Stevie and Vincent

When young Stevie becomes frustrated with her painting, her Grandmom introduces her to the extraordinary world of Vincent van Gogh, an artist who expressed his emotions through color. Together, they embark on an exciting adventure through some of America’s most...

Fall of Rome

If you are, like me, a fan of historical fiction, and are intrigued by the period of Rome’s inevitable  slide into the hegemony of barbarian kingdoms, then you ought to have a look at Michael Curtis Ford’s In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex....

In the Heart of the Sea

Moby Dick sits on my shelf like a faithful but jilted lover patiently waiting my return. Considered by some to be a literary rite of passage like rounding Cape Horn is to sailors, Melville’s paean to the age of whaling is at best heavy sledding. If you have not time...

Sand Wars

In our recent history, wars have been fought over land and access to oil. Some geopolitical pundits predict that future wars will be fought over water, a commodity necessary to the survival of all species, and a commodity that we take for granted, sand.  I was...

When Pigs Fly

  [Poem] Pigs bloated with conceit Like pink hot air balloons Sprout white wings and Fly high all over Washington D.C. In the Capital, in the Oval Office, even in Lincoln’s bedroom. Swine line up at the hubris trough On the top floor of the golden tower Snorting...