Bob Church Forever

Update:  Read Bob’s essay HERE.    It is excellent!

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I received the most awesome comment this morning from Valerie MacEwan

of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature.  Our dear friend,

Bob Church, will be published there on June 5th!   Here is the message:

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Found an essay of Bob’s in the submit.mule mailbox this morning. It was sent March 17. He mentioned your blog in his “howdy there” message to me so I tracked you down and did not expect to find such a sad message.

We’ll publish The Ladle on the Mule on June 5th. Not because it was Bob’s and he’s gone – No – we publish it because it’s a great essay and he was a compelling writer, fun to read and wonderful to contemplate.

Good bye Bob.

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-Valerie MacEwan
and the Staff of the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature

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What exciting news!  Please be sure to go over and read Bob’s work on

Friday, June 5.   I’m so excited!  I couldn’t wait until Friday to tell

everyone.  It is a well deserved honor for Bob.  I love his writing, and I love

his sweet, gentle spirit, his sense of humor, and his wisdom.

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The link for The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature is HERE.   It is an

awesome journal full of fine writing, and I am thrilled to see Bob in there.

Many of us have been deeply saddened by Bob’s passing, and now this is

something to celebrate.

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Be sure to keep checking Bob’s blog, too.  His family found a poem he

wrote, and it was posted there recently.  I am so thankful to his family for

sharing him with us.  The link for Bob’s site is HERE.

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Nan Jacobs sent me a link for an interview of Bob at Unite-to-Write.  You

can read the interview HERE.   I had never read it, and I was so happy to

receive the link.  As always, Bob makes me laugh.  Thanks, Nan!

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Bob Church will live forever in our hearts…and in his beautiful words.  I don’t

think he would mind if I say Yeeeeeee-ha! ..Way to go, Bob!

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A Dear Friend

A dear friend, Bob Church, passed away on April 29, 2009.

Bob has touched the lives of many people in the blogging world, including me.  He is an incredible writer and an amazing man who will be sorely missed. My heart is heavy.

Shirley Whiting Allard of Word Catalyst Magazine says it much better than I can.  You can read her tribute and poem to Bob HERE.

You can see Bob Church all over the internet, and his blog is HERE.

More good words about Bob can be found on BloggingPoet.com.

And here’s an awesome poem from Nan Jacobs of Silver Fox Tales.  I love what Nan says.  Yep.  Bob has done all that.

Here’s a beautiful poem by Scot Young.  It’s also in the comments section, but I don’t want anyone to miss it.  Thank you, Scot.  It is perfect.

I’m sure tributes to Bob Church will be all over the internet.  He will never be forgotten.

Bob, thank you for allowing me to come along for the ride.  Thank you for the stories, the e-mails, the journal entries, and your book.  Thank you for the great advice and wise counsel.

Thank you for the laughter!

I appreciate your friendship here on earth, and I look forward to seeing you someday.

I can’t help but be jealous of the angels.  Now they get to hear all the new Bubba Lee Strunk stories.  We will miss you.

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Bob Church: Storyteller, Poet, Friend

This post is long overdue!  But, as usual, I’m a day late and a dollar short for everything.

My dear friend, Bob Church, has a book out that has become one of my new, all-time treasured possessions.  Many people already know Bob and have purchased Book of My Heart.  But just in case you haven’t been lucky enough to read it, I hope to spread the joy as much as possible.

When I first met Bob, he instantly felt like kin.  For that matter, he’s better than kin, because he doesn’t tell me to get a real job or cut my hair.  AKA “Bubba” or “the most exotic thing in Moberly, Missouri,” Bob is a kind and genuine person.  His personality radiates from the page.  It seems Bob has never met a stranger.  So in a sense, we’re all his kin.

Bob is an excellent storyteller.  That’s all there is to it.  From riding the rails in Searching For Bo Belinsky to the foggy Seattle skyline of Ferry Tale, Bob’s stories have one theme in common–humanity.  Each story is woven with the craftsmanship of a fine writer.  Each story is a song unto itself.

During my recent move, I thought of Bob as I met several interesting characters at truck stops.  That might seem like an odd way to describe a writer, but it makes perfect sense to me.  Bob notices small things when most people hurry past.  Bob has a heart for people, no matter what their situation or “status” is in society.

Bob is also an awesome poet.  One of my favorite poems in his book is Vented Four-Poster–$100 (as is).  This poem really hit me, as I had just sold some of my old furniture before moving.  Again, Bob’s words sing a song as they tell the story:

Only the mattress complained, resisting all attempts at displacement.

A few memories rose from the small stains that remained despite her

best attempts at removal; militant in posture, defiant to the end.

Bob can turn even the mind numbing task of selling an old bed into a story.  All those old stains, rusty springs, and dust make for some sweet memories.

You can purchase Bob’s Book of My Heart by clicking  HERE.  There is a nice sample preview of the book at that link.

You can also check out more of Bob’s work at his blogsite, Not Quite Right Bubba .  Drop in and tell him how much you love his work.  I know I did.

Bob’s work often makes me laugh.  Sometimes, he makes me bawl like a baby.  But always he makes me think.  I raise my glass to you,  Bob “Bubba” Church.  You’re a great storyteller, poet, and friend.

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