Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

King Mockingbird   Author’s note: this story is from my first book, Stories from the Creekbank. It concerns a mockingbird and a place I love called Dry Creek Baptist Camp.   This week is Girls Camp at Dry Creek. The photo below shows four of my granddaughters, my two sisters, my daughter-in-law, a great-niece, and their friends at camp. I …

I’m working on a book of short stories. So far, I haven’t found a publisher. There’s no use keeping these stories to myself.  Enjoy! Pass them on. I’ll be posting a new story (at www.creekbank.net) every few days. I’ll use my Curt Iles Facebook page to announce new posts.   I’m always open to suggestions, feedback, and constructive criticism.   …

  Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he [b]meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the [c]rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, …

Drone photo by Todd Burnaman less than twenty-four hours before the White House burned.     Saying Goodbye to a Grand Old Lady   Throughout my life in my hometown of Dry Creek, a building has stood that serves not only as a link to the past but as an anchor for our community.   We called it the Dry …

“The White House” from Hearts across the Water Friday, September 23, 2005 It is just before bedtime on the night before Hurricane Rita slams into Southwest Louisiana. A crowd of fifty anxious faces stares into mine as they await words of wisdom from the camp director. The faces are each so different and individual. Some faces are black; others are …

Encouragement is something that doesn’t cost anything to give yet the outcome is priceless! -May Hill  

“Stand up and speak out, even if your voice is trembling.”

December 29  Sharp Hooks   Reas Weeks was a Dry Creek legend who lived and died before my time. He was a bachelor who lived in a remote area along Bundick Creek. He never owned a vehicle or held a regular job. He supported himself by fishing, hunting, and farming. He was known as the best creek fisherman in our …

December 27   We’re walking you through the week after Christmas.  I call it “Bah Humbug Week.”  It’s a time of recovery from Christmas.  It’s often a difficult week. I believe it’s an essential week.   A time to slow down. A time to take inventory of the past week. An opportunity to look toward the coming new year.    …

December 26 The Day After Christmas It’s the dusk on the day after Christmas. I’m hiding at the edge of Miller Pond, waiting for the wood ducks to come in. You’d laugh if you saw me. I’m in camo and a dark ski mask. I’m sitting in a fold-up chair, trying not to move at all. It’s time for the …

    My most important story By Curt Iles I make my living as a storyteller. As a novelist, I create characters and stories. What I wish to share is a true story. It’s my story. It’s a story of what happened inside me. I grew up in a rural area of Louisiana. Our lack of material things was offset …

It’s Christmas and time to help you with stock stuffers and difficult gifts. We are offering five of our Creekbank books for sale during Christmas. Each book is for sale at a discount of $10 per book and to encourage multiple purchases, there is a total shipping fee of $5 regardless of purchase size. Each book is personally autographed. You …

  Jericho Road Part 2 If you missed the earlier post on “The Jericho Road”, you can read it here. https://mailchi.mp/creekbank/a-lesson-for-our-times-on-the-jericho-road?e=25f4266cad   We left a beaten half-dead traveler laying along the Jericho Road. He is Jewish. The man who stops to aid him is a Samaritan. The Samaritans were a race hated by the Jews. In return, the Samaritans hated …

  High on the Jericho Road   It’s a story that disturbs me each time I think about it. In Jon Krakauer’s book, Into Thin Air, the author describes the tragic day of May 10, 1996, when over a dozen climbers died during a blizzard in the upper reaches of Mt. Everest. On the Tibetan route near the summit of …