The American System’s Dark Heart: Serpico at 50
Sean MurphyLook at that dude. Pacino, clean-shaven and short-haired as the movie begins, sports the best ‘stache of the decade, then goes goatee, then gets full facial (hair and head), all…
Every Day is Veterans Day
I. Personal Remember when Born in the U.S.A. was ubiquitous? The album and the song. Springsteen was already a big deal, but he wasn't ubiquitous. (A lot more on how Bruce went…
This Day in History: “Porgy and Bess,” the first great American opera, premieres on Broadway
From History.com On October 10, 1935, George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess premieres on Broadway. Porgy and Bess began its journey to the Broadway stage in 1926, when George Gershwin wrote a letter…
September 11
(From 9/11/21.) An absolutely gorgeous, cloudless September day, just like 20 years ago. I spent a couple of indescribably serene hours kayaking around the Katama Great Pond with my brother…
Labor Day Rant: Unpaid Internships are Evil
First off, with very few exceptions, unpaid internships are immoral and disgusting. Any business, especially a multi-million dollar tech behemoth, that justifies not paying interns is evil. But because the…
8/15/79: Apocalypse Now
Released in theaters on this date, 44 years ago. Anyone out there who has not seen this movie? Anyone who hasn't seen it several times? Like most masterpieces, nothing can…
The Struggle of Memory against Forgetting: Why Milan Kundera Matters
i. Kundera almost killed me, still in my creative cradle, a writer needing nourishment. He arrived in my life too early. As a reader, it wasn’t soon enough, as what…
Original Poem: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, 1967: MUHAMMAD ALI REFUSES ARMY INDUCTION*
My thanks to Words & Sports Quarterly for publishing my poem about how America handled Muhammad Ali and his (spiritually & politically astute, prescient) conscientious objection to the Vietnam war.…
Original Poem: The Unsatisfactory Suicide Note
Four summers ago, almost to the day, a friend took his life, and his life partner posted his farewell note. This situation was awful enough, on so many obvious levels,…
Original Poem: On This Day in History, 4877 B.C.: Universe is created, according to Kepler.*
It's always a fresh thrill to see one's work find the right publisher, and I've been fortunate to have my work published by Exterminating Angel Press many times. With gratitude,…