tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post4662391503214070063..comments2024-03-29T02:21:55.153-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Too Long? James R. Benn Goes Short Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-36179958392276422102023-02-26T20:02:50.932-05:002023-02-26T20:02:50.932-05:00I never thought of myself as a writer, but a reade...I never thought of myself as a writer, but a reader. There are times I am sorry I didn't take Sr. Antoinette's advice in one of my English courses in college. She really liked a short story I wrote about my dog and encouraged me to submit it to a dog magazine. I declined. Maybe I should have. I still think of her with fondness. I am still a happy reader.Jodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17875883473433798682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-70287335908632185372023-02-25T19:27:23.044-05:002023-02-25T19:27:23.044-05:00Judy, I've done reviews of the books I've ...Judy, I've done reviews of the books I've read over on Goodreads.Jaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2603355196953406542023-02-25T17:45:29.815-05:002023-02-25T17:45:29.815-05:00Terrific stuff, everyone! Thanks for taking the ti...Terrific stuff, everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read this piece. Looking at the images once again made me nostalgic for cursive writing. Cheers!James Bennhttp://www.jamesrbenn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16701206429024050962023-02-25T16:14:39.879-05:002023-02-25T16:14:39.879-05:00Thanks, Jim, for introducing us to Mr. Gillan, who...Thanks, Jim, for introducing us to Mr. Gillan, who sounds like a great teacher, and for introducing me to the Billy Boyle novels. As for beloved teachers, I had many (as well as a few lemons), but the one that stands out was Paul Thomas. He was a graduate student (later professor) who graded the six ten-page papers I wrote for a very demanding, two-semester freshman history class. When I got up my courage to ask Paul why I only got a B- on my first paper for the course, he told me that it wasn't enough to summarize all the reading. I had to come up with my own thesis for the paper and use the course reading as evidence for my ideas. I was flabbergasted. Up until then, I had never heard of a student paper having its own idea! Paul told me he'd meet with me to discuss each paper after he'd graded it and explain how I could have made it better, and, by the sixth paper, I had my own ideas and an A. This was an extraordinary helpful thing to learn in my freshman year of college, and Paul's advice then has influenced my writing ever since then.KimHaysBernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02726133115831908758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-10122468336151440352023-02-25T15:18:20.875-05:002023-02-25T15:18:20.875-05:00Good point, Mark. Might be the case.
Good point, Mark. Might be the case. <br />James Bennhttp://www.jamesrbenn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38047151095896780922023-02-25T14:34:21.465-05:002023-02-25T14:34:21.465-05:00I bet he recognized your source material for your ...I bet he recognized your source material for your stories, but he appreciated that you'd tried to make it your own. The point, back then, was to get the class writing.Mark Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11567392254011373198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72584480136726140812023-02-25T13:32:29.065-05:002023-02-25T13:32:29.065-05:00Great story, Jay, about a decent guy. As evidenced...Great story, Jay, about a decent guy. As evidenced by yours and all the other mentions here, kindness is remembered, sometimes for a lifetime. James Bennhttp://www.jamesrbenn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57566838365087413102023-02-25T12:14:41.378-05:002023-02-25T12:14:41.378-05:00Jay, I love to read your reminiscences of Tony Dia...Jay, I love to read your reminiscences of Tony Dias. It just warms my heart to know of someone so kind and encouraging. I am also delighted to see that you are reading the Billy Boyle mysteries. Death's Door is a really good one. If you review them, I'd love to read your reviews! Judyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16128026892155650398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9302721260049760582023-02-25T10:21:43.528-05:002023-02-25T10:21:43.528-05:00I loved this story today. And as I'm in the mi...I loved this story today. And as I'm in the midst of my Billy Boyle catch up reading (currently on Death's Door, the book not a health declaration), it was great to see a spotlight on James R. Benn.<br /><br />As for today's question, while there were teachers I liked I wouldn't suggest that any of them influenced my life. Aside from my parents, the only person who that could be said about is someone I have written about here in the past. <br /><br />That would be coach Tony Dias. Now, he wasn't ever my coach but when I was a kid playing in the youth basketball league, I would tell any coach that would listen that I was going to coach in the league when I was old enough. Given the fact that my skills as a player tended towards being a great person sitting on the bench, you won't be surprised that all the coaches tended to respond with some form of "Yeah, sure kid" with a dismissive tone.