Category Archives: Uncategorized

Year One of Trump 2.0

We’ve had a full year of Trump 2.0. What’s left to say about the man who’s dominated our news cycle every damn day for over a decade? We all know that he’s mean spirited and thin-skinned; that Roy Cohn’s star … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Population Conundrum

I stand at my kitchen sink and watch Fred, my nine-year-old neighbor, play football in the backyard. He wears a helmet. He throws the ball. He catches the ball. He gets tackled. He exhibits fierce concentration as he plays all … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Bit of New Year’s Humor

The December 22, 2025 issuer of The New Yorker features excerpts from the journal that longtime contributor Calvin Tomkins wrote during his 99th year. (Mr. Tomkins turned 100 on December 17, 2025). Some of his entries relive moments of his … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Woman on Bus

Late December afternoon. Dark descending too early upon night. Sitting on a crowded 73 bus, antsy to be home. To be warm. I look up. See a woman sitting opposite. Chestnut skin, red tints glowing through her brown surface. Large … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

My Day at Prison

I go to prison, MCI Norfolk, about once a month. I have business there, assisting inmates with life sentences to prepare for their parole hearings, their sole chance of see the light of day free of bars. I love the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Black Nativity: Everything You Expect + a Few Surprises

Black Nativity By Langston Hughes Directed by Voncelle Ross Emerson Paramount Center December 5-21, 2025 In 1961, as if in anticipation of Black Power, Langston Hughes wrote a Christmas pageant unlike any of that time, telling the familiar birth of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What We Assume in a Name

Ten years ago, I showed up at Bruce’s apartment in Atlanta. I was surprised to discover my couchsurfing host was African American. Yet, when I had a medical appointment with a guy named Kevin last week, I fully anticipated he’d … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Fleeting Fashions Leave an Ugly Footprint

I caught Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show at the Super Bowl last year. I saw a guy in jeans and a jacket, with backup dancers wearing red, white and blue shirts. Apparently, I missed a lot. Lamar’s $1200 jeans, design from … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What Do We Mean When We Say, “I Love My Country”

Ronny Chieng’s Netflix comedy special, “Love to Hate It” is a biting hour political satire worthy of The Daily Show correspondent. The humor is rooted in dichotomy rather than punch lines, and though it leans left, Ronny strikes at the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Not Much Fun at Fun Home, But Terrific Theater

Fun Home The Huntington November 14 – December 14, 2025 Music by Jeanine Tesori Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron Directed by Logan Ellis The Huntington’s production of Fun Home hits all the right notes and delivers the emotional wallop … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment