Perhaps those succumbing to "forgetfulness. "are different from "those seeking forgetfulness.", Odin. I can go deep in this review, but I'm still secretive........'love your stuff!!

Love ya!

Jane

You write of an interesting situation, being remembered when we are gone. I have very little expectation in that regard. Truth to tell, I am hardly remembered even before I am gone. I have a host of relatives, especially nephews and nieces (and now their spouces) who never contact me, countless people I have known over the years of my travels who are no longer available, just gone, gone, gone. I post here on AD and on FB, but when I post, I hear from a new; but when I don't post anything, I am "as good as gone".

"Wbat is it about another's presence that so often dissuades inquiry?" I think I know the answer to that.

You raise a very good question. Throughout history, writers often have been lonely souls, even when they were famous. Parental expectations have a lot to do with it, since daughters and sons are often expected not to enter a risky occupation like writer of poetry or novels. Much preferring writers who work for companies or teach, a more stable writing occupation. Like I had, both in industry and higher education as a quality control engineer and professor.

But I understand that my father quit bragging about me and shifted to my younger brother. I guess for him it was about making money rather than educational or other accomplishment. My mother read all of my books and praised them. But she was expected to. My sister gave me a great review for my first novel, but I don't believe she's read all of my books. My twin brother recently bought all my books, read them and really liked them, even though he commented, "Your autobiography is outstanding except for all of the errors that you can correct in another edition." Referring to incidents that he and I participated in that he has a different perception of. I did get his skiing accident wrong. It was at Banff, not Lake Louise.

My extended family hardly communicates, except on Facebook where I don't go very often. Some of my older cousins are interested in my work and have asked for it. I have a fond memory of an evening at my younger twin brother's house over pizza where the children, five of them from his blended two marriages, barraged me with questions about my adventures that was thoroughly enjoyable. One of them, my nephew Michael, has since gone on worldwide adventures far beyond what I ever did and wrote about his 3 months in Africa very well in 2019 I had the privilege to read.

I have tried to organize my computer so that my executor, the other younger twin brother, can save all of my books and poetry. I will ask for my website to run 10 years beyond my death, or more if possible. I have boxed single copies of my many articles, some of them only in books, typewritten manuscripts, or magazines; some of which were presented at conferences all over the United States and two, internationally, Montréal and Vienna. But in his haste to clear my house, I hope he doesn't throw those single copies out.

Perhaps, I should scan them and post them here…

You must have hundreds of screenplays…

Ron

Hi Odin:

You write great poetry! That's what I know about you and who you are because you share a lot of your life's experiences with us.

I write my poems and stories, mostly for my friends because my folks are mostly from China and Hong Kong and they don't read English well.

My children read English, but they take me for granted that their mommy will live forever. So, they are in no hurry to read my books.

Just the story of my life!

Sandie