Late-life artist relishes challenge
For most of his life, Allan Akman has dabbled in art. The 77-year-old Rockville resident spent his 33-year career as a military consultant, but on nights and weekends, he painted using watercolors and oils. When he retired in 2009, Akman had a long “bucket list” of things to do, books to read and places to visit. But he became captivated by one of the first items on the list:... READ MORE
Joyful musical Kinky Boots at Toby’s
When I first heard the term “kinky boots,” I expected to see boots with X-rated comments on them. I mean, what else could it mean? As it turns out, plenty. Seems as if there was a 2005 British film called Kinky Boots that I missed. It wasn’t until 2013, when a musical by that name opened on Broadway, that I finally got it. I recall seeing the musical at the Hippodrome some... READ MORE
Offering residents diverse literary talent
Hundreds of authors, including Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners and poet laureates, have visited Howard County because of one organization’s quest to make literature accessible to everyone. The Howard County Poetry and Literature Society (motto: “Let there be lit”) was established in 1974 by Ellen Conroy Kennedy to bring art to the newly formed city of Columbia. Since then, the... READ MORE
Winter garden offers unusual sights
Do you notice more details in your garden in the winter when you’re not distracted by green leaves and showy blossoms? Here are some explanations for those unusual winter sightings: Q: It’s February. Why are brown leaves still hanging from some trees? A: buy robaxin online... READ MORE
Never too late to make beautiful music
Ric Bergstrom began playing banjo several years ago, when his wife gave him one as a birthday present. “At 47, I decided to pick up a stringed instrument, and the last time I’d touched any instrument was literally in ninth grade,” said Bergstrom, the owner of a Richmond insurance agency. Almost everyone knows the joy of listening to music, the way it can transport you to... READ MORE
Creativity: it can get better with age
Alexis Bentz is a senior at Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland. She has been writing this intergenerational column for the Beacon since middle school. I’ve been writing about issues that impact both the older and younger generations for The Beacon for six years. But I’ve been a short story writer almost from the time I could hold a pen. My first story was about a butterfly... READ MORE
Play’s characters grapple with life’s end
As we age, we all face mortality — our own, that of a parent, a friend, a lover…someone close to us. Some face the reality head on. Others avoid it, ignore it, make bargains with it. In actor Michael Cristofer’s play The Shadow Box, each character provides a unique perspective on death in ways that are neither judgmental nor maudlin, but ring true as distinctly human. The play... READ MORE
Alice McDermott on life and faith
On a gray afternoon this winter, novelist Alice McDermott paused for a pint of Guinness at the Irish Inn in Glen Echo, Maryland, to chat with a reporter about, among other things, life, literature and what it means to be an American. “What makes all Americans Americans, regardless of the hyphenation, is that they are from someone, or are someone, who left [their home], whether for... READ MORE
