The tricky art of grandparenting
The regular monthly meeting of the Grumpy Grandpa Group was called to order. We dispensed with the reading of the minutes and got straight to business. Everybody healthy? Grunts, grimaces, nods. Everybody rich? Snorts. Curses. Everybody happy with the world situation? Glares. Eye rolls. And everybody doing OK with family? Up spoke one of our charter members, a guy who has... READ MORE
Levine School of Music celebrates five decades
Last year Ruth Cogen and her friend Jackie Marlin had a moment of pride as they sat in the audience of the Kennedy Center. The star of Porgy and Bess was singer Alyson Cambridge, a former student at the Levine School of Music, founded in 1976 by Cogen, 90, Marlin, 94 and the late Diana Engel. “It was amazing. I had watched Alyson as a young girl taking lessons and singing, so it was ... READ MORE
A new nation: 1776 at Ford’s Theatre
For the American semiquincentennial, Ford’s Theatre is currently presenting the musical 1776, a witty take on events leading to America’s Declaration of Independence. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1969, winning three Tony Awards. The film came out in 1972, and the musical was revived on Broadway three times. Highly engaging and tuneful, the show provides insight into the... READ MORE
Artist illuminates Baltimore’s changes
For half a century, painter, gallery owner, muralist and mentor Minas Konsolas has helped both shape and reflect Baltimore’s creative spirit. The youngest of six children, he grew up on the Greek island of Karpathos in a village where making things — boats, tools, paintings — was simply part of daily life. His own talent emerged gradually and came fully into focus in 1976, when... READ MORE
Local poetry reading series marks 10 years
Poets, it’s said, are solitary people, but not in Howard County. On a given Tuesday evening in Columbia, you may stumble upon a gathering of poets reading their work aloud in a bookstore. That’s Wilde Readings, the county’s free literary reading series, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Its co-founders, Laura Shovan, Linda Joy Burke and Ann Bracken, will read... READ MORE
At 75, Bill Irwin revels on stage again
Bill Irwin, a Ringling Brothers-trained clown and Tony Award-winning actor, has long been drawn to the works of the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. With his one-man creation On Beckett, he draws you into that magic circle too. In his current venue at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Irwin delivers a funny, engaging and deeply personal exploration that relies as much on clowning slapstick... READ MORE
On the road, Father didn’t always know best
If you had a father like mine, the following scene will spark memories. The family is out for a drive in the 1950s. Dad, of course, is behind the wheel. Some nearby motorist commits a sin —perhaps not signaling, perhaps not jackrabbiting away from a red light fast enough. And Dad would snort: “Women drivers!” Or, if my mother wasn’t there, something more pungent. His response... READ MORE
The past haunts the present at Everyman
The more a daughter knows the details of her mother’s life, the stronger the daughter. —Anita Diamant In some families, if a mother keeps her past secret, her daughter may grow up feeling distressed and lost. That scenario is played out in dramatic fashion in award-winning playwright Tuyet Thi Pham’s work, Dawn, now at Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre. Pham is center stage, and not... READ MORE
At 75, first novel is a dream come true
After 20 years as a journalist, Patricia Vido was convinced she couldn’t write fiction, but at 75, she launched her debut novel in February. For Love of Billie, Vido’s adult coming-of-age novel, is “the story of a father-son love triangle and the power and pull of first love,” she said. From the mid-1970s until the mid-1990s, Vido wrote for the Pittsburgh region’s Valley News... READ MORE
Music in Me Foundation unites people
A local arts foundation’s tagline is “Unleash Your Superpowers.” From movement classes for older adults to art sessions for high schoolers, the Music in Me Foundation encourages us all to live our best lives, no matter our age. “We develop new superpowers as we get older. It could be friendship. You could be the person who makes others feel comfortable. It could be your strength, ... READ MORE
