The Ship That Sailed To Mars

When my best friend’s mother passed away, Bob wanted to give me a thousand dollars from her estate to do with as I pleased. I was gobsmacked. I loved his mother, of course, and was saddened by her passing. She had been ill for years with dementia, and Bob had been there for her throughout, … Read more

The Griffin Poetry Award Winner

From Quill and Quire http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2011/06/01/dionne-brand-gets-the-griffin/ Just a quick question–does anyone read poetry anymore? I’m curious because I used to throw myself into various poets, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, etc and soak up their melancholy. I was young and dramatic.  But I also had some super anthologies with poets like e e cummings that I thought … Read more

The Trolls Of Lorry's Bookshop

I’ve mentioned the two diminutive people, whose son owned Lorry’s and Pace University bookstore, but never explained their particular presence and role within the workings of the business. They didn’t have one. Or, let me rephrase that, they didn’t have a role conducive to actual bookstore business. They ‘trolled’ the stores, guarded their son’s investments, … Read more

Yet Again! Another Hysterical Parent Terrified Of 5th Grade Sex Education Book

I’m sorry, but if you haven’t had any discussion with your child about the basics of reproduction by the age of 10, it’s you that have the problem, not a school system that starts teaching sex ed that grade level, and not the school’s library carrying a educational book explaining the things you haven’t gotten … Read more