<br /><br />But not Tony. He was the coach of the best team in the league and as time went by, he was the dean of the local basketball community. He was sought after as an assistant on the high school level and coached in the youth league as both a head coach and an assistant as he got older for a number of teams. When I told him that I wanted to be a coach, he encouraged me to go for it. The ONLY one to do it.<br /><br />And though it was just as an assistant, I started coaching when I was 14. But when I turned 18, I got my chance to be a head coach. Three years later, my team made the championship game. Tony was there in the stands watching and I got to go over to him and thank him for encouraging me when I was younger. A few years later, we were both working for another coach as assistants and then when he decided to step down as a head coach, Tony paid me pretty much the biggest compliment of my life when he agreed to be my assistant and we went on to win the title that first year together.<br /><br />When Tony passed away after a 2nd bout with cancer, I wrote a piece about what he meant to me. When I sent it to the guy running the basketball league, he said I'd made him cry and asked if he could send it to Tony's family. You can imagine my shock when I was told that his family said it was better than the eulogy given at his funeral by his son. It was even printed in the local paper as a letter to the editor.<br /><br />It's been more than 12 years since I coached in the basketball league and at least 18 years since Tony died. But I haven't forgotten what he did for me so long ago and other than my parents, Tony Dias was the most influential teacher I've ever known.Jaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37239379262307135352023-02-25T09:53:57.705-05:002023-02-25T09:53:57.705-05:00James, welcome to JRW and I am so glad your wife h...James, welcome to JRW and I am so glad your wife had a chance to make amends. Before the pandemic, I used to go to the public library and borrow many physical books. I recall they had ALL of your Billy Boyle novels and I discovered a new author (you) while browsing the shelves there. The name Boyle made me think of Foyle's War.<br /><br />That's a tough question! I feel blessed to have many wonderful teachers! I had a French language teacher in high school who encouraged us to think in the French language and that helped me when learning a new language. I already knew a few words from the fifth grade when a teacher from France visited our class. Our teacher asked us if we could guess which country the teacher was from. I asked ? France ? And my teacher was surprised! She asked me how I knew and I said the teacher looked like Mona Lisa from the Louvre in France. I thought women from France looked like Mona Lisa then I learned that Mona Lisa was actually Italian! LOL. Still learned something, right?<br /><br />In regards to my writing, I would have to say there were several influences : my Mom, who taught high school English AND my sixth grade teacher. <br /><br />When I was in the sixth grade, our teacher encouraged us to write a journal and I thought my life was so boring that I made up many stories. I wrote many stories. I discovered that there was a talent for writing stories and that it was fun! In my stories, good triumphed over evil. I remember writing "pivot" when I meant to write "prevent" and "Invent" when I meant to write "investigate" and my teacher explained in Sign Language the differences between these words.<br /><br />However, I did have a college professor who commented on my writing and said "Leave it to Herb Caen (SF columnist in 1990s) to write with dots...."<br /><br />Loved to read books then I decided that I wanted to create stories. Currently writing my historical cozy novel.<br /><br />DianaBibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75199727635227393042023-02-25T09:48:21.288-05:002023-02-25T09:48:21.288-05:00Mrs. Young, second grade (looked like a movie star...Mrs. Young, second grade (looked like a movie star); Miss Mary, third grade--who I saw a few years ago and she swore she remembered me, 60+ years later, also very attractive. In second grade I was allowed to spend as much time in the library as I wanted, reading. Miss Mary took me to the fifth grade class and sat me on the desk to read to the class. Upside down, like a party trick.<br /><br />Mrs. Fenning, in sixth grade, and her daughter, Mrs. Adams who taught seventh grade, both praised my writing, although no evidence still exists. <br /><br />Kind lay women, in a sea of strict Catholic nuns. <br /><br />A teacher can make so much difference, in both positive and negative ways. Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-62949949448053340092023-02-25T09:44:12.596-05:002023-02-25T09:44:12.596-05:00This is incredibly sweet and so touching—and what ...This is incredibly sweet and so touching—and what a treasure of a teacher ! Plus wow, this is absolutely impressive. So mature and thematic and thoughtful. What a pivotal time of your life, and I know he must have hoped that you would continue writing. Which you have done with so much fabulous success! Yes, I had a teacher like that, Mr. Thornburg, who I think of every day. He was tough and smart, and had a rubber stamp that said “GUG” which he would stamp on our papers. GUG meant something along the lines of “are you kidding me? This is so bad I can’t even correct it. You can do better.” We lived in fear of the GUG, and sometimes, to this day, I say it to myself when I’m writing , Hank Phillippi Ryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-78966310309924399272023-02-25T09:39:40.720-05:002023-02-25T09:39:40.720-05:00There was a creative writing course at my Universi...There was a creative writing course at my University that was very hard to get into. People had to submit a sample before they could be accepted into class. Only ten percent of the applicants got into the class. Several friends submitted their stories and were rejected. I forgot the name of the teacher.Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9955867245758471652023-02-25T09:28:14.874-05:002023-02-25T09:28:14.874-05:00A few years back my wife had a chance to make amen...A few years back my wife had a chance to make amends to a high school history teacher. She recalled having questioned in class why we bother about history. After we got together, she willingly came along with me on many research trips and battlefield visits. She encountered him one day (working in a liquor store) and told him how much she now enjoyed learning about the past and seeing places firsthand. You could see how visibly happy that made him. James Bennhttp://www.jamesrbenn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-54350549656744008462023-02-25T08:44:55.320-05:002023-02-25T08:44:55.320-05:00Jim: Love Billy Boyle and I can see why--what a su...Jim: Love Billy Boyle and I can see why--what a sustained fascination with that period of time! Favorite teachers? Mrs. Hill, 6th grade, who let me write poems and plays and encouraged me to learn French (she had books on her shelf--not anything offered in school!). Mr. Kile, freshman English, Dr. Smith, my undergrad advisor and English professor, Dr. Rudinger, freshman undergrad English professor, Drs. Scuilli, Sumner, and Dancey in my grad program. I could go on-- so many great teachers/mentors in my life.Flora Churchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13289148096894506235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-86919635405941964872023-02-25T08:34:17.787-05:002023-02-25T08:34:17.787-05:00JIM: It's wonderful that you had Mr. Gillam as...JIM: It's wonderful that you had Mr. Gillam as your creative writing teacher.<br /><br />I had many influential teachers in junior high and high school. Mrs. Shields was my English teacher for grades 7-9. She let us read anything we wanted. I remember giving my oral book report about P.D. James' Curtain for a Nightingale. The class gasped when I read an excerpt with the chilling and unique death scene.<br /><br />I knew from age 10 that I wanted to be a geographer. Mr. Haddow (geography) and Mr. McCammon (geology) further encouraged me to explore the physical and human world in unique ways. They were chuffed when I told them I was going to study geography at the University of Waterloo on a full scholarship.Grace Koshidahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05934603958949938617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-53085008430561481512023-02-25T08:14:32.048-05:002023-02-25T08:14:32.048-05:00Jim, I’ll have to look for your Billy Boyle series...Jim, I’ll have to look for your Billy Boyle series because I love historical mysteries .<br />My love for history comes from Mr. Aubin who was my Latin teacher during the four years of my classical courses. He didn’t just teach the langage. He revived for us the whole life of Rome and all the Roman Empire.<br />It opened my thirst for the discovery of the world and his history.<br />Danielle Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22730628980905149032023-02-25T08:12:14.292-05:002023-02-25T08:12:14.292-05:00Jim, how wonderful to still have those school essa...Jim, how wonderful to still have those school essays with the teacher's comments; that's precious memorabilia, indeed. I had many influential teachers in grade school, but maybe the most effective comment I received was from Monsieur Caillé, my French teacher: "Amanda would excel at French if only she would apply herself." That woke me up and got me to buckle down; I loooooved M. Caillé and wanted to impress him. His comment got me to take myself and my ability as a student seriously. Amanda Le Rougetelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05224867941931236302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-88597014881724955972023-02-25T07:44:49.865-05:002023-02-25T07:44:49.865-05:00I love this blog Jim! Mrs. Covey in my 5th grade c...I love this blog Jim! Mrs. Covey in my 5th grade class was a favorite, and also in high school, Mr. Dorhout (music) and Mr. Schneider (drama)--they were all kind but absolutely expected the best from us!