The Swing

Last weekend, this photo appeared on my Facebook Memories. Five years earlier, on October 25, 2015, I’d taken the photo at the Carey Institute for Global Good. I had arrived that day because I’d been chosen to become a member of the first cohort to attend what’s now known as the Logan Nonfiction Program. The promise of the program is simple: Give creatives the time and space to create, and they will do great things. There, I met my peers, some of whom remain my friends to this day. For the first time, I immersed myself in the project that is the book I’m writing. I spent a month in Rensselaerville, New York, watching the leaves turn, drinking gin, eating salads for breakfast, hiking in the woods, inspecting a pentagon-shaped writing shed where Andy Rooney had worked, and taking myself seriously as a creator. That experience really changed my life. And I’m so thankful for it. It took a long time, but it took me to where I am today. If you’re interested in being a part of the program, you should apply when they reopen. 

Email | About | My Book | Twitter | Instagram | Blog | Newsletter

What We Lost

The New York Times has an interesting story about “the legal battles and innovations behind 42nd Street” that includes this interesting tidbit:

“Speaking of wholesome, an interesting issue that arose was where the adult entertainment businesses would go. The city decided to enact what some of us in the land use field refer to as ‘erogenous zoning’: prohibiting adult entertainment uses from residential areas, some manufacturing and commercial districts, requiring that they could locate no closer than 500 feet from schools, day care centers, houses of worship. That ordinance was challenged on constitutional grounds, because adult entertainment also has rights under the First Amendment free speech clause.”

I’m a writer and consultant. Subscribe to my newsletter.

5 Years Ago

Five years ago, I attended a storytelling conference at Yale University; visited the “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and stayed at The Algonquin Hotel, where I met Matlida, the cat who worked the front desk. I miss those adventures. Hopefully there’ll be more someday soon.

I’m an author, editor, and consultant. Book a 1-hour, $100 consultation today.

I Heart New York

Scary.

"Scary."

After I went to the journalism program at Yale, I spent a couple days in NYC. It was an amazing time. I ate at The Breslin, which I Ioved. I sat at the bar upstairs and enjoyed a Brooklyn Bramble cocktail (I tried the Pickled Gibson, but it was too weird for me), the market salad with tahini dressing (tasty!), and the duck and sausage (delicious). Thanks to Matt for being a cool bartender. I stayed at the Algonquin, which, oh my god, I loved so much. Dorothy Parker and the Vicious Circle! Dark wood! A cat named Matilda working the front desk! A copy of the New Yorker in every room! I will definitely return. On my first full day there, I went to see the Alexander Calder show at Dominique Levy. Everything was white, white, white there, and you had to wear booties to not scuff up the floor. The Calders were mostly small-sized, and there was a very dear set of miniature sculptures that fit into a cigar box, a gift for his wife. The rooms in which the pieces were shown were designed by Santiago Calatrava. After that, I saw the Richard Prince show at Gagosian. The show featured cheesy pulp books that were coupled with the original artworks that had been commissioned for them. It was a little odd, and somewhat amusing. Of course, the infamous appropriated shot of an underage Brooke Shields in the nude was included. As usual, Prince underwhelmed. After that, I went to the Met.  This show required a warning, and I loved the China fashion exhibit. There were some amazing Tom Fords and a lot of glorious Galliano, but I wished there were more McQueens. Don't miss the weird, watery floating box on the roof garden. The next day, I had to check out the new Whitney Museum. So glad I did. It is super cool. It's like a stack of fantastic shoe boxes, or art-filled jewel boxes, and the views that frame the art make you feel agog. The all-floors show is America Is Hard to See. The top floors with older works were crowded and less impressive, but the lower floors with newer works were just spectacular. Oh, and I walked the High Line, too.

Buy THE TUMOR! "This is one of the weirdest, smartest, most disturbing things you will read this year."

No Mo' Peep Shows

PBS

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Times Square of yesteryear is being replaced by luxury condos.

"It's been a long time since the Times Square area was better known for its porn emporiums and crime problems than as a hub for Broadway theaters, throngs of tourists and eye-popping lights and displays."

[WSJ]