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Posts published in “Essays”

More Menebroker

I recently wrote a piece about my friend Ann Menebroker, the fine poet who died recently at the age of eighty. In response, I received a number of communiqués from people who wanted to read more snippets from Annie’s letters, so I present them here with one of Annie’s poems.

Getting To The JMT

By the time readers peruse this issue of the AVA, yours truly should be embarked on a 75-mile section of the John Muir Trail (JMT).…

Keeping It Simple

Thirty-odd years ago, the Simple Living Workshop made its debut at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds - a weekend-long event which had its origins at the…

Ann Menebroker

I moved to Sacramento in 1980. I was 31 and experiencing a bit of success with my writing. I bought a piano and an old house in a quiet neighborhood and thus began my fifteen-year residency in that river town. I still own the piano and play her every day.

Hellward In A Handbasket

It was one of those days. No, not one of those. Those are spoken of, and occur, often enough that we may as well just…

Namedrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head*

Mischievous Hendrik Hertzberg emailed, “Have you seen my friend Clara Bingham’s oral history of 1969-70? Jane Fonda talks about you in it. Curious about your…

Running The Resource Room at PS 30

There was no way I was qualified to take over the position of Bilingual Resource Room teacher. I had no training in special education. None.…

A Dark Prospect

I was in the streets of Chicago in 1968 during the Democratic Convention. It was only a few months after Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther…

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