neshaminy

The Bucks County Historical and Literary Journal

About

Neshaminy, The Bucks County Historical and Literary Journal, is a joint effort of the Doylestown Historical Society and the Bucks County Writers Workshop. In addition to the editorial staff, the journal has a seven-member advisory panel to help evaluate submissions. General submissions are welcome, and while the material must touch on some aspect of Pennsylvania and/or historic Bucks County, it must also be of interest to a far-reaching range of readers.

The journal also includes biographies, memoirs, interviews, poems, photography, and art. Neshaminy publishes twice a year in April and October.

The journal may be purchased from Amazon.com in either print or digital versions and at selected outlets in Bucks County.

Fall / Winter 2022

Vol. 4 No.1

CONTENTS

• “The Delaware Canal Story” — History — Don Swaim
• “Meet Me on the Towpath” — Fiction — Jill Lupine
• “House of Mirrors” — Poetry — Greg Probst
• Artist Profiles: deb hoeffner and Alan Fetterman — Art — M.D. Sullivan, W.J. Donahue
• “Historic Home” — History — Pat Achilles
• “Small-Town Newspaper Thrives …” — Memoir — Daniel Dorian
• “American Bandstand 1999” — Fiction — Don Swaim
• “Snow-Bound” excerpt — Poets of the Past — John Greenleaf Whittier
• “Rising With the River” — History — W.J. Donahue
• “Fat Boy” — Fiction — Bobby Cohen
• “Night at the Movies with John Carradine” — Memoir — Carl Reader

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Spring / Summer 2022

Vol. 3 No. 2

CONTENTS

Among the exclusives in this issue of Neshaminy: “George Washington Slept Near”: how the hero of the American Revolution prompted a boasting competition as to where he slept — while a romantic rivalry developed between James McHenry and Alexander Hamilton. In “Dearest Friend, Annie,” an English widow abandons her past life in a vain attempt to wed Walt Whitman. A poetic appreciation of Whitman by Jim Brennan. The story of a group of nineteenth century feminists who launched the first community hospital owned and operated by women in the United States. How Pennsylvania Quakers helped to propel the mission of doomed abolitionist John Brown. Interview with romance author Mazey Eddings. Poetry by Darlene Versace and the forgotten William Satterthwaite. Fiction by Jill Lupine and Philip William Stover.

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Fall/Winter 2021

Vol. 3 No. 1

CONTENTS

• Editor’s Introduction: William J. Donahue
• Biography: Edward Hicks and the Peaceable Kingdom: Don Swaim
• History: Historic Home: Pat Achilles
• Interview: Christian Bauman: Melissa D. Sullivan
• Biography: Jere Knighs, More Than Mrs. Lassie: Debra Wolf Goldstein
• Fiction: Oyer and Terminer: Bill Stieg
• Poetry: Bucks County Dream: Maximillian C. Bogus
• History: The Right Stuff ant the Right Place: Stu Abramson
• Fiction: Playwicki and the Creek of Two Ways: Rusty Allen
• Poetry: Rest Now Heart: Ashara Shapiro
• Contributors

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Spring/Summer 2021

Vol. 2 No. 2

CONTENTS

• A Note From the Publisher. Stuart Abramson
• Editor’s Introduction. William J. Donahue
• Biography: Robert Beck: A Painter Grapples With History. Daniel Dorian
• Interview: Novelist Jenni L. Walsh. William J. Donahue
• Biography: Lassie Come-Home. Don Swaim
• Poetry: Black Cherries. W. S. Merwin
• Biography: Stephen Sondheim: Composer, Lyricist, Student, Teacher. Natalie Zellat Dyen
• Fiction:American Shad. Jim Brennan
• Biography: Chorus of the Cane. Don Swaim
• Poetry: Spring. John Watson
• History: Doan Outlaws: The Plumstead Cowboys. Jennifer Rogers
• Poetry:She. Darlene Versak
• Biography: The Door Between: The Divided Selves of Pearl S. Buck. D. Constance Wrzesniewski
• Contributors

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Fall/Winter 2020

Volume 2 Number 1

BOTH PRINT & DGITIAL EDITIONS AVAILABLE NOW

CONTENTS:

