You are currently viewing the stories for June, 2014
The Brownie Caper
by JB McGeever 06/19/2014Neighborhood: Gramercy Park, Manhattan
I once took the New York City police exam on a whim. In the suburbs of Long Island where I grew up, a large portion of high school buddies already had badges and guns by their early twenties. “Dude,” an acquaintance would say from the stool of a local tavern, “I shot my gun off […]
COFFEE, MY FAMILY
by Amauta Marston-Firmino 06/14/2014Neighborhood: Chelsea, Washington Heights
It had become a habit that week—reading Richard Rodriguez’s “Brown” on the A train, riding a gradient line between the ochre of Washington Heights and the powdered white walls of NYU. I reveled in holding the book upright, spine stiff, and the bent paperback cover like a sail at full mast. It was a silent […]
Colin Powell, Elvis Presley, and Mario Cuomo
by John Oliver Hodges 06/12/2014Neighborhood: Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
Often the Jewish dumpster is stuffed with bread: not tonight; but walking home a man in a hat says, “Excuse me. Are you Jewish?” I say “No” because last time I was asked that question I said “Yes,” and three Jews wrapped me in ribbons and made me repeat a lot of strange words. So […]
Performance, Anxiety
by Jenny Tufts 06/01/2014Neighborhood: Central Park
The rare April sun has sucked hundreds of New Yorkers from their homes and offices, spilling them across Sheep’s Meadow in various states of undress. At the north end of the field next to the fence and a small grove of spindly trees sits an observer. Her hair is a dusty sunset of pink and […]