Way back in June 2022 I attended a production of my short play HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEONARD at the Seventeenth Annual Ten-Minute Play Festival by Theatre Odyssey in Sarasota, Florida. It was directed by Amanda Schlachter and featuring Jenny Aldrich Walker and Julee Breehne. It is one of my most produced scripts and I have seen … Continue reading “Happy Birthday Leonard” can now be found in a new anthology
Books
Briefly on this date…
Fittingly I will keep this edition of ON THIS DATE brief... On this date in 1922 the first edition of Reader's Digest Magazine was issued. That is all.
Throwback Thursday; A V-J Day Relic
For today's Throwback Thursday, I have a fascinating relic from my collection. When I was younger I collected old books, not just because of their age, but if I am interested in them. I have no more room to house them and so no longer seek them out, but back in the day I would … Continue reading Throwback Thursday; A V-J Day Relic
The Birthday of the Ferris Wheel
We hardly give it a second thought as you can find a Ferris Wheel in every amusement park and county fair. Much more tame than the other attractions and often dismissed by teens looking for thrill rides. But it was a sensation when it was first opened to the public 131 years ago on this … Continue reading The Birthday of the Ferris Wheel
Artificial Intelligence Poetry about Random Acts of Poetry Day
Random Acts of Poetry Day on the first Wednesday in October encourages outbursts of poetry. The day for poets and poet wannabes spreads random poetry through art, the written word, and voice. As I am not much of a poet myself I turned to my favorite AI program, Bard by Google, to write some poetry … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence Poetry about Random Acts of Poetry Day
Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts…
April 24, 1184 B.C. is the traditional date assigned as the delivery of the Trojan Horse. Hopefully you know the traditional tale and learned all about this in either your history or literature classes or both. After a protracted and unsuccessful siege of the city of Troy, the Greeks attacking it seemed one morning to … Continue reading Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts…
National Thesaurus Day
A Thesaurus is a valuable tool for a writer. But look up the word Thesaurus in a Thesaurus and it is difficult to describe briefly. Yes it is an assembly of synonyms and antonyms but there is no other good single other word for the book. They toss around terms like "treasury of words" and … Continue reading National Thesaurus Day
A Martin Luther King Jr. Reading Suggestion
Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1929. My recommendation is to spend some of your day reading his own words. I have a number of his books, either written himself or collected from his articles and speeches. Some options I will consider today: Stride Toward Freedom; The Montgomery Story Where … Continue reading A Martin Luther King Jr. Reading Suggestion
A Motorcycle Group Ryde to Visit the Wizard of Oz
Last weekend I took a ride over to Cape Canaveral with the Ocala chapter of Spyder Ryders (Can-Am Spyder owners like myself call our trips Rydes!). We met up with a group of Spyder Ryders from Clearwater (who had a much longer ryde than we did). We had lunch at the Preachers Bar in Cape … Continue reading A Motorcycle Group Ryde to Visit the Wizard of Oz
Martin Luther King Day 2021
In times more fractured since the 60's (not sure if that means 1960's or 1860's), the day commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. arrives with more pertinent lessons than ever. You will find much good writing about his life and lessons. Why not take some time to read lessons by him? I have several in my … Continue reading Martin Luther King Day 2021
November 22, 1963
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy shocked the nation and quickly led to a conspiracy industry that still thrives today. To mark the occasion I have read three disparate books over the last few months and offer quick mini-reviews of each. Sinatra and the Jack Pack by Michael Sheridan is a breezy read of … Continue reading November 22, 1963
Book Review: Longitude…
The full title of this book is "Longitude: The true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time" by Dava Sobel. A long title for a relatively short book. Ms. Sobel has written a fascinating and very readable book. First remember that before GPS and satellite guidance sailors had … Continue reading Book Review: Longitude…
What Shall We Call Today?
For a long time the second Monday in October has been celebrated as Columbus Day here in the United States. As we have gained a better understanding of the truth and impact on peoples of the Americas that Columbus "discovered" many states have also incorporated the term Indigenous Peoples Day for the holiday. If, like … Continue reading What Shall We Call Today?
