Econo Lodge at Augusta
byIn 2015, my father and I rented a Nissan Juke from the Atlanta Airport and drove the two hours to Aiken, South Carolina. Aiken is a town bordering Augusta, Georgia,…
Archive
Moby Dick and The Whale: Navigating the Ties Between Melville’s Masterwork and Aronofsky’s Newest Film
byAt its world premiere during the 79th Venice International Film Festival back in September, Darren Aronofsky’s latest drama, The Whale, received a six-minute standing ovation after the film came to…
Water Music
byLadies JUST OUTSIDE THE SANCTUARY, A SLAP STINGS THE METAL LADIES-ROOM DOOR. Her soprano sugars my ears: “He doesn’t know what happened to it yet.” A low sigh: the alto,…
Last Bus to Stonehenge
byAS THE BUS AMBLED THROUGH RUSH HOUR, Penny looked at the ticket she picked up from the ‘free’ table at work. That last-minute decision, plus traffic, made her late so…
Picking Cherries
byMARGO VELA’S FATHER SPOKE TO HER FROM HIS URN IN THE BACK SEAT. His words interrupted a silence she’d craved for years. Somehow, he’d found a way past his metal…
Annie Hall Stole My Daughter’s Virginity
byI HAVE NOTHING AGAINST DIANE KEATON. However, I am guilty of giving my daughter full late-night DVD viewing rights which include Annie Hall on a tireless loop. Estimated hours played:…
Decent Fellows
byDESPITE THE NAME; despite the posters and the DVD covers that depict only its central pairing of Westley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright); despite its constant harping on the…
Falling Back in Love
byI HAVE THIS SACRED RITUAL. Every now and again, I travel to Big Island and visit Pololu Valley, always the morning after I arrive. I’m up at 4AM with jet…
Blossom
byTHE DAY MY FIANCÉE, BLOSSOM, WALKED OUT ON ME, the potted plant that adorned our kitchen began to bloom. Great, trumpet-shaped flowers—purple, pink, peach, and white—drooped like lazy, cumbersome skin…
Baseball Cards, New and Old
byTHE OTHER DAY MY SIX-YEAR OLD GRANDSON PHIN ASKED ME to sit next to him so he could show me his binder of trading cards. He turned the pages, pointing…