• A Note from the Publisher: Stuart Abramson
• Editor’s Introduction: David L. Updike
• Biography: “The Things Joseph Pickett Left Behind”: William J. Donahue
• Memoir: Sketch of Doylestown (plus sidebar by the editors): James A. Michener [never published before]
• Biography: “Knight of the Loyal Heart: The Strange Death of Ralcy Husted Bell”: Don Swaim
• Poetry: “Two Poems”: Matilda Bray
• History: “Fear and Expectation: A Theatrical Experiment”: Daniel Dorian [history and future of the Bucks County Playhouse]
• Poetry: “Say Their Names”: Amy Liu
• Fiction: “Midnight in Solebury”: William J. O’Toole Jr.
• Poetry: “The Rose” [originally published 1823]: William C. Ely
• Biography: “The House Dorothy Parker Lived In”: Don Swaim [exclusive photos]
• About the Contributors

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Fall/Winter 2019

Volume 1 Number 1

CONTENTS:

• Publisher’s Note
• Managing Editor’s Note
• Poem: Nishën Mene (Neshaminy Creek) by H. A. Callum
• Fiction: The World Famous Bucks County Casino by William O’Toole
• Biography: Oscar Hammerstein, Highland Farm, and the Sound of Music: by Natalie Zellat Dyen
• Fiction: Behind the Rebellion by David Jarret
• History/Fiction: Cudjo’s Relegation by Flip of Guinea by Will Kirk
• History/Fiction: December Sunday, 1941 by Don Swaim
• Fiction: One April Day by Linda Wisniewski
• Fiction: The Battle of Paunacussing Creek by David Jarret
• History: The Lenape Stone by Don Swaim
• Poem: Portrait of Dorothy Parker by Connie Wrzesniewski
• Fiction: Recovered Diary Entries of Pearl S. Buck by Rachel Leopold and Reema Kalidindi, Central Bucks H.S. South
• Interview: James A. Michener by Don Swaim
• About the Contributors

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NESHAMINY JOURNAL SUBMISSIONS POLICY

Length should be no more than 8000 words. May be of any genre — non-fiction, fiction, biography, memoir, poetry. Fiction must pertain to some aspect of Pennsylvania, non-fiction to historic Bucks County in particular. Submissions must be properly formatted Word documents (double-spaced, 12-point serif type, etc.). Submissions will be judged on the basis of storytelling, quality, clarity, interest, and relevance to Pennsylvania. A contributor’s copy is provided to the author of each submission used in the journal.

Authors published in Neshaminy retain their rights to reproduce, distribute, and revise their own works in any format as long as attribution to Neshaminy is included.

Electronic submissions only. Email with attachment to Bucks County Writers Workshop: neshaminyjournal @ gmail.com

SUBMISSIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED

NESHAMINY NEWS

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DAVID STOLLER JOINS NESHAMINY ADVISORY BOARD

David Stoller of New Hope has joined the Neshaminy Journal‘s Advisory Board. Stoller, who led a major trading and marketing agency in New York and London for theater and live entertainment, among other business ventures, is also a poet and author of the poetry collection Finding My Feet. One of Stoller’s poems appears in the article about painter Robert Beck in the spring/summer 2021 issue of Neshaminy. He has a BA in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, a JD from Fordham Law School, and is a graduate of Harvard Business Schoolʼs Advanced Management Program.

An article about David appeared in the Dec. 10, 2020, issue of The Bucks County Herald

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DONAHUE NAMED NESHAMINY MANAGING EDITOR

Neshaminy, the Bucks County Historical and Literary Journal, has elevated William J. Donahue to the post of Managing Editor, replacing David Updike, who will remain on the editorial staff. Executive Editor Don Swaim also announced that Melissa Sullivan is joining the staff as editor.
Donahue is a 10-year member of the Bucks County Writers Workshop with more than 20 years of experience as an editor, writer, and journalist. He is currently editor of the monthly lifestyle magazines Suburban Life and Philadelphia Life. Donahue’s print and on-camera reporting has earned him nearly a dozen regional and national awards for excellence in business journalism. His published works include the novel Burn, Beautiful Soul and three short-story collections: Too Much Poison, Filthy Beast, and Brain Cradle.
Sullivan is a writer, journalist, attorney, and a 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has appeared in Hippocampus Magazine, Nightingale & Sparrow, Sum Journal and elsewhere<, and her short story “Last Run” placed second in the 2019 Bucks County Short-Fiction Contest. Most recently, her fiction was published in the locally-produced anthology Jersey Devil.
Also on the editorial team is Bill Stieg, former editor of Men’s Health magazine. David Updike, Director of Publications of the Barnes Foundation, is former publications editor of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rounding out the staff is well-known Bucks County illustrator Pat Achilles, whose art has appeared in The New Yorker and in countless books and magazines, and veteran graphic designer John Errichetti of Tinhouse Design.

