At the Viking Poetry Slam
A mastery of poetry was a must for any young Viking. A few Viking poems dwelt on love, but the heroes often undermined their happiness by chasing adventures that separated them from their beloveds. […]
Author: Con Chapman
I'm a Boston-area writer, author of The Year of the Gerbil, a history of the 1978 Red Sox-Yankees pennant race, and 50 books of humor including "Scooter & Skipper Blow Things Up!" by HumorOutcasts Press. My work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor and The Boston Globe among print outlets. "Rabbit's Blues," my biography of Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington's long-time alto sax player, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019, and was named Book of the Year by Hot Club de France. My young adult novel, "Kimiko Chou, Girl Samurai," was published by Atmosphere Press in 2021.
Breakthrough May Make Hospital “Johnnies” Even More Embarrassing
BOSTON. This city’s many teaching hospitals makes it a magnet for innovations in healthcare, with spinoff uses that often ripple through the rest of the economy. “The first surgery using ether anesthesia was performed right […]
How to Talk to Your Cats About Drugs
If you have cats and they’re anything like mine, they’re apolitical. Mine are outdoor cats and get plenty of exercise, so they’re not fat cats. A check of the records at our state Office of […]
Feds Crack Sinister “Big Sister” Gaming Ring
MINEOLA, New York. The stories were so sad, so harrowing, says Sergeant William “Bill” Bendix of the Nassau County Police Department, they often brought case-hardened career cops to tears. “Believe me, in thirty-seven years on […]
A Day in the Life of a Public Access TV Cop
As I drained the dregs of coffee from my Styrofoam cup, I stared out the window at the non-descript parking lot below and let my mind wander. Let’s see, only 801 days until retirement, not that […]
Grandparents’ Last Goal is to Be Grandkids’ Favorite
NORMAL, Illinois. Mary Louise van de Kamp and Letitia Ethridge would, at first glance, seem to have little in common. The van de Kamps are soybean farmers in downstate Illinois while the Ethridges live in […]
Ask Mr. Buffet
Ticked off because your favorite smorgasbord ran out of potato salad? Wondering what the gunk is on the sneeze shield at your local salad bar? Mr. Buffet’s got your back–he’s in line right behind you! […]
Avant Garde Feline Lit 101
As he descended into paranoia at the end of his life, poet Delmore Schwartz sent telegrams to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, harassed friends on the phone, and left a stray cat at […]
The Last of the Murderous Umayyad Grammarians
He presents, for example, the terrifying al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the murderous Umayyad governor, as famed for his dazzling eloquence as for his brutality (he began his career as a grammar teacher). Review of “Arabs” by […]
Chronic Dead Rock Star Fatigue Syndrome Spreads
ALBANY, New York. When Cynthia McDonald finished pouring her first cup of coffee this morning, she padded into her den in bedroom slippers, turned on her computer and checked her social media accounts, like any other […]