Endorsements
Rick Watson and his Life 101 column have added color
to the front page of the Lifestyles section of our small-town
daily paper. Every Sunday readers reach for that page
first because they enjoy a chuckle and feel a connection
to the rural Alabama living that his stories depict.
Watson paints vivid imagery of spider webs overhanging
a trail to his barn. He describes feelings of loss through
the behaviors of a grieving dog named Ol' Buddy. His
writings are natural and relaxed with an emotional depth
that captures the reader and brings him back week after
week. We left the column out one week by mistake and
felt the wrath of disappointed readers who had missed
their visit with Rick Watson that Sunday. This column
has a following. It will likely find its spot in any
newspaper with a suburban or rural coverage.
— Lona Wlliams - Daily Mountain Eagle, Jasper,
AL
After I read a Rick Watson column, I sit back and savor it.
Obviously, I have come in contact with a person who has THOUGHT
about what
he was writing, and achieved some sort of understanding about it.
He has LEARNED something about something, and he is sharing it
with me. This sounds high-falutin’, but it’s not. Rick
makes pictures, and I see them clear and plain, and the images
bind me to his story. He achieved the writer’s double whammy
-- he made me laugh out loud and he broke my heart, all in the
same column. I love his similes, like these fresh words: “He
was as hyper as a child that has been fed way too much chocolate.” But
best of all, he tells a STORY. Like Homer, like every other born
storyteller across the ages, Rick tells a story. I believe he will
become our Bubba With a Heart, our Compassionate Goodoboy, writing
from his Eden in the Woods near Jasper, Alabama.
-- Clarke Stallworth - Writer, Editor, and Mentor
Notes From Readers
Dear Lona,
This is just a little note to tell you how much I enjoy reading
Rick Watson's columns...I attended Jeff. St. with him back in the
late 60's. He's just a joy to be around..He is so talented in so
many ways....He sings and plays guitar also...His columns remind
me alot of Dale Short's, his friend....His writing is so touching...He
really pulled at my heartstrings in his last column. I lost my
Dad at an early age, and the memories I have of him are alot like
Rick's memories....The tears flowed.....I can't wait to read his
columns each week....I should also add that your columns are wonderful
as well...You are a talented writer, and I can't wait to read yours
as well!...An Eagle reader...Darla Van Horn, Cordova, Al.
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