One of my favorite poets is Emily Dickinson. I don’t remember being exposed to her work in school, which is a pity, since so much of it is perfect for young minds. What, specifically, do I like about it? Well, it illustrates profound insights in the simplest and clearest terms. A lot of her ...

I’ve often read about people having epiphanies — great blasts of insight and inspiration that lead to amazing works. But I’m not a believer. Or more exactly, I’d never want to depend on them for results — even for a little while. That said, that’s exactly how The Blue Buns ...

Last week’s column was on old school country music. Specifically, it highlighted the Dukes and Duchesses of Depression, those singers who get down when you’re down. I don’t know about you, but when I’m in a blue funk and “hope” is a four-letter word, the last tune I want to hear ...

If there’s any irony in my life, it’s that while I’m not what anyone could consider a serious drinker (or even a frivolous one), I love bars. Of course there are bars ... and there are bars. I like small, quiet, simple ones — what in my callow youth I called “old man bars” (“old ...

When I say I remember Jan. 28, 1956 better than yesterday, I’m not kidding. In fact, I remember it better than every other day for the past week, month or even year. Then again, why wouldn’t I? Yesterday, and the rest, were all as uneventful as each other. Jan. 28, 1956 was a day I ...

After I posted last week’s Dope on Facebook, one of the comments was from my childhood pal, Bernie Branch. The column was on the X-mas tree that held sway — figuratively and literally — in Berkeley Square, Way Back When. It was huge, festive and fearsome, and it tugged at our ...