Author Archives: dickcass

Brief Commercial Message Kate Flora, Julia Spencer-Fleming, and I are presenting Make Your Own Mystery in Room 102 of Wishcamper Hall at USM on Saturday April 1, 2023 from 1 to 3 PM. It is a free presentation and parking … Continue reading →

 In 2004, I was a Fishtrap Fellow at the Fishtrap Writers’ Conference in Joseph, Oregon. The theme of the conference was “Writing and the West,” and included poets, fiction writers, songwriters, and anyone else who had anything to say about … Continue reading →

Another of my old teachers died last week. Charles Simic was a Pulitzer-Prize winning poet, a MacArthur grantee, and a well-loved teacher at the University of New Hampshire. He died in Dover, NH of complications of dementia. He was also … Continue reading →

Jim Harrison, the poet, talks frequently in his food writing about discovering garlic for the first time when he moved away from home in the Midwest to New York. I learned about garlic in 1967, in the kitchen of my … Continue reading →

Those of you paying attention to social media know that things have gotten a touch weird online. Facebook has mainly become a way to stay connected to old friends and family members you’d maybe rather not see at Thanksgiving. Twitter, … Continue reading →

Thanks to all who turned out for the launch Wednesday night at Longfellow Books. Great fun, excellent cake, and an outstanding conversation with interviewer extraordinaire Katrina Niidas-Holm. I’m continuing the donation scheme I announced that night through the end of … Continue reading →

OK, short and sweet today, as it is my birthday. All greetings gratefully accepted, and in the immortal words of Eubie Blake: “If I’d known how long I was going to live, I would have taken better care of myself.” … Continue reading →