Ghost blues
Skip James and the devil
The Devil and Skip James, 2026
Collage
Was nothin’ but the devil, changed my baby’s mind
—“Devil Got My Woman,” Skip James
Ivy sang a little of the old Skip James blues, “Devil Got My Woman.” She sang, “I’d rather be the devil, than to be that woman’s man.” Ivy could sing a little blues, all down low and scratchy, but she couldn’t go up high and moan like only Skip James and some ghosts could do. Ivy was pretty sure she believed in ghosts, but it didn’t matter, really, whether she did or not: Ghosts believed in her.
— from my story “I’ll Take You There” (Fifty-Two Stories) and forthcoming novel THE COLDWATER GIRL (Regal House Publishing, Summer 2027)
Tasty!