Lawrence Berzon: The Myth of Performance

Lawrence Berzon has always been a storyteller. The evolution of his work is a progression from the graphic novel to multi-frame painting. Then sculpted frames were added to the paintings, and ultimately frames were created within the image. These frames inside the image eventually evolved to become dioramas. Then the dioramas began to move and became kinetic sculptures.


The Enduring Kimono

The embrace of fast fashion may be the prevailing trend of this generation of American consumers, but Devin Dondero has been heading in an entirely different direction. Long intrigued by the birthplace and cultural background of his paternal grandmother, Dondero has immersed himself in learning everything he can about the nuance and style of a Japanese fashion tradition that stretches back over a thousand years.


Book Review: Perfection by Vincenzo Petronico

Millennial couple Anna and Tom are two halves of the same dull leaf, vaguely similar, almost mirror images of one another, too afraid to be unlike one another. The author states, “Anna and Tom weren’t free to be themselves or rather free to reinvent themselves.” Together they amble through glossy high-tech design careers, while living the good life in trendy Berlin. They vacation in hotspots, do stints in Portugal and Sicily, always suffering from existential pain and the petty inconveniences of modern life. Yet the pics they posted on Facebook show an alternate reality—they weren’t really miserable; they were smiling and having a good time!


Robin Lindely’s Interview With Bill Moyers is Relevant Today

Robin Lindley’s 2011 interview with Bill Moyers has stood the test of time. Bill Moyers devoted his career to educating, informing and inspiring the American public while leading a national conversation with the conviction that “the gravediggers of democracy will not have the last word.” More than ever his words are powerful and poignant.


LaborFest Writers Group Reading, July 16 in San Francisco

The Labor Movement is alive and well in the Bay Area. Enlightened people of all ages, colors, and genders are using their best creative selves to speak about the issues we are facing during these difficult times. The LaborFest Writers Group was formed in 2005 to honor labor and working people.


Book Review: Love & Murder

Welcome to a world where cats experience complex philosophical thought and existential pain. Love & Murder are two house cats, brother and sister, who are thrust from domestic comfort into a cruel world. The cats remember infinite bowls of milk and the honeyed voice of their owner “Lady,” who catered to their every whim. The days of on-demand feeding and ample sun spots in the garden have come to an end. Lady’s multiple coos oozing with affection have stopped. Now the two cats are strangers wandering in a strange land.


How do we know if our President is Mentally Unstable?

Congress should pass a law to help choose and maintain a stable president in the future. This would require presidents to undergo neurocognitive exams to determine if they are mentally impaired or unstable. To take that step, both parties must move beyond the immediate framework of Trump versus Biden or Republican versus Democrat. As long as Democrats draft any legislation assessing a president's mental fitness to perform their duties and apply it to Trump, it is dead in the water. The same applies to Republicans seeking to prove that Biden was mentally incompetent to overturn his legislation. 


Book Review: Enduring Love by Ian McEwan

Enduring Love falls as flat as the hot-air balloon that kills the heroic family doctor John Logan in a freak accident. Logan’s death triggers a maddeningly artificial construct that masquerades as a plausible story. But because the story is told within the highbrow medium of “Literary Fiction,” anything is possible.