From the Annals of World War II Propaganda
During World War II, propaganda was an indispensable tool for both the Allies and the Axis. In Germany, for example, the Nazi newspaper Storm SS acted as a mouthpiece for the Third Reich and a forum...
View ArticleFrom a Basement in the East
On Tuesday, if my friend Mike were still alive, he would have turned 37 years old. It’s been almost three-and-a-half years now since he died. And most days I catch myself thinking about him in one way...
View ArticleThe Insane World of Everyday People
I experienced an odd moment of synchronicity this morning. After reading “Death Stares,” Tamara Kneese’s essay for The New Inquiry that examines selfies, narcissism, and death in the digital age, I...
View ArticleDeath and Life in Spoon River
Something reminded me of Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology this morning. It was probably my ever-present and rather burdensome obsession with death (which might be funny if it weren’t so true)....
View ArticleThe Scarred Landscape of West Virginia
To mark the 50th anniversary of Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty, the New York Times has launched a new series dubbed “Caught in Poverty.” For the inaugural article in the series, journalist Trip...
View ArticleThe Cartoon World of Cleveland
In the annals of American journalism, the Cleveland Press was a long-running and influential daily newspaper known for its attention to working class issues. As a result, many of the newspaper’s...
View ArticleThe Teenage Runaways of Seattle
In the July 1983 issue of Life magazine, writer Cheryl McCall and photographer Mary Ellen Mark published “Streets of the Lost,” an in-depth article and photo essay on Seattle street kids. In the piece,...
View ArticleMartin Luther King Jr. through the Eyes of Ben Shahn
Alternate views of history often intrigue me more than straightforward accounts. That’s why I find this Ben Shahn illustration of Martin Luther King Jr. so compelling. Originally commissioned as a...
View ArticleGhosts of the Monongahela River Valley
Several years back, while researching the Monongahela River Valley, I discovered the photographs of Joe Katrencik—who spent time in the early 1970s as a teacher at Clairton Catholic. What struck me...
View ArticleThe Time Rodney Dangerfield Met Clyde Vaughn
From the photographic archives of The Sporting News comes this image of Pitt’s Clyde Vaughn standing side-by-side with comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who holds up an honorary Pittsburgh jersey, c....
View ArticleNo Pizza in the Valley
“That’s sad, isn’t it?” a woman says, watching me peer through the window of an abandoned storefront on Braddock Avenue. The doors, wreathed in gold, are partially open with an old chain holding them...
View ArticleDrop Out, Tune In, Turn Off
High anxiety days as of late. Took a walk in Braddock this afternoon to catch some relief and found this discarded big screen on Washington Avenue near the Monongahela River. I remember when these were...
View ArticleChance Encounters
Chance plays such an important part in finding books at thrift shops. This grouping, found across three different shops today, is a perfect example. While each book is vastly different in its own...
View ArticleNotebook as Scrapbook, Journal
Writer’s notebook as scrapbook and journal. I started doing this after I attended a writing workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, and it’s remained a useful way for me to visualize stories. I also...
View ArticleMeat is Murder
I unearthed so many 90s artifacts this weekend while cleaning. This sticker-covered comics box is just one example. When I played in a hardcore band in the 90s, I remember sitting in the trunk of my...
View Article
