John Vernon

I love to shop for books at Goodwill. I went on a Monday night to kill time while my daughter was at her 4H meeting. It was a good time to go since this Goodwill is right across the street from Air Products and Chemical and a lot of guys cruise the books during the day to sell on ebay. So I was happy to pick up some Margaret (correction, that's Marguerite) Henry books for my daughter and a paperback copy of American Review 22 from February, 1975. I was in college at that time so I thought it would be like a blast from the past to read up and coming writers from 30 years ago.

Ian McEwan made it big despite his sad ending story entitled, The Last Day of Summer. John Vernon's essay entitled, Language and Writing, was my first choice. As I was reading it I thought about getting up at church to read parts of it out loud, it impacted me so. It was about the pressure of words building up and flowing out of us. That build up reminds me of the verse, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." John Vernon probably didn't mean to remind a Christian to read the word of God and fill his heart with it but that is precisely the connection my mind made to his writing.

Who is John Vernon? Isn't Google wonderful? Whatever question you have while you read is just a keystroke away. But, there were several leads to follow. The first thread made me think he was dead because a John Vernon died in February, 2005 and I was going to write about how published thoughts survive and keep us alive forever, unless a library purges a book from the stacks. But the writer, John Vernon, isn't dead--he's a professor in Vermont, so hello to you John Vernon. I liked you essay, and I'm glad you are not dead.

The John Vernon who is dead is an actor who played the bad guy a lot. You'll recognize him if you follow this link:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/02/03/Arts/vernonobit050203.html

I wonder if my book will end up at Goodwill someday. I better go write it.