02/14/2026
Did you know that the Wandering Press began officially on May 10, 1997 for the sole purpose of helping local and regional writers get published. The main way we would achieve this would be by publishing our own magazine dedicated to our history and stories without being too critical of the writing. The story is always more important than the technique.
In March of 1998 we also formed the Wandering Press Writers Group. We met monthly until January 2004. Four of our members published books during this time.
In addition to our quarterly publication The Wanderer, we also produced a podcast Wandermag On-Air. It ran on Blog talk Radio from August 2010 to September 2012. In April 2018 we revived it and it has run seasonally and now sporadically up until 2025. We're still debating whether there will be any more broadcasts. It takes a lot of time and planning.
From 2013-2014 we ran an organization called Wandering Waifs. Here we offered assistance to teens and young adults (18-21) when it came to activities, jobs and education.
2022 saw the opening of Hollywood Enshrined, a store front featuring Hollywood memorabilia that has struggled in the small town economy and lack of exposure.
And last year, I was encouraged to create a Facebook group called Remembering The Wanderer which features the same kind of material and articles we did for fourteen years.
Wandering Press was formed from what was left of an earlier group called Artists and Friends Network (AFN).
In all, I have devoted 34 years to enriching the arts in southeastern Illinois. I say this without boasting, but I could have gone anywhere and had even greater success than I could imagine. Instead, I have stayed home.
We have a lot to offer despite the economy being depressed. I'd like to continue to serve Grayville and the area around it as long as I am able. It is you, the ones reading this who make it possible. Thank you for however you've helped in any way, big or small.
