When I was 21 years old, preparing to travel to Europe for the first time, my Mother whispered a request: to get her a photo of the grave of her childhood sweetheart in a cemetery in France. This is the true story of how, years after she died, I finally got the photo, and came to understand its importance.
NEXT OF KIN was published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as ‘A Visit for Remembrance’ in 2003 and on Smashwords to 5 star reviews. It inspired an aspect of my novel A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE, published in 2015 by Light Messages Publishing, North Carolina.
In 2018, I produced a show called NEXT OF KIN: Descendants of War, and this story was its centre piece. The show featured dramatized readings from the book TWEETS FROM THE TRENCHES by Jacqueline Carmichael, a study of World War I from many voices.
The second half included the true stories of the Second World War under the banner NEXT OF KIN. Here we are: full cast before the show. Following are audience comments.
“Super show! poignant words delivered with the appropriate emotion. Totally engaging. Gentle songs a lovely touch. Bravo!” -PJ Reece, writer
“A success in my estimation can be measured by how much and how long the conversations last following the event. Your “Next Of Kin” has been center to many conversations since just last night. Thank you.” –Ken Dalgleish
“A very powerful presentation. Congrats to all!” –Diana Leslie Robinson
“Really impressive. I learned so much! Your final story – heart rending” –Lillian Denise Olson
“Fabulous show! everyone so present, powerful emotions!” –Maggi Guzzi
