g24khamr

In Times of Trouble

WHEN WE WERE LITTLE THERE WERE MONSTERS UNDER OUR BEDS. Now the monsters are out. The Brett Kavanaugh hearings were just the latest escape, our basest fears running free through once reverent halls. The events of Sept. 27 will go down in history as one of the most divisive and darkest moments of our ever-fragile democracy.Continue reading “In Times of Trouble”

A Brief Tribute to a “Super Intelligence”

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I wrote about my high school friend — not the already famous “Anchorman” one who powned SNL for years, but another less well-known but just as funny and talented one. Steve Mallory to the world, “Stevie” to me. A hurricane of wit and wisdom who worked hard, so fucking hard, for everyContinue reading “A Brief Tribute to a “Super Intelligence””

Out of Thin Air: The Broken Beauty of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain

THE MOMENT WILL COME when you know more people who are dead than who are alive. It will happen fast. It will be unexpected, like being in room that’s slowly leaking oxygen. You won’t sense anything strange is happening until suddenly you’re no longer able to breathe. This has been a year for catching ourContinue reading “Out of Thin Air: The Broken Beauty of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain”

Why Mars Matters: Elon Musk and Finding Your One Great Thing

NOT SURE WHETHER YOU NOTICED, but while you were struggling to find a new word for “innovation” and finishing that PowerPoint slide explaining Facebook’s algorithm changes for the umpteenth time, a dude from California shot a car into space. Granted, that “dude” was Elon Musk, and the car he sent into orbit was a TelsaContinue reading “Why Mars Matters: Elon Musk and Finding Your One Great Thing”

I Remember Blaze Bernstein

I REMEMBER BLAZE BERNSTEIN. I remember countless synagogue services, Sundays at religious school drop-offs and pick-ups, various special events over the past decade and a half. I remember him at my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, his smile and his enviable ability to both be an unforgettable part of the crowd as well as blend into itContinue reading “I Remember Blaze Bernstein”

One Year Later

Washington, D.C. – Nov. 8, 2017 IT HAPPENED ONE YEAR AGO. I was here in Washington, D.C., when I found out. This was the epicenter of the earthquake, the unexpected tremor that sent me reeling. I remember the shouting and confusion. The looks on people’s faces. I remember the tears that seemingly came from nowhereContinue reading “One Year Later”

A Peek Into “Mercy”

HERE’S HOW THE WRITING PROCESS GOES FOR ME: Come up with a vague idea in the middle of the night. Spend three years taking that vague idea and making it something real that someone would want to read (and do so while having a full-time job and sneaking in writing time while waiting for PPTContinue reading “A Peek Into “Mercy””

The Country We Deserve

I ONCE WROTE ABOUT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT WHO BLEW HIS HEAD OFF IN FRONT OF HIS CLASSMATES. I wrote about 9/11 and Columbine, about Virginia Tech, Aurora and Portland. About Sandy Hook and Charlie Hebdo. About Orlando and Dallas, about London and Ariana Grande, about Paris and Eagles of Death Metal. I’ve written aboutContinue reading “The Country We Deserve”

Trump Can’t Hate — What He Does Instead Is Worse

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP RESIGNED LAST WEEK. That’s not a Pollyanna dream. It’s not the blind hope of a defeated electorate. It’s the truth. President Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, abdicated his leather throne when, faced with a nation divided, he joined the breach with a hand grenade of historical indifference. HeContinue reading “Trump Can’t Hate — What He Does Instead Is Worse”

Zaria’s Gate Now Available on Amazon

Zaria’s Gate was originally titled “Reaper” and began with a sentence that popped into my head one night: “Death wore a hoodie.” I don’t know exactly why that happened, but I loved it and wanted to write a story with that as the opening line. That led to more than three years of writing andContinue reading “Zaria’s Gate Now Available on Amazon”