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BUCKS COUNTY BOOK FESTIVALBACK AS VIRTUAL EVENT FOR 2020

In 2018 and 2019, the Bucks County Book Festival was a successful event, running two years in a row, and both the Bucks County Writers Workshop and the Doylestown Historical Society had booths. But after the pandemic hit, in late September 2020 the fest went virtual, which did not allow the DHS and the BCWW any sort of presence.

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BUCKS COUNTY HERALD REVIEW OF NESHAMINY'S INAUGURAL ISSUE

“The journal is the work of the Bucks County Writers Workshop and published by the Doylestown Historical Society. It’s named for the waterway that wends its way from north to south in the long county, ending at the Delaware River near Bristol.It’s history and fiction wrapped around history, tidbits that draw from legend and news, back to the Native American settlers, the Lenni Lenape, and into William Penn’s time through the Revolution and a recent war. It draws on the lives of artists and writers—there’s so much to be said.”
–by Bridget Wingert, publisher, Bucks County Herald.

Read the full review of Neshaminy’s inaugural issue in: the Bucks County Herald, Oct. 17, 2019 — HERE

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Where To Buy Neshaminy

Neshaminy‘s second issue Fall/Winter 2020.  Available from: Amazon as well as at Bucks County, PA, area bookstores.

Neshaminy‘s inaugural issue published in October 2019. Available from: Amazon as well as at Bucks County, PA, area bookstores.

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Pat Achilles

An artist’s view of the famed Neshaminy Creek — with a Lenape Indian by the water.

Check Pat’s home page at: Achilles Portfolio

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Ron Moran, photographer extraordinaire

Ron Moran 1950-2020.
Ron, of Fairless Hills, PA, died March 1, 2020, at the age of 69. Born in Philadelphia, he was a veteran of the Army National Guard, a tour bus driver for Starr Tours, and a highly talented photographer who volunteered his talents to the Doylestown Historical Society as the staff photographer. His multitudes of photos of the Neshaminy Creek are expected to grace the journal’s cover for as long as there is a journal.
Check Ron’s page on Facebook

Ron was Neshaminy‘s staff photographer

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2019 NESHAMINY LITERARY CONTEST WINNERS

The awards, totalling $500 in cash prizes, were announced on August 1, 2019, by Nathan Halter, a member of the journal’s nine-member advisory panel.

Winning Entries
1) World Famous Bucks County Casino — Bill O’Toole
2) Oscar Hammerstein, Highland Farm, and the Sound of Music — Natalie Dyen
3) Behind the Rebellion — David Jarret

Honorable Mentions
4) December Sunday 1941 — Don Swaim
5) (tie) The Battle of Paunacussing Creek — David Jarret
5) (tie) The Lenape Stone — Don Swaim
6) (tie) Cudjo’s Relegation — Wil Kirk
6) (tie) One April Day — Linda Wisniewski

Article in the Bucks County Herald. READ HERE

Neshaminy book authors l-r: Don Swaim, Stu Abramson, David Updike, Bill Donahue

Neshaminy Editorial Staff

Publisher

Stuart Abramson, President Emeritus, Doylestown Historical Society

Executive Editor

Don Swaim, Founder, Bucks County Writers Workshop

Managing Editor

William J. Donahue

Associate Editors

Bill Stieg, David Updike, Melissa Sullivan

Graphic Designer

John Errichetti, Tinhouse Design, Ltd.

Illustrator

Pat Achilles

Photographer

Ron Moran (1950-2020)

Advisory Panel

Daniel Dorian (chairperson), Carol Breslin, Colleen Dunn, Jennifer Lin, Damian McNicholl, David Stoller

Original Magazine Design by Rebecca Quinn