Once upon a time a young man who was acclaimed for his wit and the profundity of his thoughts decided to visit an old sage who lived as a hermit on a mountain. The young man climbed up the steep path to the hermit’s hut and found him working in his garden.  “Great sage,”…

I have long believed that taste, one’s aesthetic sense, one’s choice in music, literature, art and fashion, is important, that it is not trivial or superficial. I’ve always struggled to articulate the idea, always wondering how people can like certain…

I’ve been neglecting this blog for a while, but it’s been a busy few months:I finished my book, now titled The Myrtle Child. It is the funniest thing since sliced bread. It is so epic it makes Game of Thrones look like People magazine. Next step is to find an agent, and then I’m on…

David GilmourLast year, David Gilmour, Canadian author and a lecturer at the University of Toronto, stirred up  controversy when he proclaimed his preference for heterosexual, white, male authors.  Gilmour said, “I would only teach the people…

I have been smoking for half my life.  And it’s no wonder that I took it up.  I grew up with it.  My mom smoked in the house, in the car, in bed.  She would write a note and send me to pick up cigarettes for her at the corner store….