A life filled with spooky work and stories
Columbia resident Alma Katsu cannot be constrained to one occupation. She’s a former analyst for the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. She’s a consultant for emerging technologies in the government and private industry. But she’s also an award-winning author who can’t even be contained within one literary genre, with novels in romance, historical... READ MORE
For 40 years, journalist pursues her love
“From WYPR, I’m Sheilah Kast. We’re On the Record.” That’s the line Sheilah Kast delivers each morning as she introduces her daily public radio program, “On the Record,” on WYPR in Baltimore. Kast has hosted daily programs at the station since 2006. But she has been a journalist working in newspapers, network television news and public radio for 40 years. The... READ MORE
How flowers survive social distancing
Amid these times of distancing from other people, perhaps we can learn from the intricate relationships in nature, including the one between flowers and the bees who pollinate them. Since plants permanently “shelter in place,” they have had to develop the means to reproduce. Pollination is the symbiotic relationship between plants that are fertilized and pollinators that do the... READ MORE
My last column: Thank you and goodbye
I can still remember a time when, at an academic banquet, a woman approached my table and asked, “Are you Alexis Bentz?” When I confirmed that I was, she exclaimed that she was an avid reader of the Beacon and a fan of my work. She told me that she hadn’t considered the generational gap before, and that my column had inspired her to view teenagers in a new light. The... READ MORE
We certainly are living in hairy times
We sit in our abodes. And sit. Junking on TV and too much food. Blowing through our entire collection of jigsaw puzzles. Calling old friends. Trying to stay one step ahead of the virus. But one force of nature continues, self-quarantine or not. Hair grows. Mine has. In spades. Yes, I know, at my age, I should be grateful that I still have some. In fact, I have oodles of ... READ MORE
Torpedo Factory founder’s first love: art
Marian Van Landingham has achieved many distinctions so far in her 83 years, including as a federal agency writer, speechwriter for a U.S. Congressman, and during a 24-year career as a delegate to the Virginia legislature. But the former Alexandria Art League president is perhaps best known as the founder of Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory Art Center. Oh, “and she is known for her... READ MORE
Books recall the history of World War II
The Bibliophile On May 8, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of V-E Day, marking the Allied victory in Europe and North Africa. These books shine a light on that theater of combat. World War II Map by Map, by DK and Smithsonian Institution, 299 pages, DK hardcover, 2019 After the United States entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged Americans listening to his... READ MORE
Find wilderness in the urban landscape
Eight years ago, Cory Cone and his wife, Nathalie, wandered into Mount Washington’s Clyburn Arboretum, where they were drawn to a collection of stuffed birds. Among them was an indigo bunting, a bird known for its vibrant azure hue. “I was completely amazed that a bird that beautiful could be seen in the city I lived in,” Cone said. He immediately began a quest to find a bunting... READ MORE
Train to become an environmental leader
Woody Merkel, 69, a lifelong resident of Woodstock, Maryland, says much of his early life was spent outdoors. Appreciation of nature, he said, is “part of my genes.” So, a decade ago, Merkel, a retired personnel manager in the Maryland state government, signed up for classes at the Howard County Legacy Leadership Institute for the Environment, or HoLLIE. The nonprofit organization... READ MORE
For teens and seniors in the dating game
Alexis Bentz is a senior at Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland. She has been writing this column encouraging intergenerational communication since middle school. On television or in cinema, romantic comedies are relatively formulaic: Two people meet, instantly hit it off, go through minor relationship drama that may involve pouring rain or an airport chase scene, and then... READ MORE
Arts 2024
#Theatre #Artist #Books #Bob Levey #Independent Living #Art #Americana #Diner #Wheaton #Baltimore #Bibliophile
