In the early months following the attacks on The Satanic Verses and the ensuing fatwa, Salman Rushdie finds himself questioning the very thing that had been one of his greatest joys, namely, being a writer. As he tells it in his chronicle of that extraordinary time, Joseph Anton, “If one spent five … [Read more...] about The Motherless Child
A bench, a book, a patch of grass . . .
. . . Fireworks. Say what you will about the calendar (with its celestial reminder that there is an order to our days), something more spirited is at play when one season slips into the next. By the time the summer solstice arrives, Memorial Day has already jumpstarted the … [Read more...] about A bench, a book, a patch of grass . . .
Charmed
It's here -- the shortest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), a good a reason as any to join in the International Short Story Day celebrations across the globe and (re)post a short piece of fiction that first appeared in The Potomac. Charmed "I have a surprise for you," he … [Read more...] about Charmed
Rose is a rose
In the last gallery of The Steins Collect, which recently ended its run at the Metropolitan Museum, is a glass case with books, their own form of art by virtue of both writer and illustrator. What captures my attention is not the fact that Gertrude Stein employed her inimitable prose style to write … [Read more...] about Rose is a rose
Lipstick
There’s a woman who lives down the road from me, a hearty soul who ran the family business, a septic-tank service, until Alzheimer’s put the brakes on some of her organizational skills. I’d see her on the road walking one dog or another (she has two), a stick in hand to keep at bay any … [Read more...] about Lipstick
The Finish Line
There are so many ways to say something has come to an end, each with its own nuance. Kaput. Conclude. Terminate. C'est fini. C'est bien fini. No más. Finale, grand or otherwise. The end of a war is always a good thing, the end of a life dependent on the circumstances. Coming to the … [Read more...] about The Finish Line