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-8123927003023921422023-02-25T07:33:09.453-05:002023-02-25T07:33:09.453-05:00P.S. It's "The Everything U.S. Constituti...P.S. It's "The Everything U.S. Constitution Book" from Adams Media, and it came out a dozen years ago, if anyone is interested. Amazing what you can do when a contract requires it!<br />Ellen M. Kozakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18342774310814059158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44453650990109102992023-02-25T07:29:47.632-05:002023-02-25T07:29:47.632-05:00It's lovely to read these comments about teach...It's lovely to read these comments about teachers who helped shape lives! I wonder if teachers know how important even the briefest of supportive comments are. We do remember them, don't we?James Bennhttp://www.jamesrbenn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-83022483677642052402023-02-25T07:26:16.150-05:002023-02-25T07:26:16.150-05:00Jim, What a lovely story - and that you *saved* th...Jim, What a lovely story - and that you *saved* the papers w your teacher’s comments! My memory is of Mr. Corrigan who taught English at my high school who let me bail out of honors English where I floundered w the readings. Pressure off, the high point was getting an A+ on an essay about the play Hedda Gabler. I also was an ace at diagramming sentences. And btw I find the short form brutally difficult … feels like writing backwards in high heels … to mix up a metaphoreHalliehttp://hallieephron.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84311304057933157142023-02-25T07:25:48.977-05:002023-02-25T07:25:48.977-05:00Creative writing in high school? Wow! I couldn'...Creative writing in high school? Wow! I couldn't even find a course in college. Barnard had only one writing course when I was there, expository prose, and the professor didn't get fiction. But there was a research-paper-a-week course required for English majors. Every Tuesday night, I sat up all night, banging out a first-and-final draft of that week's paper on my tiny, pale green Hermes war correspondent's typewriter. It was the size of a ream of paper, and I would write my first real short story on it 14 years later while house sitting for friends of my parents in the San Fernando Valley. <br /><br />But because of the paper-a-week course, I had no doubt that I could research and write a 65,000 word book on the US Constitution in three and a half months. And did. Thanks, Barry Ulanov! Ellen M. Kozakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18342774310814059158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-36823936041075001742023-02-25T06:39:26.848-05:002023-02-25T06:39:26.848-05:00Lucky you, for having a teacher like that. I wrote...Lucky you, for having a teacher like that. I wrote tons of stories as a child and won a children's short story contest at age nine - the Pasadena Star News paid me two dollars and published "The Viking Girl" in the paper. But I don't remember any teachers encouraging or even requiring creative writing.<br /><br />When I started writing a mystery decades later in the mid-1990s (knowing less than nothing about the genre except that I loved to read it), I joined a weekly critique group led by author Susan Oleksiw in her north-of-Boston living room. Her guidance was gentle but firm, and praise didn't come easily - but when you got a "That's really very nice," you knew you'd earned it.Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-83760754154087553762023-02-25T06:37:50.747-05:002023-02-25T06:37:50.747-05:00What fun to see you here today, Jim! It's amaz...What fun to see you here today, Jim! It's amazing that you still have those stories and even the outline from Mr. Gillan's freshman English course. It seems to me that you were destined to tell the stories you tell now from the topics you chose then. <br /><br />I am a huge fan of your Billy Boyle, WWII Mystery series. A wise cracking, former Boston Police detective now special investigator for General Eisenhower, Billy is one of my favorite characters of all time. His assignments throughout the war, have brought that period of history to life for me. The Refusal Camp is pre-ordered, too;>) <br /><br />One of my favorite teachers was my senior year English teacher, Mr. Glendening. The class was interesting and engaging. We read Hamlet and Greek tragedies and acted out scenes. Everything we studied came alive in that room. It's one of the very few courses that I still remember 58 years later.<br />Judy SingerJudyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16128026892155650398noreply@blogger.com