I have been known to say that William Gibson is arguably the most important author of the past 30 years. That’s a mouthful of an assertion, especially since we’re talking about a […]
How can we clone Paul Farmer?
If I could be someone else, who would I be? Oh, I don’t know, how about someone brilliant—say, someone who grew up poor, but through sheer brilliance and effort got himself to […]
The picture book of industrial America: S&R honors Andreas Feininger
Remembering Abigail Adams
(Part two of two) “Remember the ladies,” Abigail Adams wrote in a letter to her husband during his service in the Continental Congress. And those words are how we now most often […]
Remembering John Adams
(Part one of two) When Abigail Adams died in late October, 1818, her husband, John, brokenhearted, said, “I wish I could lie down beside her and die, too.” Today, the two are […]
Ray Bradbury: "Live forever!"
“Live forever!” Mr. Electro told him. Ray Bradbury was twelve years old and had just seen Mr. Electro get strapped to the electric chair at the traveling carnival. Someone threw the switch. […]
The Cool of a Generation: S&R honors Maurice Sendak
by Deb Caponera If there could be any one person responsible for the “cool” of my generation, and well, all those to follow, it would be Maurice Sendak. But his influence goes […]
Wondering with Mark Twain
I wonder what Twain is thinking as he stands there atop the granite steppes of the pedestal. Surely he’d chuckle if he could see himself that way, raised up like that, though […]
Mark Twain and public discourse
The prevailing argument among our brilliant crew of writers here at S&R lately over our public discourses v. those of our opponents goes something like this: some of us want to take […]
Muhammad Ali turns 70: Happy Birthday, Champ
“I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong… No Viet Cong ever called me nigger.”
