Not Far from Dryden: A Collection of Columns

"Always a delight." "Charming and witty." "This column is always my favorite. Wish it appeared more often." Charlena Chandler has received positive feedback since her first opinion column appeared almost 20 years ago. Her topics range far and wide. Ranch life provides a background for subjects such as growing up on the Pecos River, of eating goat meat in Peru, of hanging clothes on the line to dry, and of remembering her grandmother's macaroni and cheese. Reading and writing, two favorite activities, offer a look into rejection letters, shaking hands with Walter Cronkite, and winning the state championship in scholastic journalism. A reader looking for humor will find it on her take on learning to use e-mail, working in a high school concession stand, on becoming a Baptist, and worrying about fundamentalist Mormon hairstyles. Her commentary covers topics as diverse as old-time gospel music, college customs at Texas Tech, memories of September 11, the Iran-Contra era, respect for the flag, and the rejection of racism. Today she writes regularly for the Odessa American in Odessa, Texas, with a circulation that covers the vast Trans-Pecos area of the Chihuhuan Desert.