Gathering in Memory of Tom Bridwell

This post is from Tom's daughter, Samara.
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Five months ago, we lost an enigma. Tom Bridwell was a strange and wonderful sort of visionary; a voice that those of us who were lucky enough to personally familiarize ourselves with hear echoing in our heads often. His 27 acres of Ohio forest, and the tadpoles, fox, and rattlers that inhabited his daily musings, have been lonelier for his passing. It is an understatement to merely say that he is missed. Tom collected friends the way some people collect ceramic figurines – he never really set out to do it, but it was impossible for him not to. From New York to Tallahassee, Iowa to Minneapolis, Colorado to Portsmouth, people made pilgrimages to visit The Ridge, to hear him read, to taste The Sauce or discuss whatever he was reading that week. In a few weeks, we will gather to remember him in the only fashion that seems appropriate – with plenty of whiskey - and many of his words. Join us on Saturday, May 12, from 6-9pm, at the Port City Pub in Portsmouth, OH. This is an informal memorial gathering; an opportunity for friends and family to share memories of the man, the myth, the legend; for us to revisit favorite works from Salt Works Press to Ridge Posts and the many eras in between. If you are unable to raise a glass in person, please feel free to send your favorite Tom story to Samara at samara.bridwell@hotmail.com, so that it might be shared. Read more...