Maryland county honors top volunteers

By Margaret Foster
Posted on November 10, 2020

Bob Marques may be retired, but he’s no couch potato. His volunteer work has taken him to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, to Tennessee after deadly tornadoes, and most recently to the mountains of Honduras, where he helped administer medical care in a rural clinic. For his lifelong commitment to helping others, the Gaithersburg resident received a Neal Potter Path of Achievement... READ MORE

Cookbooks add creativity to your kitchen

By Dinah Rokach
Posted on November 04, 2020

The Bibliophile Spend time with these cookbooks and expand your culinary skills. Joy of Cooking: The Trusted Kitchen Classic for a New Generation of Joy: Revised and Updated, by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker and Megan Scott, 1,200 pages, Scribner hardcover, 2019 The classic encyclopedia of home cooking dating back to the 1930s has been revived... READ MORE

Arts group to install heart sculpture soon

By Timothy Cox
Posted on October 29, 2020

In November, a new 1,000-pound heart sculpture will be installed in downtown Baltimore near the intersection of Charles and Hanover Streets. Standing eight feet tall and six feet wide, the work brings to mind the famous “LOVE” statue in Philadelphia, according to Randi Pupkin, 58, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Art with a Heart. Pupkin’s staff, students and... READ MORE

Literary awards celebrate local authors

By Catherine Brown
Posted on October 26, 2020

For the first time in its 23 years, the Library of Virginia Literary Awards ceremony will take place virtually, providing a way for people across the state and beyond to learn about Virginia authors — and to find out this year’s winners, who will join the ranks of past winners such as Tom Robbins, Barbara Kingsolver, Rita Dove, John Grisham, Tom Wolfe and David Baldacci. “Although... READ MORE

Entertaining in your garden this autumn

By Lela Martin
Posted on October 13, 2020

It’s October. My daughter’s 200-guest wedding scheduled for later this month was a casualty of COVID-19; however, in its place will be an intimate ceremony with 20 family members in our back yard. What this means is that I’ve become a very busy mother-of-the bride, adding to all the typical wedding preparations the task of transforming my yard into a wedding venue. You too may... READ MORE

Poor guy can’t help answering the phone

By Bob Levey
Posted on October 12, 2020

The phone rings. The digital screen says UNKNOWN CALLER. My wife and I exchange glances. Thus, the ballet begins — again. “I’m going to answer it,” I say. “Don’t answer it,” she says. “You’ll just encourage them to call again.” “Might be Hollywood,” I say. “You know it isn’t Hollywood,” she says. “One way to find out,” I say. And I lift... READ MORE

Writing a memoir can be a self-education

By Peter G. Pollak
Posted on October 09, 2020

Like many older adults, my motivation for writing a memoir was to clear up questions my children have about my past. In the 1960s I was a leftist radical. Today I’m a conservative. How did that happen, they want to know? I was surprised what I learned about myself in writing the memoir, and you might be, also. Don’t let anyone fool you: Writing a memoir is not easy. I’ve... READ MORE

Stories well-told by television celebrities

By Dinah Rokach
Posted on October 06, 2020

The Bibliophile Enjoy the perspectives of each of these articulate entertainers as they master the written word as authors. The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life, by Alex Trebek, 304 pages, Simon & Schuster hardcover, 2020 Alex Trebek, the host of TV game show “Jeopardy!” beginning in 1984, faces his own mortality in his 80th year: He is under treatment for late-stage... READ MORE

Teacher writes about city kids’ resilience

By Robert Friedman
Posted on October 02, 2020

Adam Schwartz, 55, grew up in Washington, D.C.’s Friendship Heights, but he has taught in Baltimore’s city schools for the past 22 years. The “resilient kids” he taught became the basis for his new book, The Rest of the World — his debut collection of short stories, several of which have already won prizes after their publication in literary journals. All eight stories are... READ MORE

What retirees (should) want

By Margaret Foster
Posted on October 02, 2020

Since he was 24 years old, author and aging expert Dr. Ken Dychtwald has studied the psychology of retirement. Now 70, he has given presentations on his research into the subject of aging to more than one million people over the years. Yet the renowned gerontologist is in no hurry to retire himself from the company he started 40 years ago. “The irony of the fact that I’m not... READ MORE