Appreciation: Nikki Giovanni made me a poet. Listen, and she’ll still make you one too
“You sound like a poet.”When Nikki Giovanni uttered these words in January 2007 at the end of a two-hour interview, she shifted my life’s focus…
Appreciation: Remembering Saafir, California’s avant garde rap innovator
Hip-hop fans around the world were shocked this week to hear the sad news that one of California’s all-time great rap innovators, Saafir, died Tuesday…
Can Susie Wiles temper Trump as her dad, Pat Summerall, did with John Madden?
Can Susie Wiles be to Donald Trump what her father, Pat Summerall, was to John Madden? Summerall followed a distinguished NFL playing career with an…
Appreciation: In the end, writer Caleb Carr was cool for cats
Caleb Carr, the novelist and military historian who died of cancer Thursday at age 68, was best known for exploring the darker angels of human…
From anger to appreciation: Reactions to O.J. Simpson’s death
When O.J. Simpson’s death was announced Thursday morning, many took to social media to express their feelings about the onetime football hero and popular celebrity…
Appreciation: Richard Lewis, The Prince of Pain, will rule forever
I really thought Richard Lewis had 10 more years left to live. Even after four back surgeries and a Parkinson’s diagnosis, my friend and fellow…