Meeting: Saturday, February 23, 2008

"The Anniversary Issue"

Call Me Loyd

David Owen

What’s in a nickname?

Q. Why do we give and take nicknames? Why do you think Owen wrote this article? What's your favorite nickname?

Thinking in the Rain

Susan Orlean

How to build a better umbrella.

Q. What are the elements of "The Steve Hollinger Experience"? How does Orlean manage to make 8 pages about an umbrella interesting? Do you think the article is interesting?

The Birthday Party

James B. Stewart

Wall Street’s unloved Midas.

Q. Do you have to feel rich to be rich? Is Schwarzman a likable guy? on and off Wall Street?

Coney Island Days

Robert Polidori, Mark Singer

The boardwalk off season.

Q. (Coney Island whitefish?!) The photos are practically timeless. Do Singer's words add anything?

True Crime

David Grann

A postmodern murder mystery.

Q. Is this a great detective story? What's troubling about it's conclusions? What are the pertinent facts? Is everyone sane?

“In Bruges,” “The Band’s Visit.”

Anthony Lane

Q. What lines do you enjoy in Lane's reviews? Would you see these movies based on his opinions?

“The Saws”

Robert Pinsky

Q. What is Pinsky telling us? Why are these sayings called "saws"?

FROM LAST ISSUE

Jonny Greenwood’s compositions.

Alex Ross

Q. Is this article about Greenwood, or "Blood", or the soundtrack? Which sentences are the most powerful and striking? What other films are of "Blood"-like proportions?

FROM THE ARCHIVES

April 15, 2002
Annals of Gastronomy
Don’t Mention It
The hidden life and times of a Greenwich Village restaurant.
by Calvin Trillin

Q. What is this story about? A man, a restaurant, a way of life? By the end of this chapter, what has been lost?