
Polly Conner & Rachel Tiemeyer are Columbia, MO authors whose latest book is “From Freezer to Cooker.” It’s a cookbook full of recipes for the Instant Pot or slow cooker, as well as simple freezer meal instructions at the bottom of every recipe so readers will never be more than a few minutes away from a tasty and healthy homemade meal. Conner & Tiemeyer are the founders of Thriving Home, a down-to-earth lifestyle blog that has become a leader in the freezer cooking space — these time-strapped moms of three (each!) jokingly refer to themselves as “freezer meal evangelists.” They have previously written “From Freezer to Table,” a cookbook that contains more than 75 simple recipes for freezer cooked meals. I emailed some interview questions to them, and they were kind enough to take time to write back some answers. Continue reading “Q&A With Polly Conner & Rachel Tiemeyer, Authors of “From Freezer to Cooker””

Marc McKee is a Columbia, MO author whose latest book is, “Meta Meta Make-Belief.” It’s a poetry collection full of riffs, tangents, & experiments inspired in spirit by the long tradition in literary and performing arts of calling attention to and celebrating the artificiality and constructedness of art. McKee has authored several other poetry collections, and is currently the managing editor at the Missouri Review. I emailed some interview questions to him, and he was kind enough to take time to write back some answers. Continue reading “Q&A With Marc McKee, Author of “Meta Meta Make-Belief””
In the United States, chess has seemingly been held at arm’s length, generally thought of as a game for rainy days and old men in parks. A few times in the past 170 years, interest has swelled to a more appropriate representation of the populace. Understandably, these surges usually coincide with the ascension of a prominent player to the world stage. Most notably, this happened when Bobby Fischer won the World Chess Championship in 1972. Continue reading “The New U.S. Chess Boom”
My fondness for survival stories began as a wee lad with a reading of “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen. It taught me that a hatchet can be the difference between starving in the woods and having a pretty cool and readable time. Naturally, when I’m inspired to take the air in the wilderness, I always have a suitcase full of hatchets in tow. This allows me to not only to thrive like a fictional boy if I get lost, but also, due to its weight, keeps me from straying too far into the wild. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Rye Curtis”

B.K. Boes is a Mid-Missouri author who recently came out with her debut book, “Mother of Rebellion.” The book is the first in her epic fantasy series, The Leyumin Divided Saga, and introduces us to the divided continent of Leyumin, where two nations vie for dominance — one through politics and manipulation, the other through brute force and self-proclaimed pure blood. You can find out more about the book on her website, or follow her through twitter, facebook, and her email newsletter. I emailed some interview questions to her, and she was kind enough to take time to write back some answers. Continue reading “Q&A With B.K. Boes, Author of “Mother of Rebellion””
June is a time to remember the Stonewall Riots (or Stonewall Uprising/Stonewall Rebellion). In 1969, what started as an act of protest has become a way to continue to celebrate the LGBT+ Community and promote activism within the community.

As we are distant this year, with hope in the future for less distance Pride events, here are a few websites to hear and share LGBT Voices. Through these online resources, there are avenues for expression, stories, and creation of spaces to keep and protect voices that might otherwise be lost. Continue reading “LGBT+ Voices: Online Archives on Coming Out”

Mel West is a Columbia, MO author who recently came out with his debut book, “One Damned Good Horse.” The book contains essays and stories, tracing his youth as a Missouri farm boy through his time at the University of Missouri and service during World War II to his time as a dairy farmer, a Methodist minister and an internationally known humanitarian. At the age of 70, he started what is now known as Mobility Worldwide, an organization based in Columbia, MO that makes three-wheeled, hand-cranked mobility carts to give to leg-disabled people in more than 100 developing countries around the world. All the money from sales of the book go towards building more mobility carts. I recently emailed some interview questions to him, and he was kind enough to take time to write back some answers. Continue reading “Author Interview: Mel West”

This is the third and final blog post in the homeschooling and distance learning series I’ve been doing over the last couple of months. This post will focus on community resources for people looking for more information and help with homeschooling and distance learning. I’ll also be including some odds and ends that I have come across since starting this series of blog posts. Continue reading “Homeschooling and Distance Learning Resources: Community Resources and More!”

Kerri Linder is a Columbia, MO author who recently came out with her debut book, “Iconic Restaurants of Columbia Missouri.” The book explores Columbia’s culinary history, which is chock-full of restaurants that not only satisfied appetites but also provided gathering places to build community. Born and raised in Columbia, Linder combined her passion for food, local history and meeting new people and started Columbia Culinary Tours in 2014. I recently emailed some interview questions to her, and she was kind enough to take time out of her schedule to write back some answers. Continue reading “Author Interview: Kerri Linder”