RIVER’S STORY
Wade Rivers is a screenwriter and novelist who resides in far western Arkansas. He was born in Oklahoma City but when he was two moved to Arkansas where his family had deep roots. His forefathers had settled in Yell County shortly after the Civil War and it was his great-grandfather who led a wagon train there from Georgia. A generation later, his grandfather, the only surviving child, became a lawyer and was elected state senator from Yell County and then later in Pulaski County. His other grandfather, on his mother’s side, was deaf and lived in Tennessee where he became the superintendent of the School for the Deaf. Amazingly he also played in the minor leagues and was a referee in the SEC basketball for many years.
Rivers family heritage has had a powerful impact on his life and considers his rearing a blessing, though not always perfect. His mother was a librarian at the North Little Rock Laman Library and as far back as he can remember, nourished him with a healthy diet of classics. She was also the best storyteller he had ever known. When she read books out loud, the characters came alive as she acted out the scenes. “I think my mother was the best actress to ever live,” he says fondly. “She could do Scarlet in one breath and Rhett Butler the next. She played him so well Clark Gable would be envious.”
The stories that he learned only fueled his appetite for adventure, for which he was born with an “unsuitable amount.” The list of exploits is rather long and not enough time to describe them all now, but most regular church going kids don’t take their grandmother’s car for a joy ride at the age of five. Fortunately for her (and him), he only went one block before he ditched her Chevy and returned back home. Along with his best friend, Robert, they often pushed the boundaries of adventure into the path of danger and the line between mischief and criminal behavior was often blurred. In Rivers’ opinion every day should have at least one goodchase of some kind or another and most usually did. Fortunately for both boys they were cunning and fast, and very rarely got caught for their misdeeds.
The only thing that slowed him down was a severe case of asthma. Their family doctor warned his mother that his illness was life threatening and probably was sohis family moved to Pheonix for a few years until he completely recovered. Going out west greatly expanded his view of the world. He saw for the first time the Grand Canyon and the Pacific Ocean, and he realized young there were places to venture and things to see. After three years in Arizona his family moved back to Arkansas to the same house as before, just one door up from Robert. From there, the escapades started all over again.
When he wasn’t running wild in the streets, he worked with his father on a 400-acre tract on Wye Mountain. It was a rough rugged formidable mountain of rock. The land resembled his father, who was hard as stone, and a former middleweight champ to match. Though he hated the work at the time, learning how to use a rifle, a shovel and an axe taught him things he never would have learned otherwise, but the most important thing he learned was to love the outdoors. It is where he is most comfortable, where he is at peace. The rivers, lakes, mountains, and streams became a part of his life. At a very early age he developed a respect and awe of nature, it’s a love that never left him. And for that, he credits his father.
Rivers and son.
Unfortunately, all was not at peace in his household, it was turbulent as a whirlwind. At the age of fourteen he left with his mother and moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas where she enrolled in college. His older sister was there already, as was his older brother who was in law school. Rivers took to college life like a duck takes to water. To say he was influenced by the college atmosphere was an understatement. He was all over it. Hardly a party happened on campus without him being there. He supersized his adventure on another level and the chase for excitement was even more exhilarating. It was not all in vain though, he got a college education for free via his mother. After he came home from football practice and after he finished his studies, he helped his mom prep for tests. His sister would come over too and he’d help them both by reading off the questions for their exams. What they didn’t realize was that he was learning a lot more than they could ever imagine in the streets and by the time he was in high school he was flirting with some serious danger. Realizing how costly it would be if he got caught, Rivers decided his best option was to move away before he got in serious trouble, so he did what many a young man does, he joined the Army.
Fortunately, there was no war and no threat of war, so the Army was not just an escape but an adventure. First, he was sent to Colorado and then to Germany where he worked in a high security field. It was the best education of his life and the most fun. He travelled extensively through Italy, Austria and Switzerland and fell in love with the countryside, the culture, and scenic beauty. He had always been a student of history and Europe was all about history. It was everywhere including the small Bavarian town where Adolf Hitler had been in prison. Rivers drove by the fortress nearly everyday and it had a powerful impact on his life, especially hisway of thinking. He has ever since been a libertarian, leery of government knowing the carnage democide has caused.
Following his tour of duty, he returned to the states and attended college at the University of Arkansas and the University of Oregon studying economics and political science. While in college he did two internships, one for the Attorney General and another for Bill Clinton, then Governor of Arkansas. After graduation he was hired as the Executive Director of a consumer research firm. Over the next several years he established himself as a champion for numerous causes primarily in the area of prescription drug prices and utility rates. His firm won the largest case against a public utility at that time, well over one hundred million dollars. For his efforts he was invited to the White House during President Reagans first term in office.
It was during this time that he also was married, had a son and was divorced. Not that it was any excuse, but it was the 1980’s, a time of much excess and indulgences. He was shy of neither and eventually there was a price topay, and he paid dearly. His marriage ended and he stepped down from his position as Executive Director to pursue a career as an investment banker and became what is known as a bond daddy. More excess followed and by the time the 80’s were coming to a close his nemesis had caught up with him, he was a chronic alcoholic. Alcohol had a grip on him since he was ateenager, but he managed to conceal it behind a veil of achievements. But towards the end he was no match, it had completely consumed him. Although he lived in a penthouse, he knew that on any given day his bottom could be thirteen stories down and no more than two and a half seconds away. He was sure there was no other escape. Ending it all was ever present on his mind and then something happened which would change his life forever. A good friend and business associate tricked him and instead of going to lunch took him to a meeting where recovering alcoholics met. Within five minutes of being there he realized that the moment was providential as he felt the chains of bondage breaking inside. His running to escape was over. He was free at last.
From there his life began a slow transition. It has continued to evolve over the years. Eventually he got out of the investment business and would become a contractor. He moved from the city to the country where he had always felt most secure and at peace. His personal life though has never been simple, it has always remained constantly chaotic and every attempt to settle that has failed, nevertheless, he survived. The biggest factor controlling his life today is God. He searches for and explores the Creator with unquenchable fascination and enthusiasm. Life has purpose, where before it had none. Rivers is a sojourner and along the way in his journey, he was given a gift. Again, it was providential. One day after he had left a jail in DeQueen, Arkansas, after he dropped off a box of bibles and AA books, something happened which can only be described as a magnificent awakening. What happened next struck him like a lightning bolt. It hit him so hard he had to pull over and stop. He had a vision. Rivers reached for a pen and instantly began to write. It happened just that quick. In that instant he became a novelist and started writing “Y” City. It has been many years now and his pen has not stopped since.
As a result of that fateful day, he reentered the world of imagination where characters come alive. Their stories are now his adventures, their lives are now his to tell. What he hopes to do now is give the stories an audience, that’s what they were meant for, to give them a stage. Some are dark and some are not, some are comical and some deeply prophetic. It is his wish that most of his work be filmed in the land he loves and, in the towns, the people and culture who have been such a big part of his life. He loves Arkansas dearly, probably in the same way his kin felt when they saw the lush green valleys for the first time and settled here. This became home and they plowed new ground for the next generation, it is his hope to plow new ground in other fields for those who follow behind.
Today, when Rivers is not writing, he is working on legislation to create a film industry in his home state. He is enlisting the support of others, and he sees progress. If it happens as he visions, Arkansas will become a leader in the film industry and the land will flourish with new life. Nothing is by accident he says, and history does repeat itself. People will come here as they did once before, seeking a new life and a new beginning. That is something for which he knows all about both.
For more information on Wade contact him via email.
He does not do social media.