Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

A word from Curt I’ve never liked the R word. Resolutions. I prefer to talk and think about the bigger issue of how I want to be a difference maker in this new year. I call it the 30,000 foot view. Personally, I craft a yearly Life Statement. It’s simply a short statement of my priority for this season of my journey. …

Let Your Word be Your Bond   “Your word and integrity is yours and yours alone to keep or lose.” –Preston Moses   In the Pineywoods, major business deals have been sealed with a handshake and a man’s word. We have a saying for it: let Your word be your bond. If you promise to do something, do it even …

Courage I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. –Nelson Mandela   Grandsons, you’ll be in situations where one man can make a difference: The difference in a win or loss. The difference in the right outcome or cowardly way. The following is a remarkable story of one high school student who changed …

Resilience   My father-in-law, a very wise man, once pointed out some ancient persimmon trees along an old wagon road near his boyhood home. “See how those trees are scarred along their bases? It’s from the logs bumping against them as they were dragged to the sawmills.” He paused for effect. “In spite of the abuse they received, they produced …

Integrity   Integrity is who you are when no one is looking, and what you will stand up for even if you’re standing alone. –John Maxwell   Rather than ramble on about what integrity is, I’ll tell a story. It’s a remarkable true story that won’t be easily forgotten. You probably aren’t familiar with the name of Hugh Thompson. He …

Book 1: Relationships   Everything rises and falls on relationships. –John Maxwell Shake like a Man “When you give a man a handshake, make sure it’s firm because it shows you’re a man.” –John Groves When I was a young teenager, Tubby and Agnes King moved to Dry Creek and joined our church. I soon learned a valuable lesson about …

Foreword: Dinosaurs “Tell me who you are, and I’ll tell you where you’re from.” –Wallace Stegner I was born in the Louisiana Pineywoods when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. Most of them are gone, and I still miss them greatly. They helped shape my life, and I’ll always be grateful for each of them. These older men of my Dry …

December 28 The 100-Foot Line     There’s a fine stand of young slash pine at Dead Man’s curve on the Longville Road. I’ve watched the growth of this forest since it was clear cut, then replanted in straight rows. The following year, the pines began to poke their heads above the grass. They’ve emerged above the surrounding bushes and …

A Word from Curt The following is a second draft story that still astounds me. It will be featured in my upcoming book, A Pineywoods Manifesto: Field Notes on the Full Life. I’m writing it for my grandsons and other young men. I write because 1. I’m curious . 2. I’m always amazed 3. I love to share remarkable stories. I …

We are selling two of our most popular books for $5 each Scroll down to learn more. Uncle Sam and Christmas Jelly  are reader favorites and make great stocking stuffers. Let’s make it simple: Email me at curt@creekbank.net with this information: 1. Your name and mailing address 2. How many copies of Christmas Jelly you’d like. 3. How many copies of Uncle Sam you’d …

Click here to order. Scroll down to learn more. Uncle Sam and Christmas Jelly are reader favorites and make great stocking stuffers. _________________________________________ You have a problem:  hard to buy for Christmas gifts. We have a problem:  Stacks of Christmas Jelly and Uncle Sam. I have the solution: a $5 per book Christmas sale. We published two of our thirteen …

  This is a draft of the first chapter of my upcoming book, A Pineywoods Manifesto: A Field Manual on Life Even though it’s a draft, I’m sharing. I solicit your feedback.   CHAPTER 1: ON RELATIONSHIPS: DOGTROT PORCHES AND GRAVE HOUSES I once saw a handmade sign in an African refugee camp. On It was scrawled, “1.If you like …

A word from Curt November is NaNoWriMo. That’s National Novel Writing Month. I’m leading a group of six writers (I still have room for two more) to write a book (fiction or non-fiction) of 60,000 words. That’s 2000 words per day. The story below, “Sing Out Your Life Song” is from my November project, The Pineywoods Manifesto: Field Notes on …

Write your book in November  . . .   “Most men and women go to their grave with their stories still in them.” That doesn’t have to be you. You can write, and finish, the first draft of your book this November.   We only have three spots left for our Write Your Book This November Course. If you’ve always wanted to write …