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Posts published in “Essays”

The Doris Lessing I Knew

From her obituaries, and the serious critical assess­ments of her work, I hardly recognize the Doris Lessing I knew. I don’t fault the obit writers (I used to be one) or critics and admirers for…

Autumn 1963

Friday, November 22, was going to be my last day of civilian employment in Manhattan, barring a miracle. I was supposed to start basic training at Fort Polk, Louisi­ana, on Sunday the 24th. I had…

We May Never Know

With the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassina­tion just around the corner, we can expect the media to be inundated with solemn remembrances, first-person rec­ollections, and extravagant revisionism. Alas, every heavy-duty plot and whacked-out account…

HumCo DA Gallegos Won’t Run For Re-Election

The county’s upcoming district attorney election will have a new dynamic now that incumbent Humboldt County DA Paul Gallegos has announced that he won’t be in it. In a Nov. 20 press release, Gallegos said…

Where Were You When…?

In the fall of 2013, a common question emerges ines­capably from the news: “Where were you when Kennedy was killed?” Me? I was delivering cans of paint to a store for UPS, a seasonal job…

Gowan’s Oak Tree & Orchards

Grace Espinoza was one of the first people I met in Anderson Valley. We sang together in the community chorus, but I didn’t have a chance to talk with her until we sat next to…

49ers & Incognito

As most of you probably know, the 49ers lost to the Carolina Panthers on November 10th in Candlestick Park on a sunny San Francisco day. Carolina does have a superb defense but their offense, not…

Aht & Cultcha

I was curious to see this creation that someone, osten­sibly a human being, paid 142 million dollars for, and when I found the image online and made the triptych large and clear on my computer screen, I was surprised by how unremarkable I found this work to be. I’m sure there are academics and art experts galore who can bab­ble at length about why “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” painted by Francis Bacon in 1969 is of great importance in the history and evolution of modern art, but to my eyes this is yet another case of the emperor’s new clothes, as opposed to innovative, revolutionary, or masterful art.

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