I find myself reflecting on the life of Nelson Mandela as I hear one story after another flash across my television screen. Mandela was one of the great leaders of our time; someone we should try to emulate. But as hard as I try, I am only a gnat in the forest. I write compassionate and compelling stories, hoping to give a voice to those unable to speak. I throw pebbles across the still water and watch ripples scoot across its surface. Maybe one ripple will reach another, another, and so on. How many my message reaches, I’ll never know. You see, I’m only a nat in the forest trying to do the right thing.
Larry L Franklin holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University. He performed in the U.S. Navy Band located in Washington, D.C. from 1967 to 1971. From 1972 to 1975, he taught music at Southern Illinois University. In 1976, he completed requirements for a certified financial planner designation and maintained a successful investment business until 2007 when he retired to devote his energies to writing. In 2003, he received an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.
Franklin is the author of “Mnemosyne: A Love Affair with Memory,” published by Xlibris; “The Rita Nitz Story: A Life without Parole,” published by Southern Illinois University Press; “Cherry Blossoms & Barron Plains: A woman’s journey from mental illness to a prison cell,” published by Chipmunka Publishing Company; and “Supermax Prison: Controlling the most dangerous criminals,” published by History Publishing Company. He currently resides in southern Illinois with his wife, Paula.
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