be very deadly.
 
Get your vaccine, as soon as you can.  Continue to social distance and wear a mask (yes, even after you get the vaccine).  Don’t stop just because your state lifts its guidelines.  Listen to the experts and follow their recommendations.
 
When you absolutely must be around others do everything that you can to stay at least 6 feet away and always wear a mask.  And don’t forget to not touch your face and to wash your hands often.  Masks help, but they are NOT 100% effective.  But they help.
 
Grab takeout and do not sit down in a restaurant, buy online gift certificates to your favorite bars and not go in person, have virtual family gatherings with Zoom or FaceTime.
 
Stay safe and healthy and help others do the same.
 
 
 
Corona12
Picture credit: Anouarba, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons
 
 

Uncategorized

LET THIS BE AN EDIFICE TO STRUGGLING WRITERS EVERYWHERE.

Leave a comment

Look at it. It’s beautiful. It’s glorious. I covet it despite the fact that it’s mine.

It is so precious to me that I’m going to booby-trap my home like an ancient South American temple — lest that sneaky Indiana Jones try and abscond with it. It also explains why I’m running around my home in only a loincloth, shouting a strange language and shooting poison darts at any newcomers.

I’m glad we had this talk.

20210411_175727