Manfred the Mitzvah, an excerpt from my new novel, "That Which Makes Us Stronger"
Butch has started school, but not with me. He’s on the other side of town, in something called a temple. So now mom picks me up at...
The Unexpected Heroes of Christmas
It’s mid-December on a snowy Saturday, 1970-something, in Madison Wisconsin. My sister Valerie is home from boarding school. She’s...
Ham
Teachers. Classrooms. Standardized testing. No child left behind, supposedly. All aspects of a conventional education. But here’s the...
Mickey Mouse & Grandpa Sam
My mom was nearly 4 years old when Mickey Mouse was first presented to the world. Her father, Salvatore Fiore, Americanized to Sam, was...
Behind the Nylon Curtain
My next book is a memory piece called Corn. It is inspired by but not entirely faithful to childhood recollections. Consequently, I’ve...
An Abundance of Fathers
This is being written on Father’s Day, which like the day for mothers, is bittersweet for the childless person whose parents are dead. ...
Unanticipated Milestones
We all have people in our lives that transcend time. Who they’ve been & who they are manages to live in the same spot in our hearts...
Let's Share the Ball
There's a caricature of me that used to be in front of the Comedy Warehouse. In it, I'm playing basketball. When the artist drew it he...
My Comedy vs. Your Sensibility
At the risk of being a downer on a comedy blog, the world is kind of in disarray right now. Bad news overwhelms good. Tears and anger...
Dinner for One and Many
Matt is away tonight which is always a little bittersweet. Time alone in your home is nice, but you build the home to share it with...
