The Editor’s Desk

The Power Of Words

The Editor’s Desk by Dean Blinkhorn

The downtown boutique was packed. Not just the normal crowd of high-end shoppers either. No, this was a group of mostly long-time Ocalans, most of whom already knew each other, coming together to celebrate a special occasion for a very special person.

Everyone mingled and drank large glasses of wine purchased to benefit the Marion Literacy Council. There were lots of hugs, lots of easy conversations, and lots of smiles. A roomful of smiles.

Then the selected readings started. The first wasn’t a chapter from the book we were here to acknowledge. It was something better. A well-known local philanthropist with a great wit and a heart of gold started telling stories of the author. He got us laughing pretty hard and then he’d pivot and make us want to shed a tear only to pivot back again, an opening act so good that you’d want an encore. However, he wisely kept it brief and ceded the stage for the reason we were here— the marvelous words of Amy Mangan.

The next speakers—a magazine editor, a newspaper columnist, and the director of an arts non-profit—read from chapters that resonatedwith their own personal stories. As a self-professed “word guy,” I loved that this whole event was centered around the glorification of writing, really good writing. As each celebrity reader recounted the words of their choosing, you could see moments when their eyes drifted away from the text on the page as the words they loved so much flowed directly from memory, those delicate pieces of prose having already found a home there.

It was a pretty special group of moments in a room filled with normally super-busy people. There was a city councilman, a mayor, and others who lead some of the largest organizations in Ocala, all seemingly frozen by a collection of words written over many years and over many deadlines. These words held up because the quality of the original intent never waned. It was perfect.

AMY MANGAN, a long-time friend and colleague, is one of the bravest writers I’ve ever had the privilege of editing, especially when she puts the editorial lens on herself. She has a way of sharing all the details of life—the mundane, the harrowing, and the joyous—in such a delightful way that you want to schedule a time to hang out on her front porch for a while with no particular place to go.

Most of her readers, though, obviously can’t do that, but the important thing is that Amy makes you feel like you can. It’s a gift that few people possess, but Amy has that character trait in such abundance that she can share it freely with the complete strangers that buy her books at the local Barnes & Noble or online at Amazon. Fortunately, I’ve had a front-row seat for more than a couple of decades. So check out the feature in the pages to come and decide for yourself. Better yet—buy her newest book and discover a new friend you never knew you had.

All the best, Dean

What’s Dean Playing?

Van Morrison, “Moondance”— An amazing record by the cantankerous Irish star. The first side is perfect: “And It Stoned Me,” the title cut, “Crazy Love,” “Caravan,” and “Into The Mystic” are easily career highlights, mystical singer/songwriter standards of the highest order.

The Moody Blues, “The Best Of The Moody Blues”—This stuffed single disc covers all the obvious big hits, but check out “The Voice,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” and “Voices In The Sky” for their symphonic progtastic best.

The Go-Go’s, “Beauty And The Beat”—Fresh off their HOF induction, revisit their classic debut from 1981. “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Our Town,” and “Can’t Stop The World” ring with the same New Wave urgency from 40 years ago.