Sketch People

We all have stories to tell. Sketch People is a collection of stories about people—their work, their passions, and their experiences. In this compilation by T. J. Banks, a woman tells the story of a message she received from an old family friend following the death of her late mother's dog. Another woman, a cancer survivor, recounts her long and complex journey from geologist to master gardener to environmental and safety engineer to goat's-milk soap maker. An actor and playwright talks about the inner workings of his craft, while actress Tippi Hedren reflects not on her film career but on her work with the wild cats of the Shambala refuge in Acton, California. The collection also includes an affectionate tribute to the late writer and activist Cleveland Amory, who more than lived up to his personal philosophy of "simply to be kind." Each sketch brings us a little closer to understanding how these particular folks got where they were going and what transformed them along the way— each person has a spark, a tale worth telling. "T. J. Banks offers interesting 'sketches' of writers, artists, photographers and others in Sketch People, highlighting passions, ideologies and historical accounts of each person's true story in her impacting and emotionally driven style." —Patricia Spork, Sporkette Gazette