“The gardener’s role is never completed: there is always something needing attention and, at every turn, there are rewards—joys, gifts—for the gardener that make it easier to get off one’s lazy behind.”—William A.…

“The paired masks of the muses, Thalia and Melpomene, Comedy and Tragedy, hint at the expanse of expression and the range of characters contained in theater. They also suggest the duality that masks…

“The street prophet with the fateful warning is undeniably right: the end is near. I will die. Meanwhile, there is work to do, there are people who need help, tastes to savor. I…

“Sitting across from each other, we are trying so very hard to communicate. I apologize to her repeatedly for misconstruing what she attempts to tell me. She searches futilely for the word I…

“I suspect it is not so universal an experience as the good head-shrinker supposed, but we in the West are Freudians now, and Oedipals, as well, and killing our fathers is expected of sons. Metaphorically speaking.” …

“My friends, Cliff and Jim, had come to the ecdysiastical profession at different times. Jim had been dancing—and stripping—on stage in New York for several years. He had learned from some of the…

“If he was planning on shoplifting, this guy was a past master at disarming store security. He was charming, witty, engaging, and unassuming. We spoke for a little while, I found a few…

“I remember crawling on the dirt, crawling because I am unable to stand unassisted. I am underneath a structure, in its shadow, while all around there is bright sunshine on weedy grass. I…

“Cotton, it seems, has surrounded our old farmhouse for most of its existence, save for those occasional years or decades when the price of cotton was so low as to make it unfeasible…

An Elko, South Carolina Thanksgiving Epicurus’ Porch By William A. Balk, Jr. “Despite occasional diversions into the realm of experimentation (nb: deep-frying 15-pound turkeys in hot oil is a questionable practice in or…