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Michael Banks
Michael Banks

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Published in Lit Up

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The Call of the Crow

I see the crow and quickly look away. I hear the incessant “caw, caw, caw” and I want to place my hands over my ears and hum the words to a happy song. But nothing comes to my lips. The crow is black. The crow is foreboding. Is the crow…

Writing

2 min read

The Call of the Crow
The Call of the Crow
Writing

2 min read


Oct 6, 2021

Preacher man since he was a boy

West Columbia’s Jackson wonders why God chose him It’s fitting one of the Rev. Charles Jackson’s favorite Bible stories has to do with the boy who offers his lunch of a few fishes and slices of bread to Christ, who multiplies the offering and feeds thousands. Ever since he was just a child some six decades ago, Jackson…

Faith

3 min read

Preacher man since he was a boy
Preacher man since he was a boy
Faith

3 min read


Sep 21, 2021

Here where the rain falls

Twelve messy thoughts create one lovely idea. The rain falls here down near where the South Fork and Catawba meet. The branches of the tea olive outside my window hang heavy with water, lime green offshoots reach up, seeking sunlight, but instead it’s a cloud-filled sky. …

Writing

3 min read

Here where the rain falls
Here where the rain falls
Writing

3 min read


Published in Lit Up

·Aug 24, 2021

Where do we go from here, Major Tom?

A tiny love story from a night when the rain fell in Charlotte, NC, on a late June night in 2014. — At the Fillmore, musicians emerge from thick curtains and fingers pluck at strings and eyes turn upward and ears fill with rhythms and rhymes. Shafts of red and blue sneak from hidden banks, falling upon sweaty faces whispering of desires and regrets. I’d come for Ziggy Stardust and instead found…

Love

2 min read

Where do we go from here, Major Tom?
Where do we go from here, Major Tom?
Love

2 min read


Aug 10, 2021

Seeking Your African-American Roots?

South Carolinian tells how you can find your heritage in her home state — As a child, Dawn Dawson-House learned plenty about this country’s founding fathers. Missing were the exploits of South Carolina civil rights leader the Rev. Joseph Delaine and Robert Smalls, a former slave who represented the Palmetto State for five terms in Congress. Those lessons were learned at the family dinner…

African American

3 min read

African American

3 min read


Jul 29, 2021

Hi Niall. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment.

Hi Niall. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment. Reader feedback is one of the greatest rewards of using this platform. Thanks again.

1 min read

1 min read


Published in Lit Up

·Jul 20, 2021

I dreamed of you and your biscuits

Seeing Carl was not unusual. Hearing from Carl was quite unusual. — “I dreamed of you in spectacular color.” Carl clutched his backpack to his chest with both hands. He took a step forward. Maybe he was aware of the others. Maybe not. “I dreamed of you in this very moment.” She raised her eyebrow. Seeing Carl was not unusual. …

Flash Fiction

3 min read

I dreamed of you and your biscuits
I dreamed of you and your biscuits
Flash Fiction

3 min read


Published in Lit Up

·Jul 13, 2021

My obsession with RC Cola and baseball and how it all went wrong

My father? Well, he discovered Billy Beer — In the summer of 1978, I discovered RC Cola and baseball. I guess the soda that was a cheap knock-off of Coca-Cola had always been around, as was baseball, but that summer I consumed as much of both as humanly possible. The reason? The collector cans that featured the RC…

Writing

5 min read

My obsession with RC Cola and baseball and how it all went wrong
My obsession with RC Cola and baseball and how it all went wrong
Writing

5 min read


Jul 8, 2021

Why, how and when do I write? Now you know

Best writing advice? Well, there is a Hemingway quote that hangs on my wall: “Write drunk. Edit sober.” I was recently asked to be a featured member of the Charlotte Writers’ Club. The feature, dubbed Meet A Member, runs in each monthly newsletter and is a great way to learn more about the fellow club members. I’ve been a member of the Charlotte Writers’ Club for nearly two…

Creativity

3 min read

Why, how and when do I write? Now you know
Why, how and when do I write? Now you know
Creativity

3 min read


May 4, 2021

High school principal by day, Walmart stocker at night

How one South Carolina educator is changing the lives of his students — Students at North Charleston High School in the Lowcountry of South Carolina often gaze at the wall of awards principal Henry Darby has amassed over the past 40 years. He’ll ask them what they believe is the greatest honor among the stack of plaques. …

Walmart

3 min read

High school principal by day, Walmart stocker at night
High school principal by day, Walmart stocker at night
Walmart

3 min read

Michael Banks

Michael Banks

870 Followers

Writer I Editor I Bourbon Sipper I At work on debut novel I Visit me at michaelbanks360.com I Buy me a drink at https://michaelbanks360.medium.com/membership

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