November 01 25 Newsletter | Take the Back Roads

 

This newsletter was originally sent on November 1, 2025
Each month, I share new essays, books, and stories from the road.

📬 Want these updates in your inbox? Subscribe here.

Welcome, Friends, to News from the Back Roads!

October slipped away in a flurry of color, candlelight, and candy wrappers. 

We stayed home this Halloween, making pizza, waiting for trick-or-treaters, and enjoying the kind of slow evening that makes me grateful for small things. 

As the air turns cooler and November settles in, I’ve been reflecting on journeys, those we take down winding roads and those we travel through words and memory.

Whether your weekend leads down highways or hidden trails, I hope you find something beautiful along the way.
Stay curious, travel gently, and take the back roads whenever you can.

Warmly,
a.d. elliott
Art and Other Odd Adventures

Stories Found Along the Way

A vintage-style digital collage on aged parchment featuring a round blue overlay with the title “From Veneto to the Ozarks: The Italian Roots of Tontitown, Arkansas.” Below it, a framed photograph shows a cluster of deep-purple grapes on the vine, evoking the town’s vineyard heritage.

From Veneto to the Ozarks: The Italian Roots of Tontitown, Arkansas

 At the turn of the century, a small group of Italian immigrants journeyed from the Veneto region to the hills of northwest Arkansas, carrying with them the traditions, faith, and spirit of home.

Led by Father Pietro Bandini, they founded Tontitown, a settlement that continues to celebrate its heritage more than a hundred years later. 

It’s a story of resilience, community, and the enduring pull of one’s roots, the kind of history that makes you want to wander small-town streets and listen for echoes of old songs.

Read the essay →

Another Book in the Bucket

Plato’s Apology: The Trial and Death of Socrates


This week’s Bucket List Book Adventure took me back to ancient Athens, to a courtroom, a philosopher, and the price of speaking truth. 

Plato’s Apology remains one of the most striking reflections on virtue and integrity ever written, reminding us that a good life is measured not by comfort, but by conviction.

Read the review →


A Story of Service

First Sergeant Augustus Walley 

– A Soldier’s Story

Born enslaved and later serving with the famed Buffalo Soldiers, First Sergeant Augustus Walley lived a life of courage and conviction. Through the deserts of New Mexico and the hills of Cuba, he served with dignity and valor, earning the Medal of Honor for rescuing fellow soldiers under fire.

His life reminds us that heroism often begins quietly — with steadfast faith and a steady heart.

A Fun Read for the Road

Tales from the Gas Station - Jack Townsend

Sometimes the strangest stories happen in the most ordinary places. 

Tales from the Gas Station is a fever dream of insomnia, sarcasm, and late-night absurdity, the kind of book that keeps you laughing when you should probably be sleeping.

We all need a story like that from time to time.

From the Studio Wall


The Path to Latourell Falls 

a.d. elliott, Take the Back Roads

There’s something inviting about a path that disappears into the trees.

The Path to Latourell Falls captures that moment of wonder and stillness before discovery,  the sound of water ahead and the promise of beauty just beyond the bend.

A quiet reminder that the journey is often the most breathtaking part of the view.

🛒 View the print →




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