Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A public place is a portal...

I took a break from my big non-fiction project over the last week or so. Seems like I've needed to take a step back from it. In the meantime, I've been revisiting some unfinished stories and new ideas. I think the time has been good, but I ought to get back to the big one.

So, the big non-fiction project is a series of essays and tangents that all relate back to the public parks in my hometown. When I started working on it, I didn't expect it to be any longer than maybe 15 pages (typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins). I had a whole bunch of ideas about what it might be, but I didn't think it would really be something that I would invest a lot of time working on. But, while researching the parks, I've discovered that these public places give me access to moments in time that I normally wouldn't reflect upon - moments of my own history, and that of my community. Some of those moments are nice. Some of them are dark, and difficult to write about. The places act like a prism, filtering the components that form a culture, and culture is complicated.

So, back to it...

Friday, March 27, 2009

"How does something come out of nothing?"


Echoes from the Beginning from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Scientists and journalists discuss the Big Bang and time at the '08 World Science Festival. There are more videos available on their website; the clips are all short, fascinating excerpts from panel discussions.

The 2009 World Science Festival hits NYC June 10, and concludes on June 14. I didn't make it to any events last year, but it's on my to-do list for this summer.