New Friends Are My Silver Lining
The silver lining of this pandemic for me has been ZOOM! I live in a small town with few opportunities to meet other folk singers and writers.
My husband and life-long singing/writing partner passed away in April 2018. I was just starting to venture out into the world on my own when we were all told to head home and stay there. I was at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina when the order came down. Since that time I have found a world of talented, caring people who have become my friends. I have the pleasure of their company in my living room every single day. They have inspired me to write more than I ever did before. I wrote 17 songs just since June, 2020 and some of them are actually pretty good.
My doctor asked why I was so happy because a lot of his patients are depressed. My answer: I sing with my friends every day!!! I am friends with some people whom I had only heard on recordings in the past and with others whom I had never heard of, who make fabulous music with instruments and voices. I am so grateful for their friendship and support. My life is filled with musical riches and that makes me joyful. I think I’m as happy as I could possibly be without my husband and I have something to look forward to each day. Someday I’ll even get to meet my friends in person. That’s something to look forward to.
~ Bev Praver
Bev and her husband Jerry started performing back in the 1970s. Before that, they just sang in the living room for their kids and the Riverside Folk Song Society. After the kids grew up and moved out, they were hired to perform in schools, introducing thousands of kids all over the Southwest to American folk music and teaching them things like history with the songs for more than 22 years. Jerry passed away in 2018 and now Bev is learning to perform solo.
Bev & Jerry’s songs can be found on YouTube at Bev and Jerry Praver.
A link to one of them: https://youtu.be/BJJUJqgzs78
this cultural reckoning and political upheaval spurred a period of personal reflection and the discovery of coping mechanisms some of us didn’t even know we had. Lockdown Lemonade is a look at the bright side. With this collection of flash creative nonfiction, brief personal essays, recollections, and musings from members of our community, we hope to shine a light on the best things that can and have come out of the most challenging of times. This column will continue on a weekly basis and postings will be released at 10 AM Pacific every Monday, so watch for them! For guidelines and submission details, please contact Julie Zipperer at