The Smiles of Strangers

The Smiles of Strangers

Let me make clear that I offer no opinion here as to whether masks should have ever been required, or when they should stop being required. My only opinion is that there should be a day when they should stop being required. And further, and just as importantly, there...
The Song that Inspired Me to Let my Freak Flag Fly

The Song that Inspired Me to Let my Freak Flag Fly

In the spring of 1970, David Crosby’s voice persuaded me to stop cutting my hair. Before 1965, my hair had been short, but I was satisfied with it. The barber shop was a friendly place, and a young man could expect to read an entire good comic book and chew a few...
The Scene on a Lake

The Scene on a Lake

My new book Three Bodies by the River is a work of fiction, but you will recognize places in it, including the “river.” A key scene takes place on a lake in Northern Michigan. When I wrote the scene, I had in mind a lake where I had spent five summers teaching young...
Man’s Search for Meaning

Man’s Search for Meaning

It’s Mother’s Day, 2021. For the first time in 14 months, we walk through the doors of our church. Looking around, old friends are recognized. The seats seem full, though some are held empty. We see the joyful faces of the singers, singing out, singing at last, that...
Falling Asleep in Court

Falling Asleep in Court

The narrator in my new novel, Three Bodies by the River, is a lawyer who won his best verdict in a case where he appeared to fall asleep. The novel is set in the ‘90’s. While sitting through some long trials during that decade, I became intrigued by those who would...
First Name Starbucks, Last Name Freed

First Name Starbucks, Last Name Freed

I like my Apple Watch, I really do. At least I keep telling myself that. My new book, Three Bodies by the River, is set in the nineties. It was the decade when cell phones morphed from luxury to necessity. As the decade ended, my son graduated from high school. I was...