If we stay silent, the GOP will continue dismantling our institutions, while allowing a president with authoritarian tendencies to meddle in Justice Department investigations and Congressional oversight.
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In my lifetime, I’ve seen two wars, two political assassinations and two assassination attempts, two political scandals: Watergate and Monicagate, as well as several terrorist attacks and two recessions. And now once again I find myself in the middle of another seismic social shift in a country reeling from political and cultural turmoil. We live… Continue reading
As writers, we have a responsibility to speak out when things get under our skin and poke at our gut in an unrelenting way. Words that evoke emotion or provoke thought is what writers do and should be doing, especially now at a time of one-party government led by an authoritarian bent president. Jessica Kourkounis… Continue reading
My father’s fragile frame paces through my mind, dressed in a flimsy gown, hiding the dignity he tries to keep. With a nurse on each arm, he sloths toward the exit sign, a cruel promise resonating in a distant hall. Lingering hysteria shadows the tasks I perform to imitate normalcy. Thoughts of my father ride a… Continue reading
It’s not surprising that Trump won the election. Americans love reality television. Millions of viewers tune it to watch Survivor every Wednesday night, others can’t survive without their Tuesday fix of Dancing with the Stars. When the election mutated into a spin-off of The Apprentice, Americans couldn’t get enough of Trump’s on-the-trail antics, some of… Continue reading
This time of year can be difficult for some — people who are going through a rough time because they are sick or alone — because we have grown to believe that Christmas is a family tradition. For those who don’t have family, or can’t be with them on Christmas, this day may be intolerable and feel… Continue reading
Do your walls draw a blank when they stare back at you? Does the white bright hurt your eyes? Well, your eyes are trying to tell you something you already know. It’s time to fill in that glaring space on your wall with that naked poster that’s hiding behind a trunk in the attic. Rescue… Continue reading
As a child in the sixties, my innocence and the innocence of the nation, was shattered by three assassinations, one, years before the others, the others, just several months apart. My generation could no longer hope for the clichéd, happy resolution at the end of a story. Our world, once a pocket of predictability,… Continue reading
I didn’t know any of the victims of the Newtown shooting. I’ve only been to Newtown once for an interview. I remember the long stretch of road and tree-laden landscape of the town, only twenty miles north of my house. When I think of mass shootings, school lockdowns, and candlelight vigils, I think of Aurora and… Continue reading
Bullying kills self-esteem, which in some cases, leads to suicide when a demoralized kid sees no other way out. In honor of National Bully Prevention Month, I’m helping indie filmmaker Raymond Deane promote his Anti-Bullying Horror Film, “Red Head Randy,” about a high school student who is harassed and beaten for being gay. Tormented by bullies who relentlessly tease him about his red… Continue reading