Essays
Between the Lines
Chicago Tribune
"The medium formerly known as 'the funnies' may have grown up faster than its fans..."
Killing Me Softly
Gourmet
"But there are no after dinner strolls, because there is no after dinner..."
It was going to be the perfect wedding present
Christian Science Monitor
"I stared at the tandoor, and the tandoor stared at me..."
Schmear Campaign
High Country News
"Manifest Destiny might have brought bagels to the needy settlements of our great West. But this was not to be..."
Piece of Paper Unites Secret Society
Chicago Tribune
"In the library, no one can hear you scream..."
Catching Up On Comics
Chicago Tribune
"Sturgeon's Law is simple and irrefutable: At least 90 percent of everything is worthless..."
Less-Than-Great Books
Chicago Tribune
"Even budding giants of academe must wallow once in a while..."
Professor Smith Knows Best
Chicago Tribune
"Were they mysterious aliens or was Dad was hiding something dark and dangerous from us?"
Articles
Mr. Mushroom
Missoula Independent
"To catch something wild, whether forest fungus or beast of the jungle, one must hunt..."
Western Wonder
Saveur
"The Polebridge Mercantile bakery lacks electricity, but boasts a stunning backyard: Glacier National Park..."
Dawsey's Dilemmas
Research View
"While general economic theory extols competition, game theory may teach otherwise..."
Blowing Smoke
World Trade
"John F. Kennedy gave his press secretary a simple shopping list on the evening of February, 6, 1962..."
Into the Wild
Montana
"Is Montana poised for its first new wilderness in 25 years?..."
Red Scare
Montana
"What Gannon was witnessing was a local resurgence of the greatest tree killer in North America..."
Home, Sweet Home
Missoula Independent
"Is beer the best way to understand the problem with conventional economics?"
The Perils of Prediction
World Trade
"How the father of globalization got it (partly) wrong..."
100 Years & Running Strong
Montana
"When the American Bison Society was formed in 1909, it chose its top officers wisely..."
Pack Rat's Paradise
Montana
"NOTICE: Prices Subject to Change According to Customer's Attitude..."
Hostel Makeover
Chicago Tribune
"An Arab, an Irishman, a Texan, and a Mexican walk into a room..."
Going Pi High
Chicago Tribune
"Some people indulge an irrational desire to carry a classic math ratio from here to infinity..."
The Scourge of Piracy
World Trade
"Pirates' virtues are more easily appreciated when they are dead..."
How to Drink an Avocado
Chicago Tribune
"Few Americans realize the avocado is even better sipped than dipped...."
"They call him yellow fellow"
"Bananas are yellow, as are egg yolks, gold dust, legal pads, lemons, sunflowers, taxi cabs, and, of course, the yellow pages. To this roster, add Eugene Harrington..."
"Watch your back, Venice"
"Its name: Garden City Gondola. Its slogan: 'Floating the streets of Missoula.'..."
"Monday morning march"
"On a cold Monday morning, a fourth-year cadet took marching orders from three third-years..."
Missoula Independent
Reviews
How a Simple Bread Lost Its Ethnic Roots
Chicago Tribune
"Twenty-five years ago, 80 percent of Americans had yet to taste a bagel. Now they are ubiquitous and, almost invariably, awful..."
Stories that Invites Us to the Next Sentence
Chicago Tribune
"Meno's Law: The most important sentence is whatever sentence the reader is reading next..."
How to Picture the Story
Chicago Tribune
"Heatley runs, he hides, he rapes, he kills, he alternately saves and fails his family, he prays and is, he hopes, absolved..."
Stories Told In a Graphic Style
Chicago Tribune
"For Eddie Torres, Sept. 10, 2001, was the first day of work..."
Heroes, Superheroes, and Anti-heroes
Chicago Tribune
"Then again, in a sentence, 'Ulysses' is about an intellectual loser who takes a walk..."
An Unusual Memoir about Coming of Age
Chicago Tribune
"Meet Marjane Satrapi..."
The Adventures of Superheroes, Heroes and Plain Old File Clerks
Chicago Tribune
"Remember those distant days when the two sides of the culture wars were high and low rather than red and blue?"
After Captain America
Chicago Tribune
"The scene is a Nazi bunker, its violet walls emblazoned with black-on-red circled swastikas..."