"Song of Spring" (149 words)

“Grandma, what’s your favorite song?”

“My favorite song, precious one, is the Song of Spring.”

“The Song of Spring?”

“Why yes, my love. It’s the song of the breeze rustling newly grown leaves.

It’s the song of fish jumping in a bubbling stream.

It’s the song of rain sprinkling flowers in the garden.

It’s the song of birds singing on treetops at dawn.

It’s the song of fireflies buzzing at dusk.

It’s the song of you, my dear child.”

“Of me?”

“Why yes, of course.

It’s the song of you blowing seeds off a dandelion.

It’s the song of you rolling down soft-grass hills.

It’s the song of you squeezing fresh lemons for lemonade.

It’s the song of you giggling while we read side by side.

It’s the song of our perfect spring day together.”

“Grandma?”

“Yes, my darling?”

“That’s my favorite song too. Can we play it again?”

Entry for the Spring Fling Writing Contest

by Jason Peterson

I wrote about Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith's outstanding short story anthology for Performer Magazine -- it's a really special book I wish had been published when I was a teen starting to play in bands, and I think it will inspire more than a few folks to join one.

Check out the review here: BOOK REVIEW: Battle of the Bands (Candlewick Press)

I wrote about Mary Gauthier's compelling memoir for Performer Magazine -- I came away from reading it with a huge appreciation for her songwriting and I desire to sit down with the guitar and write too. 

This one is up there with Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, which is about as high of praise I can give.

Check out the review here: Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting

Jeff Tweedy is probably my favorite songwriter (he and Todd Snider flip flop around, depending who I'm listening to at the time) - and I also love how he pointedly dismisses a lot of the mysticism around songwriting and creativity. 

I really enjoyed this small but powerful book. You can check out my full review in Performer mag here:

BOOK REVIEW: Jeff Tweedy ‘How to Write One Song’

Bartees Strange released two records in 2020 that are just ridiculously good - an EP of The National re-imaginings, as well as his full length debut, Live Forever. 

When I saw he'd posted on Twitter that he was hoping to be interviewed about gear and his sound, I took a shot at requesting one through Performer Magazine. I really enjoyed the conversation and his perspective on life and music. 

Check out the interview here: 

Bartees Strange on Making Music He Wants to Hear (and Letting Go of the Rest)

I was sorting through some magazines the other day and came across the Sports Illustrated for Kids that contains my very first byline. Back in ye olde days of the early 90s, SI for Kids had a feature called "You Write the Story," where they would post a picture and readers could send in a little tale about it. 

The thing I remember most about the experience is coming home from school to my sister saying: "I'm not sure how your day was, but it's about to get a lot better." She'd taken the call from an SI editor and was so excited and happy for me - it felt really special. I vividly remember returning the call to their office in New York, which felt like calling the moon. 

Also, how great is this cover?

Like a lot of folks locked-down during the pandemic, I found myself with a desire to do something positive with the stressful energy building up inside me.

Check out Home Office Suite on Bandcamp here: https://themeltedcoins.bandcamp.com/

And the Melted Coins website here: https://www.themeltedcoins.com/