That is the opening line of a piece from my one woman show that I performed at the January Story Jam series in Wimette, Illinois. Wilmette is a mostly affluent, predominantly White suburb of Chicago. I entitled the story "nigger," which tells the story of the first time I was called such by a White person. I have to admit that I had some reservations about presenting a story about being called a nigger to a mostly White audience - for about a minute. Hell, I told the world that I weigh 300 …
I don’t want to go to Chelsea.
Actually, that is completely untrue. The title of this post is a line taken from an Elvis Costello tune that I remember from my college days. (My sophomore roomie at Northwestern was a punk music fan.) The truth is that I am very excited about going to Chelsea (New York's West Village) for a day. I will be there for only several hours. I went on-line to find the perfect cafe to hang out and read or write in, and I picked out a place. Or maybe I will just walk around a bit. …
butterflies
I have a recording session tomorrow and it's kinda important, I mean it could lead to something important. I haven't been in the studio for ages. I'm excited, nervous and a little bit scared. What if I am only... okay? You know how I cling to my comfort zone... …
Salon
It appealed to me: Lake Shore Salon Series, a series of concerts performed at private residences. I'm in! I don't really know what to expect. Will I know people? I know from the address that the home will be impressive. It's in Evanston, IL where I lived all through college and a bit afterwards. I exit my taxi. …
Old friends: “I’m Fat!”
It was inevitable. We are 48 years old. There are five of us bemoaning our advancing age, aches and waistlines. And there were reading glasses appearing out of nowhere! …