Words and Music

WAYLT Dept.: I warned you in this posting that the Leon Fleisher Complete Album Collection was coming. It's here.                    ...

My Arm Is Complete Again Dept .: We looked at chef’s knives in this posting ; now let’s consider how to keep them sharp.                   ...

15 September 2013 | Photo by Joe Schuyler

From the CD Shelf Dept. : Several years ago, I wrote a series of program notes for CDs issued on the Dorian Recordings label. Here’s another...

Brink of Tears Dept .: Don’t read this. I’m not even trying to cajole you into it with reverse psychology. It’s truly mind-numbing. It’s par...

Guest Blogger Dept .: Let’s welcome back my favorite light versifier, Guy Wetmore Carryl, with another of his Fables for the Frivolous .  ...

Coming Attractions Dept .: A performance by the excellent Brooklyn-based orchestra The Knights kicks off the new Troy Chromatics concert s...

Blue Plate Special Dept. : The first several months of my Metroland restaurant reviews were based on announced visits, as the copy below des...

Date and photographer unknown

Working in Coffeehouse Dept .: The workaday world quits the coffeehouse before nine, leaving late morning for those untethered to the timecl...

Farming the American Dream Dept. : “The First Season,” a compelling documentary about the joys and travails of running a small, family farm,...

From the Bookshelf Dept .: While Harvey Sachs continues work on his new Toscanini biography, let’s take another look at his wonderful book a...

Personal Narrative Dept .: The photo below was taken about forty years (and twice forty pounds) ago, not long after I graduated from high sc...

Guest Blogger Dept .: An excerpt from Booth Takington’s 1922 novel Gentle Julia . The title character is 20, and is the romantic cynosure of...

Chillin’ the Air Dept .: Even with summer set to squeak out a few more days, those end-of-year temperatures are creeping upon us and I’m hau...

John Andrews Restaurant | 18 August 2013 Photo by B. A. Nilsson

Guest Blogger Dept .: Let’s welcome Canadian poet Robert W. Service with his most famous, most enduring, most surprising piece of doggerel. ...

WHEN CARLA STEWART saw the musical “Ghost” on Broadway, “I was super-excited! I wanted to be in that show.” She’s an actress from Chicago ...

From the Tech Vault Dept .: For purely nostalgic purposes, let’s look back sixteen years at where computers were in terms of processing spee...

Friendly Enemies Dept .: Chris Fisher’s film version of Meeting Evil , which went straight to DVD last year, suffers the problem that has be...