Staycation
My staycation this year has become a #grabyourwallet event after United Airlines sicced an abusive police force on a recalcitrant passenger.
A Fable for Our Time: The Queen of the Frogs
Discussing a book I translated from Portuguese, The Queen of the Frogs, which since last November has become a timely story of democracy's erosion.
The Open House: My Weekend Ritual
Confession of my weekend ritual and guilty pleasure of visiting open houses when I have no intention to buy.
New Year’s Resolutions: Whatever Happened To…?
Where I failed to follow through on a resolution and why. Am I too dependent on the opinions of others?
Lost Your Democracy? How Long Will It Take to Get It Back?
How long did it take countries in the 20th century to get their democracy back after they'd lost it? On average, 21 years.
Messages posted on the wall in the Fourteenth St. subway tunnel between Sixth and Seventh Aves.
We Are Not Exceptional
What the recent election says about the ideas of liberty, democracy, and global leadership that have combined to represent "American Exceptionalism."
I Cut the Cord
Where I cancel my cable TV service after the company jacked up my rates. Because large corporations are not our friends.
Know Your History
Knowing history is key to making informed decisions in the present, because we can see the consequences of similar decisions in the past.
On Giving Support and Eating Dessert First: An Interview with Dean Gloster
I met Dean Gloster in the summer of 2015, when he started in the MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts and…
The Dearly Departed
Parallels between my favorite eateries that have gone out of business and fresh, brave small press publishers of young adult books that couldn't survive.