My grandparents had a prehistoric coffee percolator for decades. The thing made legendary bad coffee. My grandfather worked a really early shift for much of his life. My grandmother would get up ...

I came to the Grateful Dead late by some standards, and left its orbit early by most. My first album was the band’s third, ...

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded ...

I discovered the writings of Charles Bukowski—who some call “The Poet of Skid Row”—in the 70s, when I was a young man. At the ...

Misha Lynn Moon (she/her) has been writing and publishing poetry for 35 years. She was the first public school teacher in Oregon to transition at mid career.

All the World a Poem by Gilles Tibo, Manon Gauthier (Illustrator) Pajama Press 2016, 32 pages, 9.0 x 0.4 x 9.0 inches, ...

Rosie (of the Lumberjanes) and Professor MacPherson (of Gotham Academy) have disappeared, and it’s up to their scouts and/or ...

Out of nothing, nature makes something. First there is hard rock planet; then there is life, lots of it. First barren hills; then brooks with fish and cattails and red-winged blackbirds. First an ...

My chief go-to guide for Europe is Rick Steves, who has made yearly trips to Europe over 40 years, and personally updates his guides. I trust his advice for anywhere in Europe and found him incredibly ...

(Stuff I’m interested in now, or was interested in before.) I was a long-time member of Global Business Network, a small think tank and consultancy based in Emeryville, California. Occasionally I’ll ...

My father never talked about his childhood or his father. He grew up during the depression and only said his dad was an alcoholic and would beat him and my grandmother. As a result he became very ...