I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

For any who want more, complete list of all posts by month since 2011

  • and still we wait


    SEVENTEEN

    17

    I have nothing.

  • valentine’s day…schmalentine’s day…let’s love everyday!


    Our trip to Charleston last week for the College of Charleston book event was a treat on many levels, not the least of which was getting to visit with old friends we don’t see enough and meeting new friends for the first time in a diverse crowd that was fun and humming with enthusiasm. Over 60 people came out in the pouring rain to talk about Southern Perspectives on the Queer Movement: Committed to Home.

    The Fab Four warming up…or something like that…

    k 

    Panelist/Contributor Linda Ketner listens intently

    to young person with questions following discussion

    (while I sign books for a student)

    Contributor Warren Redman-Gress (l.) and Harlan Greene

    It was fun to finally meet Harlan Greene in person after months of emails. Harlan wrote the Foreword for Committed to Home, and we have discovered we share a common passion for the preservation of our community’s history. He is a really cool guy.

    Warren is a friend of many years who came to South Carolina with his husband Jim from Long Island, New York. Their story of love, activism in our state and overcoming great odds to adopt their son Cristopher 18 years ago is an inspiring one in the book. Happy Valentine’s Day to one of my favorite couples!

    And Happy Valentine’s Day to all our friends in cyberspace from Pretty and me – let’s love each other everyday.

    Stay tuned.

    (photos courtesy of Beth Huntley and Teresa Williams)

     

     

  • when somebody loves you…17 years and counting…


    Oh my goodness, today belongs to Pretty and me – tomorrow marks the beginning of our 18th. year together and today marks the end of 17 unbelievable years for us as a family. Take a look at this picture of  two young, oh so young but not too young women, in Cancun on February 09, 2001. A new century, a new love, a new life.

    Happy Anniversary, Pretty – the adventurous spirit of the Cancun trip lives on in our lives every day…through the good and lean years and for all the in-between years…come what may.

    I love you all the way.

     

     

     

     

  • hot off the presses: limited seating remains for Charleston event!


    Greetings to all friends in cyberspace who will be in the Charleston area next Wednesday, the 7th. of February. The College of Charleston Friends of the Library and the Alliance for Full Acceptance headquartered in Charleston are sponsoring our panel discussion of Southern Perspectives on the Queer Movement: Committed to Home. 

    Harlan Greene who wrote the Foreword for our book will also discuss the beginning of a multi- year project to preserve and make accessible the historically endangered stories of LGBTQ communities in greater Charleston. Supported by a $200,000 grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, the College of Charleston Libraries’ project marks the first initiative of its kind in the region. Huge thanks are due Harlan and the CofC Libraries for their efforts to keep our history safe and available for future generations.

    The project dovetails nicely with our Committed to Home authors who are exchanging views about their stories. I am so pleased to moderate our group which includes Harlan, Linda Ketner, Jim and Warren Redman-Gress. These essays are intimate accounts of their individual journeys to making South Carolina a better place to live for all her citizens, how these individual roads led to collaborating on the creation of organizations designed to achieve the goal of equality for everyone.

    Our event is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required and may be made at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/committed-to-home-tickets-42316377424.

    I understand seating is now limited, so if you are planning to be there, please register.

    Charleston is a wonderful place to visit – I wish some of my cyberspace friends would take this opportunity to make a quick trip to the showplace of our state’s tourism. Pretty and I would love to see you!

    Stay tuned.

     

  • moving on down the road…to Charleston!


    l. to r. Harriet Hancock, Sheila Morris, Pat Patterson, Nekki Shutt

    photo courtesy Darlene Williams

    Not pictured here are panelists Alvin McEwen, Dr. Ed Madden and moderator/organizer Dr. David Snyder who did a super job of asking questions that addressed the major themes of Southern Perspectives on the Queer Movement: Committed to Home which stimulated a lively discussion among the six panelists.

    The personal stories in the book were collected individually and independent of each other so that the opportunity to share perspectives as a group of six contributors was awesome. I wish everyone in cyberspace could have been there with me and Pretty who cheered us on from the front row of the audience…and fellow contributor Dick Hubbard who sat a few rows behind Pretty. Pretty’s sister Darlene and her friend Dawne, out-of-towners, gave additional support from the front row seats.

    I was thrilled to meet Dr. Robert Brinkmeyer, Jr., the director of the Institute for Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina, in person. Bob’s endorsement is one of three on the back cover of our book and his department was one of the co-sponsors of our event.

    My thanks to Dave for setting up the USC event and to the University of South Carolina Bookstore at the Russell House for selling books not only at this event but also at the Guild meeting earlier this month.  And of course, a HUGE thank you to the contributors who continue to tell their stories to extend their reach from words on pages to live audiences who ask questions that make us believe we have made a difference in our state.

    Next week we will have a panel discussion in Charleston that will feature Harlan Greene who wrote the foreword for Southern Perspectives alongside contributors Linda Ketner, Jim Redman-Gress, and Warren Redman-Gress. I look forward to being an out-of-towner myself in the lowcountry.

    More on that event later in the week, but please save the date for Wednesday, the 7th. at 6:00 p.m. if you will be in the Charleston area – I would love to see you there.

    Stay tuned.