Citizenship | Literature
Select novels, short stories, and nonfiction on contemporary life.
What began as a bold experiment in grassroots service produced future ambassadors to help guide U.S. diplomacy through seven decades of global upheaval.
Read, Listen, Watch
-
My son asks how my satire of The Raven is coming along. It’s stalled, I say, and explain the problem. The first seven stanzas, more than a third of the poem, have nothing to do with the bird. Yet the inspiration to write this satire flaps all around me, every day, unavoidable reminders of their own absurdity:…
-
We shook off the lingering Thanksgiving weekend with a sturdy hike today, climbing 1,100 feet to reach Karnala Fort. The climb passes through the Karnala Bird Sanctuary off highway 66 in Raigad, Maharashtra, home to some two hundred species of birds. We also spotted wood spiders, carpenter bees, termites, dragon flies, and cicadas, and saw…
-
Me bloggy familiars: recognize this? We made such pies a few years back. And we ate those discs of lemony lime so again Kodachrome the tarty goodness in oven-baked form. After Don Turkey loses his head we’ll top ‘em with cream. Whipping it first! (Did I say, Don Turkey, THE Donald Turkey? Pardon me, pardon…
-
Nothing in 2020 was immune to the pandemic. Even my hard drive crashed by June, shelved for months before a fix could be found. Well before my laptop’s demise, the year had already presented its share of challenges. Travel to Bhopal in January to support American blues performers at an international music festival. February dedicated…
-
Rangoli beside our door means one thing. Diwali! Colored powders, various beans, and a few candles set around the entry welcome our visitors. Our virtual visitors. Welcome, virtual visitors! See who has already come? The purple-footed Lakshmi tip-toeing around the fern. A confession: I’m no fan of rangoli. They irk me so. Such beautiful creations,…
-
Raw eggs hurtle toward earth. Our lunar descent vehicles promise soft landings. Of course, we lose a few good eggs along the way. Big Red Dan was the first to go. Never even made it out of the living room. One short drop from shoulder height in his 12-straw craft, plus inner capsule, pushed his insides…
-
Here’s a succulent dish: Biryani! Five layers of vegetable and rice pulao filling a casserole dish to the top. On the side, raita, a seasoned yogurt with diced tomato and shaved cucumber. I prepared the vegetables and rice separately, for the vegetables chopping eight cups of colorful peppers, broccoli, peas, carrots, and green beans into one-inch…
-
The family sports teams are: sons v dad. Two on one. We compete in soccer, kickball, football. I make the rules. The boys don’t know all the rules. I design the rules to keep the action going, the ball in play, the competition fierce. Among the rules known to the boys: In soccer, no boundaries.…
Ben East Books 