At Seventeen

At Seventeen

We celebrated a friend's 17th birthday last night. Since then, "At Seventeen," Janis Ian's 1975 hit song, has been stuck in my head. "I learned the truth at 17, that love was meant for beauty queens..." The truth about 17 is that it has always been a challenging age, a plateau of poignancy from which [...]

The Party of the Half Century

The Party of the Half Century

The story you are about to read is true. The names have not been changed because there are no innocents, just a half-century milestone we’re thrilled to be marking and a legendary party about which some people would prefer we don’t speak. To celebrate properly, and excise old demons, speak we must. Our story begins [...]