Joan L. Cannon

Joan L. Cannon liked to use her middle initial because so few of her maiden namesakes are left anywhere (Huguenot LaPrades). She was retired teacher, retail manager and author of three novels in paperback, Settling and Maiden Run, a collection of short stories called Peripheral Vision and her latest, a collection of poetry, My Mind Is Made of Crumbs, all available from Amazon and on order from independent booksellers.

Joan's most recent novel is Second Growth and can be purchased through Amazon. From childhood, there have been toss-ups for her avocations among reading, riding horses, painting, local flora and fauna and writing.

Editor's note: We were gifted by Joan's vibrant, inspired, writing for the website and plan to revisit her essays often. Joan passed away on October 10, 2017.

Did I Miss Something? Belated Thoughts on a Matchmaker's Skill

Joan L. Cannon writes: That summer, I was staying in the country with a recently widowed friend. She was aware that the previous winter I'd broken an engagement with a college classmate and had emerged a bit emotionally bruised. Having more or less sworn off men for the time being, I reluctantly agreed to her suggestion, feeling assured that he wouldn't accept anyway. He'd shown no particular interest in me before, other than displaying very pleasant manners. He accepted. more »

Renewing Respect for Language: The Subjunctive Is a Governor of the Consciousness That Uses It

Joan L. Cannon writes: In my teens I came to the realization that without words we could not actually think. Feel, emote, react — of course, but it takes words to think. My father was a perfectionist. A musician and writer, he did his best to reorder his world to an ideal of regularity and esthetic standards. That included his growing daughter's handling of the English language. more »

Finding the Right Excuse: Committing Words to Paper Because ...

Joan L. Cannon writes: In spite of everything, there's pressure to let something loose that I might know that someone else has still to learn, or something I've noticed that someone else hasn't thought of, and that might tickle the imagination or stimulate the intellect or conjure a useful memory and make someone’s else's day a tiny bit brighter. more »

Cold Comfort: Evaluating My Thermal Clothing for Inside the House

Joan L. Cannon writes: For what seemed at the time, and still seems, a perfectly logical reason I decided to grit my teeth (both literally and figuratively) and move. Not just down the block, or even just to another street — but to another state. More accurately, to move back to a state where I'd spent most of my adult life. Unfortunately, this meant leaving "the Deep South" and returning to southern New England. Right about now it feels like the southern Arctic. more »