News Archives

Winter 2002

Dear Everybody,

Goodness gracious we're neck deep in the New Year and it's definitely time for another newsletter. I've never been one for retrospectives, so I'll be brief with the catch up and bring us up to present goings on.

2001's highlights include my songs being featured in the television series Touched By An Angel last May ("Shallow Water" and "See Myself in You" — the latter written with Tom Prasada-Rao — both recorded by Randy Travis), and in the film Serendipity ("When You Know," recorded by Shawn Colvin, written with Jeff Franzel). Serendipity did well in the fall, was in the Top 20 box office for almost 3 months.

When I attended Serendipity's premiere in New York in early October (with Jeff and his wife Joanne), I was pleasantly surprised to be seated next to Walter Cronkite. However when I got up to visit the little boys' room during the film I kicked his Coke over! At the film studio's party afterwards we met the stars of the movie (John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale) and other show biz luminaries. Miramax had brought in Shawn Colvin to sing our song at the party, and she graciously acknowledged me and Jeff from the stage. All in all, a memorable evening!

In September I was a Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Sweet Briar, Virginia, where I recorded several tracks for Shallow Water, a new album of spirituals. It looks like it'll be finished around the first week of March and available sometime in April. The album will feature some originals — the title track, "See Myself in You", "One Heart" — along with traditional songs and hymns, a couple of instrumentals(!) and other songs that have inspired me, including numbers by Pierce Pettis and Sally Barris. Cliff Goldmacher is co-producing. Other projects on the drawing board include the recording of another album and a book/CD of poetry and lyrics.

On the personal front, no big adventures recently, but I do plan to kayak the Grand Canyon in May, an 18 day trip with Michael Lille and our friends at Needmore Adentures. And speaking of kayaking, I recently collaborated with Annie Wenz, Michael Lille and Mike Rayburn on a promotional CD project for Perception Kayaks. Thanks to Annie for pulling that one together.

I'm occasionally participating again in facilitating workshops with Alaya Partners Kenneth Robinson and Linda Manning and I heartily endorse Alaya Process individual work and group workshops and retreats. I also recommend Kenneth's excellent book of poetry, The Year of Lovemaking and Crying, (available at the Alaya Partners website).

On the social front, I strongly support TCASK – Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing, Amnesty International, Citizens United Against the Death Penalty and other groups opposing capital punishment. I believe that someday in the not too distant future we will look back on our present practice of state killing with amazement, in the same way that we now view times when African Americans were owned as slaves and when women did not have the right to vote.

Finally, I've got a great new web site which was created by Mary Breen — Thanks to Mary for her great work.

And last but not least, I've been touring more of late, thanks to Terri Stewart of Stewart Management & Booking (stewartmgmt@earthlink.net, 303-989-1764). I appreciate Terri's hard work and support, and I especially appreciate the warm welcome I'm getting out in the world. I'm most grateful that doing what I love provides my livelihood.

All the best,

Tom