He Done Her Wrong and Other Themes

I. C. Talbot at age 77 in her office on Talbot Hill.

I. C. Talbot was a very interesting woman.

She owned and operated The Leeward Lounge on Bridge Street in Ashtabula Ohio from 1971 to 1988.

The Leeward was an infamous, legendary, drinking establishment from 1988 until the license was purchased for the sole purpose of 'shutting that hellhole down" some time in the 1990s. While I. C. ran it, The Leeward was where the Harbor Restoration began and it was also where the first Harbor Happening was planned.

As you can imagine, a barkeep will hear a lot of stories from the people who come in for a beer or two, or more. "Loose lips sink ships" I. C. used to say. "And there's a hell of a wreck at the mouth of the Ashtabula River."

The 70's were a turbulent time in our nations history. It was the beginning of the Feminist Revolution and the push for Equal Rights. Women began to speak up and speak out about the treatment they received from the men in their lives as well as from the government. There was no such thing as Equal Rights, in a clash between a man and a woman, the man's word was often taken.

That's where she got the ideas from a lot of her short stories. I call them the #HeDoneHerWrong tales. There are dozens in her collection.

I can not confirm, but I also can't deny, the grain of truth in many of these tales of treachery and betrayal.