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
-
The Olympics are here! Skeleton and luge. The bobsled. Downhill skiing and of course the mighty ski jump. It just doesn’t get any faster or more exciting than this! I like the control in biathlon, and gawk with envy as the snowboarders throw themselves off the half-pipe. I respect the athleticism and grace of the…
-
Political news website Washington Press just fills me with a sense of urgency. I don’t know why, they just do. Maybe its the 26 out of 29 headlines on the current front page that use the word ‘just’. But what happens in the minutes and hours after these headlines go up? I just don’t know.
-
So what if the stock market is on a rollercoaster this week? Grab some cheap thrills and laugh off your losses with a 15% savings on Patchworks, a hilarious office satire about the ordinary bureaucrats working hard for you in Washington DC. Price too steep? Check it out at the Fairfax County Public Library! Can one…
-
Watching the special prosecutor drama unfold is like watching A Few Good Men. We’re at the part now where Tom Cruise explains his winning strategy against Jack Nicholson. Here’s how the lowly Navy Lieutenant plans to bring down a decorated Marine Colonel: Kaffee: He eats breakfast 300 yards away from 4000 Cubans that are trained…
-
The patient wait is over. Patchworks is now available through the Fairfax County Public Library. Reserve your copy today. Can one intern save us from ourselves, when the government he works for keeps shutting itself down? Patchworks shares a pound of absurdity for every ounce of tragedy, winking in dismay at the circumstances of our…
-
Human excrement paves the dungeon floors at Cape Coast Castle. The same is true of other slave forts dotting Ghana’s coast, and along the rest of West Africa. The impacted waste is one of the more subtle, more stirring features of a tour through those high limestone walls. The cannons are there and stacks of…
-
The shortest month. Winter’s last stronghold, light surrounding us more and more each day. We celebrate African American culture and contributions this month, and recognize the struggles overcome while dedicating ourselves to the struggles that remain. This year, February brings 15 days of international sportsmanship from PyeongChang, Korea. BenEastBooks takes on all this, while continuing the original mission highlighting…
-
Film for Tuesday night.
-
Unlike the stuff we writers produce, art and music seem to make no demands of those who encounter it. The artist puts it out there—hangs it on the wall, pours it through speakers—and the public responds. They see it. They hear it. They get on with their day, likely the better for having encountered these…
-
Why do the murders keep happening? What are we doing to stop them? Can one earnest intern make a difference, when the government he serves keeps shutting itself down? Join the whole Patchworks crew for a bite at The Fed Buffet. Great Falls Library 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA Saturday Feb 3rd, 1:30-4:00 America’s next gun…
Ben East Books 