One realization does dawn upon the death of the second parent, namely that you’ve now moved into the green room to the River Styx. You’re next. Another thing about parental mortality: No matter how much you’ve prepared for the moment, … Continue reading →
One of the compliments that my fiction writing sometimes receives is the natural sounding dialogue. While any writer will swoon over even the slightest compliment, when someone praises my dialogue, I can’t help but think of that Dolly Parton line, … Continue reading →
This morning I was reading a New York Times review of Cheever: A Life, Blake Bailey’s new biography of John Cheever, and I was reminded of the recent passing of John Updike. For me, it is nearly impossible to think … Continue reading →
One afternoon when I was eight or nine, I was playing stickball in the street with some neighborhood kids and a fight broke out. Hearing the commotion, an old man who had been sitting on his front porch watching us … Continue reading →
