My Research Experience on Donner Party Survivor/Rescuer, William H. Eddy
by Alice Osborn | Apr 10, 2023
This article first appeared in the Santa Clara Historical and Genealogical Society Newsletter, April 2023 On Being a History Detective: My Research Experience on Donner Party Survivor/Rescuer, William H. Eddy Call it fate or destiny, five years ago I became an ardent...
To Stop an Avalanche
by Alice Osborn | Apr 10, 2023
To Stop an Avalanche place a bomb below it, and I’m not talking a metaphorical one, a real nasty bomb like you’d see in a Sam Peckinpah picture starring Steve McQueen. Aim at the target several loads of dynamite or train a Howitzer high to a leeward slab...
Remembering the Legacy of William H. Eddy, Donner Party Hero, at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose
by Alice Osborn | Oct 3, 2022
William H. Eddy, survivor and chief rescuer of the ill-fated Donner Party (1846-1847), traveled far in life as well as in death—a feat few experienced or even contemplated in antebellum America. Married to Eleanor with a toddler, Jimmy, and an infant daughter,...
Eleanor Eddy: An Unsung Hero
by Alice Osborn | Jun 4, 2020
While her husband, William “Will” Eddy (1816-1859) chases a 900-pound grizzly bear, puffs his pipe, fells trees for lake lodging, tells very tall and ribald tales, shoots errant game, or makes midnight plans with Charles Stanton to walk across the Sierras in the dead...
The Story Behind My Song, “William Eddy”
by Alice Osborn | May 12, 2020
William H. Eddy (1816-1859) was a carriage maker from Belleville, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, who became known as one of the heroes of the Donner Party because he led the Forlorn Hope group of 15 over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a journey of 80 miles, in...
Not the Weaker Sex: Covid-19 and Donner Party Starvation Favor Women
by Alice Osborn | Apr 22, 2020
Based on the data we have from 13 states and New York City, plus China, Italy, and South Korea, more men than women are dying from Covid-19. The CDC hasn’t yet tracked the numbers for the entire U.S., but the limited data still tells us what many women already know:...
Not Today, Death, Not Today
by Alice Osborn | Apr 9, 2020
“Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder,” says George Washington to Alexander Hamilton in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. No truer words can be applied to the many fighting Covid-19 or t to the Donner Party survivors fighting death at Starved Camp in 1847. CNN...
What the Donner Party Can Teach Us About Dying in the Age of Covid-19
by Alice Osborn | Apr 1, 2020
As the Covid-19 crisis tears up the fabric of American society and President Trump acknowledges 100,000 to 240,000 Americans may die, we see one truth emerge: no one wants to die alone. Unfortunately, because of the contagious nature of this disease that has no known...
What Cursed the Donner Party?
by Alice Osborn | Mar 26, 2020
As an American people and as American citizens we grow the most through hardship and through learning from our mistakes. This is certainly true now in the midst of a global pandemic. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily noontime COVID-19 briefings are must-see TV because...
Alice Discusses the Donner Party on Charlotte Readers Podcast
by Alice Osborn | Jul 23, 2019
1 hr 10 min PLAY Alice Osborn and David Poston – Socially conscious poetry, essays and songs on Charlotte Readers Podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts In today’s episode, we meet poet and prose writers Alice Osborn and David Poston, who share their socially conscious...
Who Is William Eddy? My Donner Party Hero
by Alice Osborn | Apr 12, 2019
In great tragedies we often look for heroes—they sacrificed and saved others who couldn’t save themselves. In the Donner Party story there are a few heroes among those families looking out only for themselves. One of my favorites is carriage-maker (or coffin-maker,...
Group Songwriting Workshop Taught by Alice Osborn
by Alice Osborn | Feb 18, 2019
Group Songwriting Workshop Taught by Alice Osborn Location : Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St, Durham, NC 27701 Room :IBM Rehearsal Studio Date : Saturday, February 23, 2019 Time : 10:00 AM-11:30 AM on Sat Level : Beginning Tuition: $30.00 Register HERE Class...
The Hastings Cutoff: What Really Killed the Donner Party
by Alice Osborn | Feb 8, 2019
If I could blame one man for the deaths of 41 people in the Donner Party it would be Lansford Hastings, the creator, founder, director of the Hastings Cutoff disaster, circa 1846. Lansford was born in Ohio to wealthy parents who could trace their American origins back...
