BY MICHAEL MUSTO | I love a good drag name because it not only encompasses clever wordplay, but it can also be refreshingly incorrect, because it’s only a name, after all, and drag queens are supposed to shake up societal norms. I’ve written for years about the best drag names, and now I’ve dreamed up […]
BY PUMA PERL | The first time I saw Joey Paulina, he was clad in a tight royal blue dress and stilettos, executing perfect backflips down the center aisle of the Bowery Poetry Club. Once onstage, he hit more octaves than I could count and managed to be both operatic and hilarious. Whether at his West […]
Writing the Apocalypse is a weekly series featuring the poems, essays, and recollections of Puma Perl, with subject matter influenced by her experiences as a NYC resident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Third Street Christmas | BY PUMA PERL The apartment was drafty and full of poems. There were three eggs in the refrigerator. Gypsy had stuffed […]
BY MICHAEL MUSTO | In my many years of covering entertainment, I’ve met up to 2,000 celebrities, but who’s counting? I’ve adored a lot of them, was irked by a few others, and generally got a sense of what makes them sparkle, though some simply exploded and left a mess. In the following list of […]
BY ELIZABETH ZIMMER | You are spending altogether too much time staring at screens, perhaps soaking up the extra lumens that these short, often dull December days do not provide. The obvious antidote is old-school: Read books! You don’t need to plug them in, they’re forgiving if you fall asleep mid-sentence, and you can […]
BY ELIZABETH ZIMMER | The rich, F. Scott Fitzgerald once famously wrote, are different from you and me. This month, the well-heeled who possess adequate private transportation (and some essential workers, and members of area families hard-hit by the pandemic) might be able enjoy the seasonal delights of a new Nutcracker ballet, produced in full […]
Writing the Apocalypse is a weekly series featuring the poems, essays, and recollections of Puma Perl, with subject matter influenced by her experiences as a NYC resident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Friday Walk | TEXT & PHOTOS BY PUMA PERL Lines snaking around Broadway Designer sneakers on sale Down the block, at […]
Writing the Apocalypse is a weekly series featuring the poems, essays, and recollections of Puma Perl, with subject matter influenced by her experiences as a NYC resident during the COVID-19 pandemic. IN THE MAYOR’S HOUSE: In Commemoration of World AIDS Day | TEXT & PHOTOS BY PUMA PERL I had planned to leave the golden man’s […]
Writing the Apocalypse is a weekly series featuring the poems, essays, and recollections of Puma Perl, with subject matter influenced by her experiences as a NYC resident during the COVID-19 pandemic. A THANKSGIVING PRAYER | TEXT & PHOTOS BY PUMA PERL Memories are prayers. A walk around the block. It’s raining lightly, and everyone […]
Autumn: A Cycle of Life That Mirrors Our Lives | A Poem by Lisa Ruimy Holzkenner Human life and all creatures on earth can be compared to the four seasons. Each has its own rhythm and rhyme celebrating birth, mourning death. Autumn, a whimsical double edge, brings hope and sadness to humanity and to all living things. Autumn’s arrival takes […]