Start planning your spring garden today
Fall is the ideal time to plant brilliant bulbs that will brighten your garden from January through May. Note that “bulb” is used loosely here, to include corms, tubers, tuberous roots and rhizomes as well as true bulbs. Plan: For most bulbs, find a location that gets at least 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Bulbs left in the ground year after year should have 8 to10... READ MORE
Exhibit explores artist’s activism, creativity
The title, “What Remains to Be Seen,” aptly describes the new exhibition of Howardena Pindell’s work at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. It suggests what the under-recognized artist has accomplished over the past five decades, as well as what’s to come. I also sensed another metaphor when I read a subtitle in the exhibition’s first room, “Cut, Sewn, Adorned.” The themes of ... READ MORE
Recalling Unitas vs. Shula
Jack Gilden first heard the little-publicized story of the acrimonious relationship between Baltimore Colts legend Johnny Unitas and former Colts player-turned-winning-coach Don Shula when he was a 15-year-old student attending a journalism conference at the former Colts training complex in Owings Mills. “Even at that time I thought, ‘That would be a great book,’” said the... READ MORE
Too old to cause trouble, or so they think
If you’re a cheapskate like me, you’ve figured out that the only way to save money on airfares these days is to fly early in the day. Very early. Like before roosters limber up their vocal cords. So there was Your Hero one recent morning — the sun wasn’t up yet — grinding his way through the security checkpoint at a local airport. The clock on the wall said 5:20 a.m. It... READ MORE
Books offer advice on aging gracefully
The Bibliophile It’s autumn, the season that has long been used as a metaphor for the onset of age. So it’s a good time to review books that show us how to enrich the golden years emotionally, physically and mentally, and suggest ways to confront the challenges of aging. Reaching our senior years should be a clarion call for renewal, not a knell for lost youth. The RBG Workout: How... READ MORE
A local podcasting pioneer
In 2014, Paul Vogelzang found himself packing up his desk at computer technology company Oracle as part of a company layoff. “That was a shock to the system in every way,” said Vogelzang, who lives in Reston, Va. “At 58, it was tough to get a job, particularly in the technology sector, which apparently wants to have a younger workforce. It was a rough kind of divorce, in the sense... READ MORE
Hair and there with rocker Rod Stewart
More than 50 years into his career, Rod Stewart shows no sign of slowing down. When he’s not on tour, he’s busy at home chasing his two young sons, Aiden and Alastair, around the yard. And on Sept. 28, he will release his 30th studio album, “Blood Red Roses.” While known for writing sultry songs — from “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” to “You’re In My Heart ... READ MORE
Local filmmaker debuts film at festivals
“Story-telling is essential to our being, to how we relate,” said writer, filmmaker and performer Pamela Woolford, a Columbia resident. “The stories we tell and retell, often changing over time, they are so basic to who we are.” The 51-year-old, winner of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award for screenwriting, has made her directorial and one-woman... READ MORE
A large Irish family’s dance with memory
Tony Award-winning playwright Brian Friel has been described as the “Irish Anton Chekhov.” In fact, Friel translated Chekhov’s The Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya, and then borrowed Andrey from the former and Sonya from the latter for his own one-act work, Afterplay, in 2002. But the connection between these two formidable writers is far more significant than this bit of “character ... READ MORE
Celebrating a visionary’s success
Rebecca Hoffberger, founder and director of the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM), turns 66 in late September. Most years, her birthday celebration is a cake shared with her staff as they install the upcoming year’s annual exhibition. This year, however, Hoffberger wants a different kind of celebration: She has chosen to honor a few of the individuals who inspire her through “an... READ MORE