[Ella, a middle-aged widow has moved into an apartment in an attractive neighborhood. She has met other tenants in her building and is beginning to feel settled. Odd and sometimes frightening noises from the apartment next to hers mystify her, … Continue reading Anxiety or Horror: Another segment of “Only Regrets”
Having lived near Siena for a relatively longer time than Hisham Matar’s sojourn, which he eloquently describes in “A Month in Siena,” I appreciate his experiences there. As a college student, my encounters with the city were more with people … Continue reading The Power of Place – ‘A Month in Siena’ by Hisham Matar
[The strange animal noises Ella heard when she first moved into her new, “perfect” apartment have stopped. Her neighbor, Dave, eases her concerns and feeling less anxious, she decides to explore her neighborhood] By the end of the week, I … Continue reading The Horror Story Builds: next segment of “Only Regrets”
[The suspense is growing. Did Ella make the wrong move? She’s happy in her new home for now and meets Dave, a friendly downstairs neighbor. She shares her suspicions about the tenant next door.] Sometimes, Dave and I would meet … Continue reading Building a Horror Story, “Only Regrets”
[The last two installments described Ella’s decision to uproot herself from friends and move into a calm city neighborhood] At the start of week two, settled with a mug of herbal tea into my cozy armchair now in the living-dining room, … Continue reading Only Regrets 2.0
Pico Iyer–journalist, essayist, unintentional (?) philosopher–quotes several thinkers in his book Autumn Light, an exploration of losses and other turning points in his life. Referring to Thomas Merton’s ‘Fire Sermon’ in response to death or estrangement among family and friends, … Continue reading On Walks Through Autumns
[In my last post, Ella was looking for a new home. She wanted to leave her anonymous life in a downtown high-rise. She found a reasonably priced and attractive apartment in a city neighborhood and signed a two-year lease for … Continue reading Only Regrets 1.5
It didn’t take long for me to regret signing the lease. My old neighbors scolded me for acting impulsively, but I couldn’t resist the new apartment’s location—close to a lakeshore park, a short walk to a Marino’s, and a block … Continue reading Only Regrets 1.0
As a puppeteer I’d been telling stories to young audiences at private parties, schools, and other venues for many years, but performing as an entertainer was wearing on me. I wanted to stretch myself, create work that would appeal to … Continue reading The Sixth Sense of a Story
Puppetry is an art form and I wanted to perfect it. I knew I would never perform in public unless I trained with a professional. I found Hans Schmidt who had a studio in Lincoln Park and I studied working … Continue reading “I Know How You Did That!”
