June 24th, 2022

I confess to not ever being comfortable with having pride in the country you were born in. Conceptually, I think it’s a flawed idea from the get go. A recipe for provincialism and a potent catalyst for intolerance and violence. Having said that, I admit there have been moments I’ve allowed myself to warm my … More June 24th, 2022

On Punching Up

It’s Not Rocket Science, Although Given My Utter Ignorance of Rocket Science, Maybe Part of It Is But I doubt it. I recently tweeted something on the Twitter machine – a silly, mildly amusing tweet that said, “I have never been harassed or demeaned by Scott Rudin; this isn’t meant to condone his behavior in … More On Punching Up

How To Kill Your Darlings. In Your Writing, I mean. Obviously. Not In Some Creepy Jim Jones Way.

Hemingway said you should write your story, and then take all of the “best” lines out. Would we like F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Toni Morrison, or James Baldwin half as much if they took our their best lines? S … More How To Kill Your Darlings. In Your Writing, I mean. Obviously. Not In Some Creepy Jim Jones Way.

And Now A Brief Pause In Pointless Overthinking For Some Shameless Self-Promoting

PEOPLE OF EARTH : If you’re free and/or bored today at either 1:00pm or 6:00pm American Eastern Daylight Time, please click on a link below to watch a FREE live stream of a reading from New York City of my new play about Dorothy Parker. For those of you who may not know, a play … More And Now A Brief Pause In Pointless Overthinking For Some Shameless Self-Promoting

Allow Me To Use This Space To Express My Opinion That I Have Too Many Spaces To Express My Opinions

So, as I have mentioned more often than is dignified, I have a theater company. Specifically, an online theater company we started in 2020. We did well critically in our first season, but the opposite of well in terms of making any money. We were also really bad at even breaking even. Frankly, we weren’t … More Allow Me To Use This Space To Express My Opinion That I Have Too Many Spaces To Express My Opinions

A Pedantic Few Words About Conflating Irrational and Insane

I’m no expert in…well the list is too long to leave here, but military matters and deep insights into despots number among them. But I think people who believe Putin has gone crazy do so at their peril. I mean, he is clearly a sociopath, which is a kind of insanity. But that’s not new. … More A Pedantic Few Words About Conflating Irrational and Insane

You Can’t Go Home Again (The Thought of Repacking Alone Will Stop You)

By Jack Canfora I normally post on Thursdays, but as you’ll see, I was busy. I hope you don’t mind me barging in on you like this on a Sunday. Yesterday, I stepped out the door of my childhood home for the final time. I moved there in early 1978 (I distinctly recall thinking at … More You Can’t Go Home Again (The Thought of Repacking Alone Will Stop You)

Context > Texting

I’ll start with a tangent (can you begin with a tangent? If you’re starting with it, by definition it’s the thing your discussing. Anyway): today in the American Northeast, January is wearing the look that earned it its street cred: impossibly depressing wet snow that can’t even reach the muddy dead grass without corroding into … More Context > Texting