National Read a Book Day
Reading books have been one of my favorite pastimes since I was a kid. I have not always had a chance to read regularly but the pandemic has slowed things down enough to provide an opening. While I have a large library of books, some of which are still on my reading list, my favorite … Continue reading National Read a Book Day
Book Review – The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
As my quarantine beard hews closer to that of James A. Garfield's, it is only fitting that my most recent read was this excellent book by Candice Millard. She fills out a fascinating story of our 20th president who only served for about half a year before being shot by Charles Guiteau. I had a … Continue reading Book Review – The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
In Memoriam – Buck Henry
The great Buck Henry died this week and he will be sorely missed. I saw him perform on Broadway earlier this century in a remounting of "Mornings at Seven" and he was terrific. But I will miss him for all that he created. He was the primary screenwriter for "The Graduate." He teamed with Mel … Continue reading In Memoriam – Buck Henry
National Hobbit Day
I know, I know. Now-a-days we have Harry Potter and Game of Thrones and every category of sorcery and fantasy programs. We even have the great Peter Jackson movies of J.R.R. Tolkien's classics. But if you have not read the original books, do yourself a favor and pick one up today. They are worth it … Continue reading National Hobbit Day
National Radio Day
Today is National Radio Day and this is a bit of a mish-mosh post. I've long enjoyed audio broadcasts, especially NPR. (Yes I am a member.) That was my early pull into podcasts where I could catch NPR programs when I wanted, not when broadcast, and then picked up other favorites as well. Radio is … Continue reading National Radio Day
Review – Proof of Love
Audible, the company that brings you entertainment meant for ear buds, has teamed with the Minetta Lane Theatre by producing stage work that can be translated to their medium. I have seen a number of these works, most impressively "Harry Clarke" performed by actor Billy Crudup. To this point they have chosen existing one character … Continue reading Review – Proof of Love
Review – The Storm Before The Storm & Mike Duncan
I actually finished reading this book some time ago but just getting around to reviewing it. Been busy, you know. I am a long time Roman History aficionado and all you need to do is whisper Gracchi Brothers or Marius & Sulla and I will come running. "The Storm Before The Storm" covers the start … Continue reading Review – The Storm Before The Storm & Mike Duncan
Review – Hillbilly Elegy
It has been a while since I finished reading Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance but I needed time to reflect on it before I commented on it. Surprising to me, much in it was familiar. I too spent some of my life growing up between Dayton and Cincinnati and had neighbors (very nice people) who … Continue reading Review – Hillbilly Elegy
Time Travel for Writers
As a playwright I am always obsessed with language. What a character in a certain situation, certain environment, certain time period would or could say. Not every reader is fact checking what I write, but an off tune word or phrase can take an audience out of the moment and is one of the biggest … Continue reading Time Travel for Writers
Recent Reads: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase to Catch Lincoln’s Killer
James L. Swanson has written an enlightening and engrossing account of the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. I knew all of the major points and touchstones of the history but this book is an invaluable guide and deep dive into all the details surrounding it. It is astounding how … Continue reading Recent Reads: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase to Catch Lincoln’s Killer
Hobbit Day
September 22 was named Hobbit Day by the American Tolkien Society as it is the shared birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. Nowadays most people know of the excellent Peter Jackson movies. When I was in high school and college I read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings … Continue reading Hobbit Day
Recent Reads: RAZZLE DAZZLE, THE BATTLE FOR BROADWAY by Michael Riedel
Books about show biz too often focus on the glitter and glamour of the performers but Razzle Dazzle fixates on the theater owners that really rule The Great White Way. This is a fascinating and fun read on the history of Broadway theaters focusing on the seventies and eighties but providing full context. It dwells … Continue reading Recent Reads: RAZZLE DAZZLE, THE BATTLE FOR BROADWAY by Michael Riedel
Walter Thinnes 
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