Dawn to Dust
February 25, 2014
T.S. Eliot: “I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” Nah, disorder and disintegration, maybe. Messiness, sure, just like real life, like us:
It is a vanity project and a writing closet, a treasure chest for news, views and reviews.
More prosaically, it provides a store house for my writing. Some of it is quirky – poems, sayings and asides. There are movie and book reviews, profiles and other articles from my past and present sojourn as a journalist. Plus my new book — The Dream Machine: A Novel of Future Past!
Novel
The Dream Machine: A Novel of Future Past
A thrilling, highly imaginative and tautly written journey back in time to find “the tool to unrule” a post-American fascism.
“Brilliant,” says National Book Award winner and MacArthur Genius Fellow Charles Johnson of “The Dream Machine: A Novel of Future Past.”
“A great tale, brilliantly told,” says violist and international recording artist Roger Chase. “There are surprises on every page, and the end, which comes only too soon, is a coda of marvelous drama, invention and imagination.”
Heavyweights’ Lament
February 25, 2014
Prejudice is irrational, reflecting confusion and pathology in the hater rather than any quality in the hatee. Same with the phobia against obesity, of course,
With CIF’s help, Pair’s Job Prospects Brighten
January 17, 2014
Evanston RoundTable, Jan. 16, 2014 Kevin Schneider worked 18 years as a bagger at Dominick’s on Green Bay Road; Kyle Bean worked as a bagger
But Seriously…Posen Knows the Art of Comedy
January 4, 2014
The North Shore Weekend, Jan. 3, 2014 Brian Posen is serious about being funny. The 49-year-old Glencoe native runs the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, which
‘Philomena’ – Sad Search for a Long Lost Son
December 22, 2013
Evanston RoundTable, Dec. 19, 2013 Judi Dench’s face is a global treasure, and should be carved Rushmore-like on the Hollywood Hills. The wrinkles, furrows and
Survivor of Nazi Massacre Had Amazing Journey
December 13, 2013
The North Shore Weekend, Dec. 13, 2013 During World War II, as a Jew in occupied France, Serge Ross escaped from two labor camps and survived
Fragments
December 6, 2013
Story ideas, quotes, openings, titles:
– In some dystopian future, it’s legal to trade options on people’s lives.
– “I’d hardly describe myself as a creep. Rather….”
– “Answer Man”: Play takes place in a radio station late at night. DJ hosts weekly show, “The Answer Man” taking callers’ questions, complaints and stories. DJ and engineer laugh at callers off the air, but the stories hit too close to home.
– Doctor who has lost his license (drink? drugs? malpractice?) starts investigating Medicare fraud by nefarious insurance companies and gets way too close to the truth.
– Liberia 1982: Peace Corps volunteer befriends brilliant and ambitious Army sergeant, who foments a violent uprising against the government. Volunteer is implicated.
– “Winter Is Hard”
– Song lyric: “World’s going to hell again, Troubles seem to swell again, Heading down and round again, All because of you.”
– “Prospect Park”: urban halfway house, each chapter is a life story.
– “Diapason” (Greek for octave): Researcher finds 3,000 year-old Greek music text, with many intriguing song fragments illustrating why the ancients thought music was the most profound art. Book hints at author’s life and leads researcher to Greece for further discoveries on the power of music.
’12 Years a Slave’ and ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ – Hard History Lessons
December 6, 2013
Evanston RoundTable, Dec. 5, 2013 It’s a rare synchronicity when two fine and provocative movies based on true stories about national horrors – “12 Years