BOOK REVIEW: A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara (finalist for the National Book Award) The ultimate challenge is could you do what Jude’s friends did? The answer will almost always be no, but we try. We do the best we can. Yanagihara has set the bar impossibly high Read more
Writing about other peoples' lives Writing with the idea that “nobody will ever read it” would have been crippling. After publication, after a lawsuit has been filed, it’s too late to retract. Read more
The World's Suicide Pacts I ask myself what a person who wants to survive and thrive does in this suicidal world. Read more
California Heaven If you open up the lovely homes in the neighborhood, you’re likely to find people stuffed in there like clowns in a clown car, because the deformed tax system has made it impossible for young people to buy a home. Read more
A Promise Is A Promise I’ve been writing some short stories and essays, and one of them was published this week in The Raven’s Perch, a classy online literary journal. Find it here These journals amaze me. It must be a great deal of work to review hundreds of submissions, and keep up the website and a mass of relatedContinue reading “A Promise Is A Promise” Read more
Hillary and the melting ice packs Hillary Clinton is weakened by leaning on the feminist crutch. Vladimir Putin won’t give a damn. The melting ice caps won’t give a damn either. Read more
After 70, be like an athlete The question is not “Do I have arthritis,” because everybody has arthritis. The question is “Does your arthritis hurt?” Read more
A Dagger to the Heart of Roe v. Wade The social network supporting the right to abortion was frayed from the beginning. The first sign of danger was when doctors caved to pressure from religionists to ban abortion in individual hospitals, thus forcing reproductive services into separate clinics vulnerable to protesters and gunmen. Read more
Point Reyes Books What better combination — a delicious meal and some great conversation about books. Read more