What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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6 WHAT'S UP! AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 Give Peas A Chance BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette F or most of the quarter-century of their marriage, Peggy Perry Hill followed John Two-Hawks around the world as he brought the mystery and magic of the Native American flute to concert stages and recording studios. She supported him when he rode the trail of his Lakota Sioux ancestors across the frigid plains of South Dakota and echoed his voice when he spoke about the needs and losses of his people. Now, having retired from the road in March of this year, it's Hill's turn to be the artist and her husband's turn to be the cheerleader. "John and I will be married 27 years next week," says Hill, who lives with Two-Hawks in Eureka Springs. "Our relationship, from the beginning, has its foundation in spirituality. Love, laughter and music are the three pillars of our lives. He is supporting me in my writing endeavors these days in the way I supported him with his many years of playing music." Already the author of "The Wind of My Soul," a collection of poetry, art and journaling, Hill has just released a new book, "Give Peas a Chance: Recipes, Nostalgia & Songs of the '60s." Hill says as a child of the 1960s, she is a lover of food, music and social activism, and this book explores all three. Child of '60s shares kitchen wisdom FYI 'Give Peas A Chance' Available beginning this weekend at bcompassion ate.com. List price $18. "When I met Peggy 30 years ago, she was a writer," Two-Hawks says. "I have always admired her writing talent and, after decades of being the wind beneath my wings, I am positively thrilled that her dreams are taking flight!" "I had decided a year ago to give up touring and start writing full time," Hill explains. "We left the road in March of 2020 and then bang, the pandemic. I found myself with the space and opportunity to write. I had the time and the inspiration — and I took myself to a different time and place, which kept my mind somewhat off of the darkness of the present moment we are in." Hill grew up in South Bend, Ind., with two brothers and two sisters, and she says those happy days are at the heart of her book. "Most of the stories in the book are related to my mom and her kitchen," she says. "I am truly shaped by what she taught me in her kitchen about generosity, laughter and inclusion. Love flowed in abundance from my mom's kitchen." Hill's first goal was to follow in those footsteps and be a mom — and second, to be a writer. "I am a mother of three and grandmother of seven," she says, so she made that first wish come true. "Motherhood, the burden of joy, is like life; a mixture of laughter and tears. As far as writing, finally at 65, I am fulfilling that dream." Hill says she hopes her book brings "a smile, a lightness and a memory to my readers. I share some simple comfort food recipes from the '60s that they have the time to cook right now. Because we are all feeling disconnected and unsure of our future, we can look back at the '60s, another tumultuous time, and learn some simple lessons there." Asked how she would cure the ills of this current tumultuous time, Hill says, "I would teach empathy and art as primary courses in all schools. Music, theater, literature, poetry and all other expressions of the heart are what we need in our world now. The poets need to be paid the highest salaries." Hill will offer her book through a pre-release special at bcompassionate. com, to be followed shortly thereafter by the official release. "In mid-September, I will do a book release signing at the Route 62 General Store in Eureka Springs, and John will play some '60s tunes," she adds, saying she'll announce the time and date when she knows them. "As a young girl growing up in the '60s the most important thing I learned was to have fun," she adds. "Enjoy the food, the music, the friendships. Life will bring you plenty of sorrow, so make the most of the laughter. The Lakota grandmothers always gave that advice, and it has become my mantra. Lighten up and have fun!" Two-Hawks says he is delighted to support wife Peggy Hill as a writer as she has supported his career as a musician. (Courtesy Photo) Peggy Perry Hill has returned to her first love, writing, after spending 27 years on the road with her husband, Native American flutist John Two-Hawks. (Courtesy Photo) EUREKA SPRINGS