Robbie Robertson: The Man in the Band
Sean MurphyWhen it comes to The Band, I've always been inflexible in my opinion that their best work was entirely a team effort, the sum greater than the considerable brilliance of…
Be at Peace, Sweet Sinéad
She was brave. She was beautiful. She was brilliant. We all found our lives enriched thanks to her gift and, as is so often the case with our most fragile…
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,…
Jim Morrison: Still Hot, Still Sexy, Still Dead
Jim Morrison took his last bath on July 3, 1971 in Paris. R.I.P. Lizard King. (I wrote, in what most normal people would consider painful detail, about The Doors in…
Alan Arkin & American Artistry
When it rains, it pours, so of course news breaks that the beloved, completely irreplaceable Alan Arkin has left us earthlings behind for better adventures. Before he became the always-lovable…
WHAT WRITERS TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PERSEVERANCE
The first rule of writing is to understand, and eventually embrace the fact that there are no rules. There are also no short-cuts. (Sorry, posers.) Writing, like life, is ultimately…
Frederic Forrest: RIP, Chef
If you're a fan of Francis Ford Coppola, you are familiar with Frederic Forrest. If you're an ardent fan of Francis Ford Coppola, you appreciate the rare gifts Frederic Forrest…