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Authoritarianism in the Light of the Olympic Flame
In April 2007, Beijing announced its grand plan for the Olympic Torch Relay. The official theme, "harmonious journey," was clearly meant as an indirect reference to the "harmonious society"… More
King’s Highway
FADE IN: INT. 10 - NORTH OF VANCOUVER, WASH. - PRE-DAWNAERIAL SHOT - TRACKING 18-wheeler owned by David Calarence “DC” Hawkins and Dabney "Doobie” DuBoise SFX KEITH WHITLEY “MARINA… More
Second Chances
INT. LAVON FAMILY LIVING ROOM -- NIGHTSAMMIE, a fleshy 10-year-old child wearing Incredible Hulk Pajamas, rises from the love seat with cordless phone in hand. Absent-mindedly turning the lamp… More
The Man Scribbles of Big G
Sunday – June 22, 2008Today is one of those days when a million thoughts swirl through my mind and I think to myself: “I need to write some of… More
Poinsett County
—for Uncle DaleOrange-red gravel roads crisscrossedfields where the flat farmland yieldedbales of cotton and tons of soy beans.We planted, chopped, and picked cottonfrom spring into summer through autumnfor fifty… More
A Twisted Evening With Dr. Gonzo
My early literary influences naturally gravitated towards counterculture writing that started with Kerouac’s On the Road, Ginsberg’s epic poem of the Beat Generation, Howl, and experiencing the utter depths… More
A Higher Morality
I. A Moral Revolution Martin Luther King, Jr., at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and facing three centuries of hatred, racism, and oppression, had a powerful message for… More
Old Letter
On your plain white envelope a handwritten address hints at the personal inside. Long time companion through many transfers and years, you have been worked soft and your stamp… More
Pieces of a Dream
Pieces of a DreamSmacking gum, smiling, and wearing atight mini-mini that barely coversthe imagination, she looks like shebelongs in a junior high somewhere—and even that might be a stretch.It’s… More
Learning to Swim
Gary Shively 103443 Powhatan Correctional Center, D7 State Farm, VA 23160 I am sinking. Just like a stone, I am sinking. Coils from the black icy depths pulling me under. My scream is… More