Gimme a Word

by Derek Alger

Originally published on December 5, 2011

My demons could never be exorcized through playing characters, I was stuck with trying to understand myself and what I perceived as the uncomprehending world around me through other means. Pretense was anathema to me, and yet, acting fascinated both my father and Ferruccio; my father through utilizing videotape in therapy and Ferruccio through staging psychodramas, encouraging patients to perform in spontaneous scenarios.

Pensive Pondering About Childhood Past

by Derek Alger

Originally published on December 3, 2011

I’ve always had trouble accepting the intricacies of the so-called grown up world, finding the behavior of most adults completely bewildering. This started in childhood with the way I viewed my father. I thought he was strange, whereas he was revered by his peers in the psychiatric world. This made me even more perplexed, and [...]

Jacqueline Bishop

interviewed by Derek Alger

Originally published on December 1, 2011

Jacqueline Bishop was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, before coming to the United States to attend college. She is the author of two poetry collections, Snapshots From Istanbul and Fauna, as well as a novel, The River’s Song. Bishop is also the author of the non-fiction books, My Mother Who Is Me: Life Stories From Jamaican Women in New York, and Writers Who Paint/Painters Who Write: Three Jamaican Artists.

Last Memo Wins

by Derek Alger

Originally published on November 5, 2011

So, there it was, if a memo came your way implying you were guilty or at fault about something, it was factual until an appropriate memo challenged such an assertion. After all, it was on paper now, and anything on paper magically became real, no matter how preposterous.

Anna Monardo

interviewed by Derek Alger

Originally published on November 3, 2011

Anna Monardo is the author of two novels, The Courtyard of Dreams (Doubleday, 1993), which was nominated for a PEN/Hemingway Award and recommended for a National Book Circle Award, and Falling in Love with Natassia (Doubleday, 2006).

Happy to know Lucky Bruce

by Derek Alger

Originally published on October 1, 2011

I came down off the stage to greet him, introducing myself and shaking his hand. He looked at me, and giving a quick, subtle shake of his head, said, “You don’t look at all like I expected.”

Christopher Locke

interviewed by Derek Alger

Originally published on October 1, 2011

Christopher Locke, who was born in Laconia, NH in 1968, is a poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright. He is the author of the poetry collection End of Magic (Salmon Poetry, 2011). He has also published three chapbooks of poetry, Possessed (Main Street Rag, Editor’s Choice Award — 2005), Slipping Under Diamond Light (Clamp Down Press — 2002), and How To Burn (Adastra Press – 1995).

A personal take on a day of national remembrance

by Derek Alger

Originally published on September 3, 2011

Of course, all that changed in an instant on 9/11, with no one even thinking of the Democratic primary for Mayor in New York City. much less voting, after the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

Alan Cheuse

interviewed by Derek Alger

Originally published on September 1, 2011

Cheuse is well-known as a book commentator, and a regular contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” His short fiction has appeared in numerous publications and literary journals, including The New Yorker, Ploughshares, The Antioch Review, Prairie Schooner, The Idaho Review, and The Southern Review.

Pensive pondering about childhood past

by Derek Alger

Originally published on August 2, 2011

The woman gazed across the table at a young man and uttered a phrase I will never forget. “Chad, you look pensive,” she said.