Felker, 84, has written for regional and national publications. He is best known in the Dayton region for writing and recording “Poor Will’s Almanack,” which was first published in Yellow Springs News in 1984 and recorded by WYSO for the past 19 years. Due to Felker battling an aggressive form of macular degeneration, the series recently came to a close. The final episode aired April 1.
“I’m really grateful to have had this opportunity,” Felker said. “Working with WYSO was wonderful and they were very supportive through the years. The pattern I used for the newspaper worked really well for radio. Writing about the seasons is a way of somehow exploring my relationship with time and the world.”
WYSO General Manager Luke Dennis particularly valued Felker’s contributions and called his departure bittersweet.
“Felker and his commentary embody so much of what WYSO is about – curiosity, contemplation, respect for the world around us,” Dennis said in a press release. “We are really going to miss what he brought to our programming.”
‘A real act of self-definition’
Felker, a Wisconsin native, moved to Yellow Springs in 1978 to teach at Central State University. He started composing his “daybooks,” modeled on Henry David Thoreau’s daily journals, in the early 1980s, partly as a way to distract himself as he quit smoking in his 40s.
“You sort of define yourself by what you do,” he said. “And I feel like I’ve defined myself by the things I’ve written down on paper. I think anybody who keeps a journal does that. Every time you write a story, every time you write about something happening in nature or in the world around you, you’re taking a stand somehow about life and about yourself. It’s a real act of self-definition. We’re all becoming who we are.”
Credit: Russell Florence
Credit: Russell Florence
He also regards journaling as a healthy, productive means of escape from the daily grind and onslaught of 24/7 news.
“Keeping track of what’s happening with the stars or on the ground is important,” Felker said. “All the observations I make about daffodils or pussy willows or tulips somehow become more important than all the stuff that’s happening in Washington, D.C. which is so amazingly awful. You don’t have to live in the news. You can look at what’s around you, especially the changing of the seasons. (Modeling) Thoreau has been such a gift for me. If I can offer that gift to anybody, and they like it, that’s what’s important to me. I feel so lucky to have had the WYSO experience.”
‘Focus on what is real’
Over the years, Felker, who has enjoyed exploring everything from animal husbandry to phenology, has given presentations on the environment at nature centers, churches and universities. He notably received three awards for his almanac writing from the Ohio Newspaper Association as well.
Looking back on his daybooks, he remains most fascinated by the subject of time, specifically how the seasons inform and beckon with a sense of belonging.
“The seasons tell us about time,” Felker said. “The seasons tell us where we belong if we pay attention. If you don’t, you’ll get caught up in your work. The world is going to look different as we get deeper into spring, especially the trees. And it’s going to happen so slowly that you might not even pay attention. But that is a world of emotion that deserves attention. There are so many changes that occur in the environment that I hadn’t noticed before so the discovery of time means so much.”
Credit: Russell Florence
Credit: Russell Florence
He also recognizes that some people may view counting daffodils as absurd but he cherishes the task for its simplistic appeal.
“I write about counting daffodils and have a great time doing it because it’s such a bizarre thing to do,” Felker said. “I realize there’s nothing of value in counting blossoms that will be gone tomorrow but it’s relaxing and allows you to focus on what is real. I’ve been taught so much by watching the world.”
Facing the future
Felker, who was married for 40 years to his late wife, Jeanie, has two daughters, Jeni, a psychologist in Portland, Ore., and Neysa, a photographer in Spoleto, Italy. He is embracing his 80s with a clear understanding that life is a continuous road of discovery.
“There really is no roadmap for being in your 80s,” Felker said. “When you’re 40, turning 80 just looks like some old man or old woman. When I was 40, I was renovating my house. But the last 40 years have been much more important to me. There’s so much junk in the past, good and bad. So, I’m evaluating that, a lot of thinking about the past, but it’s also trying to figure out my future. It gets more real the older you get.”
Although he bid farewell to his WYSO duties, he’s thankful for the creative drive that continues to keep him busily writing for the Dayton Daily News and other publications. He’s a self-described hermit but looks forward to sharing many more stories and insights with the hope of educating and interacting with the community.
“You can be introspective in many different ways,” Felker said. “It’s a blessing to have outlets to be able to communicate with people and share my love of nature.”
MORE DETAILS
For more information about Bill Felker, visit poorwillsalmanack.com.
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