After three long weeks of high profile media appearances, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani received this warm welcome from his hometown crowd. https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1001216940365430784 He sought cover from the public rebuke by saying of New Yorkers, 'They boo you when they love you,' logic that doesn't quite square with this round of boisterous huzzahs … Continue reading Derek Jeter vs Rudy Giuliani
New York
When the Music Is the Trip
Speed-reading fans will rejoice in Ted Prokash’s latest gift to literature, Journey to the Center of the Dream. Pills, beer, and blow fuel this fast-paced account of a rock band's tour of 30 cities in five weeks, but even more than the chemical enhancements and a whole lot of weed besides, this epic road trip book … Continue reading When the Music Is the Trip
UN-der Woman
Last month the high-flying poobas of the world donned their UNGA-wear and boarded private jets to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Oh! How they did clog the streets of Gotham in pursuit of... What exactly is it they pursued beyond a display of wealth and power? And now the UN---it's very name suggestive of nothingness, the opposite … Continue reading UN-der Woman
Short Stories from the School for Damaged Children
Deep oppression pervades Brian Booker’s collection of seven stories Are You Here for What I’m Here For? (Bellevue Literary Press, 2016). The mood is confining, suffocating, maddening, the writing evocative of a heart pulsing beneath the floorboards of a cabin far from anywhere. Booker awakens---allays---awakens---allays---and awakens again profound tensions: Something is wrong. Everything is ok. But something is … Continue reading Short Stories from the School for Damaged Children
Heat Advisory: Interview with Preston Lang
I recently pretended to sit down with good friend and acclaimed crime writer Preston Lang to talk about a few things. We covered the emotional intelligence of peanut eaters, the role of fire hydrants in the government's summer emergency plans, and the collected work of Franklin W. Dixon, among other things. If you’re eager for more Preston Lang … Continue reading Heat Advisory: Interview with Preston Lang
Ben East Books 