Michael Shay's Hummingbirdminds

Feb. 17. 2026 TO:              University of Florida Annual Giving Program FROM:         Michael T. Shay RE:              Gator Nation...

My sister Maureen asked me to dig through my photo albums for pictures of my brother, Tommy, who died on Christmas Day. She and her tech-sav...

My historical novel, "Zeppelins Over Denver," will be out soon from The Ridgeway Press. I recently proofed all 395 typeset pages a...

I was raised Catholic and spent my formative years at mass and in catechism when not attending Catholic School. I'm a recipient of most ...

Didn't know anything about Jackie Summers until I read his "Field Notes for Cracking an Empire" on a Facebook repost. Common-...

The strangest part of “Skywalkers: A Love Story” on Netflix is that it is more love story than a how-to on 21 st -century Internet attentio...

A round-up is a task performed by cowboys when they bring in the cattle. I am not a cowboy. But I spent 30 years in The Cowboy State of Wy...

  Posted Jan. 9 on Facebook by the poet. Ninety long years ago, Lorca was murdered by fascists. His spirit lives on.

"The closest thing to heaven on this planet anywhere Is a quiet Christmas morning in the Colorado snow." That's the refrain in...

This is a reprint of a Wyoming Tribune-Eagle column by old friend and work colleague Linda Coatney of Cheyenne, Wyo. It speaks of a subjec...

Tommy Shay and his dog Duke In Memoriam: Tommy Shay  Thomas Gerard Shay (“Tommy”), age 65, passed away peacefully after a short illness on C...

Dedicated to my brother, Tommy Shay, 65, who died Christmas Day in Orlando from cancer complications. Paddle out, man. Dig deep, feel the ...

I’m the only surfer in this high school annual photo. Me, in front, my board, an Oceanside 9-foot-6 Nose Rider, orange, easy to spot after w...

Wichita, 1962. I read Tom Swift and Hardy Boys books in bed with my Boy Scout flashlight. It was after the parents’ call for “lights out” an...

I was a Florida resident for just 18 days before I was rushed to the ER with septicemia. I am the family cook and grocery shopper. I barely ...

For decades, I kept a copy of “Fiskadoro” by Denis Johnson. I liked the idea of the book more than the book itself. It was an early post-ap...

On the morning after I watched the conclusion of “Death by Lightning" on Netflix. One of the final scenes really got to me. It’s Firs...

There was no wedding, but one hell of a reception. Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. My niece Bryce celebrates her wedding to Zak. They eloped and g...

Ann Patchett's novel "The Dutch House" was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. First place went to Colson White...

A big lobster walked down our street last night. He/She/It accompanied kids dressed as characters from kiddie shows I don't watch becaus...