ARTICLES, STORIES & POEMS - Page 7

You Can’t Win If You Don’t Shoot (2009)

On the evening of Valentine's Day 1963, Calvert High School lost to La Plata High School by the score of 4-1. The two Southern Maryland schools weren't playing soccer, baseball or hockey; they were playing basketball. I know, because my brother, then called Bobby Manning, was a … [Read more...]

Making “Misty”: The Legendary Johnny Mathis Recording (2010)

"I heard Erroll Garner play it when I was in my teens. There were no lyrics yet. I blurted out, ‘Mr. Garner, I am going to record your song if I ever make a record.'" -Johnny Mathis "Look at me/I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree." I was sitting in my favorite diner … [Read more...]

The Greatest Hustler (2010)

"The Nats swept their second doubleheader in five days when they defeated the Kansas City Athletics at Griffith Stadium last night, 5-4 and 10-9, before 7291 spectators. The double victory boosted the Nats into a third-place tie with the Boston Red Sox. The second game saw the … [Read more...]

The Courriers: Still Carrying On (2014)

"When he (Pete Seeger) sang 'Wimoweh,' and he got the whole audience to sing, I had an epiphany. I knew that this is what I wanted to hear, what I wanted to know more about, and what I wanted to play." -Mark Max, co-founding member of the Courriers "We did a gig at the Bitter … [Read more...]

Poems Inspired By North Adams, Massachusetts, Page Three

From 1996 until 2004, the Appalachian Bean Cafe (called "The Bean") was a remarkable social institution on Main Street in North Adams. It was the perfect place for a writer to hang out and get to know the city's "old-timers," who were there every morning, and just about everyone … [Read more...]

Quabbin Boy Rescued From Obscurity (2011)

"Well there's one kind favor I'll ask of you/Well there's one kind favor I'll ask of you/There's just one kind favor I'll ask of you/You can see that my grave is kept clean." -from a song by Blind Lemon Jefferson On July 31, 1927, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorialist F. … [Read more...]

A Long Walk In La Plata (2015)

The clock behind the counter of the La Plata Diner tells me it’s officially tomorrow. The waitress comes over to my booth, refills my coffee cup and offers me a cinnamon donut. “It’s on the house,” she says. “Looks like you’re gonna be here a while. You’ve got a lot of pages left … [Read more...]