John McKee has released a new collection of Christian poetry, "Poems of Hope Volume I."
Entertainment news about personalities and events with an Old Pueblo connection.
Doc on Holocaust survivors, ‘Why We Remember,’ honored
The Tucson 12-produced documentary “Why We Remember” received three awards at the National Association for Telecommunications Officers and Advisors annual Programming Awards Banquet.
The film, produced by Gene Einfrank and Mitch Riley, includes interviews with eight Holocaust survivors and teaches a message of tolerance. It received first-place honors in the NATOA Programming Impact and Documentary categories, and took second place in Children Programming.
The film has been used as part of a youth education program at Tucson schools. It can be viewed on the companion Web site TucsonSurvivors.org, which also includes a teacher center along with testimonials and history of the eight survivors.
The film will be shown as part of a Holocaust Education Teacher In-Service meeting next month.
Tucsonan releases collection of Christian poetry about hope
“Poems of Hope Volume I” is the latest collection of Christian poetry written by Tucsonan John McKee.
McKee, who is already working on his 10th volume, says it just seemed to be the right time for a book about hope.
The former Navy aviation electronic technician has written nine books containing nearly 450 Christian poems. He also chooses illustrations for his works, published by the Selah Christian Publishing Group of Bristol, Tenn.
After McKee’s discharge from the Navy, the Evansville, Ind., native worked for the IBM Corp. He retired in 1987, after 30 years with the company.
“Inspiration for many of my poems has occurred upon viewing a beautiful sunrise or sunset; perhaps a mountain view, or maybe just a word, phrase or scene will pop into my head that triggers an idea for my next poem,” McKee says in a press release. “Many ideas have come to me in my sleep and, at those times, I feel compelled to go to my computer and begin the writing of the poem or to at least jot the idea down on paper before it is forgotten.”
Though his books retail for about $10.99 each, McKee says money’s not really the reason he writes them.
“The truth is I’ve given away a lot more than I’ve sold,” he says. “If you’re writing poetry to make money, well good luck.”
Send submissions to calendar@tucsoncitizen.com.