Searching for Paradise: Who Is Tamsen Donner?
by Alice Osborn | Jan 8, 2019
SPECIAL NOTE: this shortened version of this essay will appear in the anthology, Exploring: Discoveries. Challenges. Adventure. edited by Randell Jones, coming to you spring 2019. The Donner Party. Snow. Starvation. Cannibalism. Why does this tragedy from 172 years...
Welcome to my Wonderland of Weird West Chronicles
by Alice Osborn | Dec 13, 2018
Why does the Old West fascinate us so much? Maybe because it’s America’s origin myth of ordinary people seeking a better life, new adventures, more money, and more freedoms, of course at the cost of the folks who were already there—the Indians and Mexicans. The Old...
Get Your Foot in the Door at Local Bookstores
by Alice Osborn | Jul 3, 2018
Congratulations! You will have a published book soon—now begins the fun challenge of getting folks to buy your book and perhaps make it a best-seller! How do you go about doing this? First of all, take a look at your author brand. Who is your target audience? What...
9 Secrets to a Successful Book Launch Party by Sylvia Inks
by Alice Osborn | Jul 3, 2018
Once you’ve finished writing and publishing your amazing book, you need to celebrate this important milestone with a book launch party! Many new authors are so busy trying to meet the deadlines of their first book, that they don’t plan for this or think it’s...
How to Get a Gig
by Alice Osborn | Jul 3, 2018
I’ve been a musician a short while, but I’ve been performing, giving talks/workshops and crafting my brand for over a decade. If you want a paying music gig, almost the same rules apply for seeking professional speaking opportunities, which include having a strong...
Lesson from John Denver: Too Much Self-Promotion?
by Alice Osborn | Jun 11, 2018
I recently received some feedback that I promote myself too much and that I should “tone it down.” I didn’t reply, but still wanted to thank the giver of that feedback. Why? Because if I’m promoting too much it means I’m doing something right and I’m getting out...
My 2017 Year-End Wrap Up
by Alice Osborn | Dec 31, 2017
In 2017 I played more music, wrote less poetry, gave far fewer writing workshops, but gave many tours at the NC Museum of History. I continued writing and editing for Wake Living magazine. Two of my favorite stories I covered was about flooring and Operation Coming...

Speaking of Star Wars, I also loved going to the movies where I’d beg my father to sit through the credits so I’d know where it was filmed and who did the sound editing. He always complied and never told me it was a little weird. Well, he probably understood me since he always pointed out anachronisms. For instance, in Raiders of Lost Ark which was supposed to take place in 1936, they showed a 1942 Ford, and boy did that mistake bother him! My husband, Keith, a vintage car owner, also loves to point out these issues to me, which makes only one trait my father and husband share.
Going to the movies and to the comic book store with my dad turned out to be one of our favorite things we’d do together. Thanks to Dad, he also bought me and my brother several comic book subscriptions: Spiderman, G.I. Joe and Star Wars that would arrive in our mailbox in brown paper wrapping. My brother never read the comic books meant for him, so I became an enormous G.I. Joe fan by reading the comic book while playing with all of his action figures. Again, I loved the strongly developed characters and how they picked on each other while laughing in the face of danger. One of my favorite lines was, “You’re about as funny as a hand grenade.” No wonder I loved Predator and The Hurt Locker; both war dramas with strong characters and intense action. You know I’m also a fan of Lost for these same reasons and haven’t missed an episode since it premiered in 2004.
In college I majored in business and worked at Belk in several capacities for nine years. I dabbled in writing, but it wasn’t until I began grad school at NC State in English did I enter “editing world” through the tutoring portal. I tutored students in writing and speaking throughout my grad school stint, but I edited too much. That was OK, I’m not a tutor; I’m an editor.
One of my strengths is finding plot inconsistencies and working out character timelines in addition to performing the grammar, proofreading and line editing functions. I also love fact checking like my dad used to do at the movies. My clients love this about me and never get weirded out when I bone up on their subject and totally immerse myself in their world.
There was a time about eighteen months ago I was thinking about giving up editing so I could concentrate on my own writing projects. Editing others’ work does take up your life, not leaving much room for your own creativity. Then a friend of mine said, “Don’t quit; there aren’t many really good editors out there; we need you!” So I stayed in the game and began receiving stronger work to edit. I realized that I was not being picky enough with my clients since after all, I’m a very picky reader! My mother also told me that my grandmother, her mother, was an editor. Soon after, I found out my first cousin had a 20-year editing career! Editing is definitely in my blood and I must embrace who I am. Like Luke Skywalker, I found my true calling after a lengthy search.