These are the many types of relationships I’ve had: Sad. Obsessive. Pathetic. Boring. Are you kidding me? “Do you think he has a drinking problem?” Liar, liar, pant’s on fire. You name it. I had it. Now. At long last (it only took me . . never mind—many years) I have a no-sad-song love. Perhaps … Read more
“My definition (for myself) of a working title is: A title that doesn’t work.” Robin Black Picture having a baby. You named that baby so soon after conception. Dear little Lev. It’s the Russian version of your father’s name. It has great meaning. Birth! The nurse places him in your arms. She smiles. Than … Read more
It’s funny how folks who work at home (writers, painters, composers, phone-sex workers, though not those who use Skype visuals) will so often use “working in my pajamas! as their number one perk. But is it really true? Is it still true when you realize, as you hear the truck coming down the road, that … Read more
I’ve worked with men who battered their wives, their girlfriends, their sisters, and sometimes their mothers. For almost ten years, I listened to their stories as they admitted bullying, hitting, smacking, punching, and breaking bones. Some had murdered. When asked where their children were during these incidents, almost all answered the same way: they … Read more
What makes you buy a book? Is it different from what makes you watch a movie? Pick a television show? It seems so, because it’s so private—just you and the bookseller or librarian…or, these days, as likely, your computer. Do you try it on like a dress (like reading the first few pages,) or do … Read more