JOS - Author's Page

     THE AUTHOR - My real name is Richard Arthur Brown and I was born in 1953. If that seems like a long time ago, it probably is (at least to you). To me, it doesn't seem so long ago because I can remember so much about my childhood.
     I grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska which is a small town in the northeastern part of the state. I did all the usual "kid" things like watching TV and playing with my brother (Doug) and my two sisters (Kathy and Janet). But I always liked making things the best. I made forts and drew comics and made inventions and learned to hand sew with my grandmother's help when I was about seven. She used to say, "You're going to do something with your hands when you grow up."
     One of my favorite activities was putting together plastic models of ships, cars, airplanes and just about anything else you could imagine. I remember getting a plastic model of a submarine for my birthday. This one was disappointing because there were only six or seven parts to this kit. I mean, come on. A submarine? You slap together the two halves of the hull, a machine gun or two, parts of the conning tower and you're done. Whoppie.

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MAKING PLASTIC MODEL KITS - Model making provided a turning point in my life when I was about 20 years old. I took all the left over parts from building several models and glued them together to make a bizarre object that I hung from the ceiling. I used to love to watch it turn and twist. Putting models together is neat and I would consider that a craft. Putting pieces of models together to make something new is interesting and I would consider that an art.
But I'm rambling.

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THE FACTS - Here are some facts: I currently live in Nebraska again after being away for 25 years. I like to write standing up. I have a son named Sam who is ten years old, a daughter named Kepler who is two years old and a new baby son. I usually do lots of different kinds of work to support my family and my writing. One of my most unique jobs was working as a drawbridge operator on an island in the Chesapeake Bay. I wear glasses. I think cashews are wonderful to eat.

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     TELLING STORIES - And I like to tell stories. I'm not sure why and when I started telling stories. I do remember writing a puppet play in the first grade which I thought was just about the funniest thing in the world. I still remember the event very clearly. I wrote the play down and Alberta Bair, one of my classmates, made several puppets for the play.
     We presented our masterpiece during Parent's Day by turning a table on edge for our stage. Everything was perfect. The audience of my classmates and parents was quiet and attentive. The puppets were ready and the script was fantastic, if I must say so myself. Although I don't have a copy of the script anymore, I remember the main joke as being tremendously funny. One character is preparing breakfast for the others. The first character asks: "How do you like your eggs?" The second character says (and this is the punch line!!): "On my plate!"
     Silence.
     If I remember correctly, there wasn't as much as a snicker or a teeter in the entire audience. To this day I still assume that the audience didn't hear the dialogue very well. If I learned anything from this first public performance of my work it is to respect the audience and then go ahead and do whatever you want. Most likely no one's listening anyway. And if one person enjoys it (besides myself), all the better.
     Now, does that help you understand who I am?

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CONTACT

JARFUL OF FRIENDS

JOS ON YOUR STATION

LEGAL NOTES

THINGS I LIKE
dreams
riding a bicycle
cashews
funny movies
big windows
playing catch
tall trees
sunsets
apple juice
fountain pens
playing the guitar
bananas
old buildings
pockets
making a wish list
book stores
small boxes
clocks that chime
warm coats
waterfalls
fireworks

THINGS I DON'T LIKE
pro football
traffic jams
riding on a bus
locked doors
street lights
litter
people who brag
interstate highways
wearing a necktie
canned food
automatic doors
video movies
cigarette smoke
short pencils
golf
headaches
hotdogs
small ideas
guns
licorice
polyester

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