WINSTON WEEKLY[1]

Vol. 1, No. 1

December 31, 2023

Welcome to the “First Edition” of Winston Weekly. It may seem strange to close out a year with a single volume of a new publication, but the founding of Bayles and Bruce did not occur until December of 2023. As part of founding Bayles and Bruce, I wanted to create a Sunday blog along with a more formal Sunday “newsletter” to subscribers.

Why Sunday? Primarily because when I was in law school in the late 1980’s, I had a small group of friends who gathered every Sunday for breakfast and watched and discussed the morning news. The MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour on PBS was our favorite.

None of us had much. The furniture in my studio apartment consisted of a gold couch, a few TV tables, and some milk crates. Our views were as different as elephants and ants, and yet we appreciated each other. Everyone brought something to cook. We made our way around my little kitchen to relish our home-cooked meal together.

After cooking, visiting, and watching the news, we might rotate to a different church service, study together, or go for a walk. There were no cell phones nor any computers other than large, roaring machines in huge computer rooms.

What I remember most about those days is that we had peace, hope, and love. John Masiulionis of PR From The Heart recently asked me about my three wishes. (Children’s Books Spotlight Series #192, YouTube, Dec. 22, 2023). With little hesitation, I responded, “Peace. Hope. Love.” Not only for me, but for everyone.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

What is in a name? Many things. When I read in classrooms, students often enjoy thinking about how they can make words out of someone’s name, or what is similar in a name. For example, in my name, the letter y is the third letter in my first name and my last name. You can make multiple words out of Alysen Bayles, including: bay, less, yes, lay, and more. Think about your own name, a family member’s name, or a friend’s name. There are so many possibilities.

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[1] Copyright Dec. 31, 2023.

Winston is the title of Alysen’s first children’s book published in 2020.