Tim Conroy on his new collection of poetry and the brother who encouraged him to write it.

By Margaret Evans, Editor

When he was a little boy, Tim Conroy remembers listening to his teenage brother and sister fight over which of them would grow up to be the best poet. The sibling rivalry was intense.

"They'€™d always tease each other with that poem by C.P. Cavafy. "€˜For some people the day comes when they have to declare the great Yes or the great No. It'€™s clear at once who has the Yes ready within him..." They'd argue about which of them had the 'Yes'. . . about which one was destined to go 'from honor to honor, strong in his (or her) conviction.'"€

Meet Penn Center'€™s Executive Director Rodell Lawrence

By David Campbell

With apologies to Charles Schultz, creator of "Peanuts," Lucy was reading a short bedtime story that went like this: "€œHe was born, he lived and he died." To be sure, this is not the story of Rodell Lawrence, recently appointed Executive Director of historic Penn Center on St. Helena Island.

Spirits can play a surprisingly versatile role in cooking. The good news is that spirits are used in modest quantities and burn out most of their alcohol content during the cooking process. The better news is that even though the majority of the alcohol does dissipate, the taste definitely lingers on and can add flavor to countless recipes.

My great friend from high school, Kent Speight, and I are trying fairly late in life to spool up a new hobby, a creative outlet ensconced in the arts. We played in every band our Wisconsin high school had (clarinet for me, trumpet for Kent), from concert band to stage band. He became an attorney, I worked in aerospace, and our creativity diverted as we earned a living.