In 1962, when I was three and a half years old, our family moved from a big brick house in suburban New York, to a 400 year old castle on an estate near the village of Glin, in the south of Ireland. Our father, who came up with this idea, went back and forth to … Continue reading The Boy from Ireland

Two nights ago my wife and I went to see ‘I Am Not Your Negro’, Raoul Peck’s fine film about James Baldwin, and his unique role in the struggle for civil rights in America. Today we watched a DVD of Ava Duverney’s, documentary, ‘The 13th’, about America’s ongoing national disgrace, which is mass incarceration of … Continue reading 13th Amendment, 21st Century

Last week as inauguration day approached I had difficulty deciding what to do to mark the occasion. I am not a supporter of Donald Trump, so the obvious choice was to march with the women. My wife is a woman I especially like, and she would be marching in LA. Why not join her? My … Continue reading My Trip to Prison

I love our country, but since election night, nothing here feels, looks, sounds or smells the same to me. I’m far from alone in this. Indeed I think a great many of us are deeply dismayed and therefore want to imagine that what just happened has precedent, and that the phrase “President Donald Trump” is … Continue reading Hell to Pay

I have fought depression my whole life. Sadness and isolation became my intimates when I was very young, and they have visited me tenaciously ever since. Which is why I’m funny. Laughter is my defense. I’ve earned laughter since I was a little boy, because I figured out, in a life and death sort of … Continue reading How to Go On