It should come as no surprise when I tell you that over the past half-century I’ve read scads, oodles, and even buttloads on the fine art of writing. From how-tos to Who’s Who’s, from interviews to the latest news, from teaching ‘bout it to preaching ‘bout it, I may not have heard it ...

While there’s no shortage of Homo Sapiens (in fact, I can easily be convinced we’re a global blight) I think I qualify for the Endangered Species List. Or maybe more exactly, the Endangered SUB-Species List. And what, pray tell, is my sub-species? It is Homo Sapien Lector Obsessus. Or in ...

Last week, I wrote about my career in musical theater. It was as uneventful as it was short — five nights as a literal walk-on in “The Music Man.” I was in our long-gone summer theater, tooting away on my trombone, as part of the “before” group of incompetent marching band ...

The summer of ‘62 marked the peak of my musical career. It happened in a performance of “The Music Man” that I played perfectly. Then again, it was impossible NOT to be perfect, since the script called for me and my fellow bandmates to play atrociously. First, some vital ...

When people ask me where I grew up, I tell them I haven’t — at least not yet. But then I tell them I was born here, have spent all but 10 years of my life here, and if I have any say in the matter, I’m gonna shuffle off this mortal coil here. Looking back, I’d say I lived a ...

Something amazing about language: We speak it, we read it, we write it ... and we know doodle-squat about it. And more’s the pity when it comes to English, because I find its length and breadth fascinating. For one thing, if English were a dog, it’d be a mixed breed — in other words, a ...