Boy, this winter’s getting rough. Just learned that another old friend and great soul has passed, the almost famous writer Terry Bisson, whom I’ve known for 40 years. I’ve written about Terry here on my blog, and he was recently profiled in the New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/…/terry-bissons-history-of…), but now he’s gone, age 81.

If you get a chance, check out his website (http://www.terrybisson.com/), where some of his wry, witty, and jaw-droppingly original writing is available (recommend “They’re Made out of Meat” as a starter). And just to give you an idea of what a cool guy Terry was, note how he requested payment from reader’s of one of his stories. He wrote: “Thank you for your interest in my work. If you enjoyed this little piece, give a dollar to a homeless person.”

Another knockout story is “Bears Discover Fire.” Today I choose to imagine Terry toasting marshmallows with some ursine pals in a better place.