I hope you will join me in congratulating Eamon O’Leary for being named Spillwords Press Author of the Month for March 2025. Mr. O’Leary’s wonderful essay, Chance a Change, appeared on March 4th. (And I do thank those of you who voted for me, by the way.)
Let’s also congratulate Hikari for being awarded for Post of the Month. Her poem “Prayer to the Sea” was published on March 15th.
Cover A. DC Comics.
People, 2025 could not get any weirder than this. There is now an escaped tiger in the vicinity of Cave Spring/southern Roanoke. Check the local news. The radio station is doing better than TV in keeping up with the story, I think, even if there isn’t much detail yet.
Supposedly the animal escaped from its temporary enclosure on Mill Mountain — it was being transported by Jowicker Large Game Farm between Knoxville, TN and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. It apparently a “juvenile,” which means it isn’t full-sized, but the news is saying it could easily kill a person. So don’t mess with it.
There is a Cave Spring resident, April Flanagan, who told the radio that she spotted the animal walking north alongside North Jefferson Street.
I will keep you posted when I learn more. Please be safe.
Oil on canvas.
DC Comics.
“Closing Arguments” is a new play written by local playwright David Walton — and one of its stars is none other than my friend and fellow Mary Washington alumnus, the brilliant Russell Morgan.
So check it out! It opens on April 4th, 7:30 PM at 302 Campbell Avenue, SE in Roanoke. You cand find out more about the show (including ticketing information) right here.
You can order your copy right here. Local Gems Press developed this anthology to honor the rich poetic traditions in both America and the United Kingdom.
Bards Across the Pond includes work from over 120 poets across the United States and over 50 poets from various regions in the UK. (I am one of the former — if you purchase the volume, I hope you enjoy “The Rough, Violet Stone.”) 😉
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 