Category Archives: memoir

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Lest you Think I’m Dead—–(A Memoir-Moving-Marriage Update)

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I thought it was way past time to post something—in this case, a long- overdue and death-defying feat of literary brevity and poor prose. Better that than you think I’ve met with some untimely and unfortunate, moving-related demise.  I’ve not gone … Continue reading

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Redemption in a Santa Suit (A Mafia Memoir Post)

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My dad taught us early on that the Godfather and Daddy Warbucks have a lot in common. White-haired and handsome, Daddy was a bookie with organized crime connections.  Several grand juries indicted him over the years, and the FBI raided … Continue reading

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Redemption in Paper and Pencil Shavings (More of my Memoir at the Huffington Post)

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Pixied and imperfect, I was already evolving into an over-achiever by the time I trudged into first grade–yellow rubber boots over navy Lady Janes–bundled in a nubby, winter coat my grandmother had purchased at Kaufman’s the fall before. Though destined … Continue reading

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My Father’s FBI File (Another Installment of “Kids Make the Best Bookies: A Mafia Memoir”)

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It’s taken more than 6 months, but finally my request for a copy of my father’s FBI file has been approved.  And though duplication costs may break the bank, the Feds claim to have nearly 1700 pages on my dad, … Continue reading

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On Jumbo and Jag-Offs: A Primer on Pittsburgh’s Weird Words and Peculiar Pronunciation

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Last Tuesday my partner Sara made an ugly and, I still insist, unwarranted accusation about me. You see, that evening, after witnessing Lexington meteorologist Bill Meck mis-forecast local weather yet again, Sara and I watched over dinner as a channel 18 reporter interviewed an Eastern … Continue reading

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Redefining Front-Porch Culture: Bloggers and a World-Wide Notion of Neighbor

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Our front porch is falling apart.  Floor boards are rotten.   Railings are either loose or long gone.  Paint is peeling. To even call it a porch might be to unduly dignify the failing structure now only semi-attached to the front of our … Continue reading

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My Ken Doll’s Decapitated and my Barbie’s Missing Limbs: A Mafia Memoir Manufactured by Mattel

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I came to Barbie late.  I didn’t have my first before the age of 10, maybe even 11—a fact that came to me the other day when dragging my suitcase of surviving dolls out from under the attic eaves. My … Continue reading

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One Twinkle at a Time (What Memoir, the Mafia, and Haiti have in Common)

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It’s been more than a year since I began writing about my father and his mafia affiliation, but several months since my most recent effort. Not good! I need to return to my memoir.  I set the project aside for the summer … Continue reading

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Capped and Crowned: My Life in Hats, Helmets and Hoods

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The seemingly endless hours spent making art have finally gone to my head, forcing me into my post-of-last-resort approach to blogging. In other words, I’m coming close to the dreaded repost–reworking writing from more than a year ago, in lieu … Continue reading

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Home is where the Doilies Live: Revising Portraits of Public Housing

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I read recently that home is where our stories begin. It’s where we’re rooted.  Home grounds us in the present and gives us a history to remember. I’ve been fascinated for years by the notion of place and the impact it … Continue reading