The personal essay pasted in below chronicles a formative episode in my publishing career, when I had the privilege of working with William Styron on an Introduction to a nonfiction book that told the story of an innocent man on Death Row in Virginia. It was called Dead Run and Styron helped me champion it to […]
Tuesday night Nov. 1 was an exciting evening and got the new month off with a real bang. After participating in the reception for the American Philosophical Society at the Grolier Club (detailed in another post) I went to Brooklyn’s Powerhouse Arena for PEN America’s reception for new members, of which I am one. Saw […]
Toronto musician Matt Barber came though NYC this week and played a dynamic set of his own songs. He was joined on one tune by his girlfriend, actress Alexis Taylor. They sang lovely harmonies together. The venue was the performance room at Brooklyn’s Rock Shop, which has a fabulous warm sound. Also playing were the […]
Excellent Slate article by Christopher Hitchens on Mormonism, its core beliefs, and how it should be discussed in the context of the presidential campaign. Hitch’s piece includes a reference to a terrific book I republished in 1995, by Facebook friend Alex Shoumatoff. It’s his superb study of human kinship and genealogy, The Mountain of Names. […]
Happy to see the U.S. State Dept. sees value in placing Pres. Obama’s books in embassy libraries in Egypt, S. Korea, Indonesia, etc. The Moonie-run right-wing Washington Times is trying to stir up a controversy with a story on this, “But State Department spokesman Noel Clay said the book purchases followed regular government procurement rules. […]
Fascinating NY Times obit of the man whose inventing led to modern hi-fi speakers, the Acoustic Research make, and KLH. I had both brands back in the day, and loved them. In the classic Travis McGee suspense novels by John D. MacDonald, Trav is always cranking up his AR-1s on his houseboat to enjoy some […]
Radio, among all the media I engage with, remains for me the inexhaustible medium. I never tire of its universe of possibility. That’s why I found this obit of radio pioneer Norman Corwin so interesting. He’s quoted in this NY Times obit: “’In radio there was never a term equivalent to boob tube or couch […]
I really enjoy posting each week in #fridayreads what my current fave book is. For this week it’s ‘Darker Than Amber,’ a 1966 Travis McGee suspenser by John D. MacDonald. Great series, great character. Also enjoying finding new virtual friends at McGee fan site: http://drmar120.wordpress.com