A Day in the City: Words and Wildlife
Sometimes a single day in the city bridges many lives and many ways of living. Yesterday was one of those days, brimming with nature and culture, wildlife and art.
In the morning, a little dog sat under a flame tree in Riverside Park near 108th Street and the Hudson River.
In the afternoon, I crossed the East River to Brooklyn, where I spotted a giant rodent in a parking lot.
I headed to Acme Studio, where Words After War, a new organization dedicated to “building a community of thoughtful, engaged and skilled veteran writers,” presented its first public event, an absorbing panel discussion focused on writing about war.
Entering Acme’s extraordinary space through the loading dock, I was greeted by another enormous animal, this one lost in profound contemplation.
The panel was moderated by Quil Lawrence, an NPR correspondent who covers issues relating to the approximately two and a half million men and women who have returned from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes, you read that right. Although less than one percent of Americans serve in the military, nearly two and a half million have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, many on multiple tours of duty. These young men and women come home to a country that doesn’t really even know where they’ve been, let alone what they’ve been doing. Words After War is working to change that.
The panel featured three very different young writers, two of them veterans:
Matt Gallagher (author of Kaboom, co-editor with Roy Scranton of Fire and Forget)
Brian Castner (The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows)
and Katey Schultz (Flashes of War).
After the panel, feeling thoughtful, I walked west to the East River.
The setting sun touched the city with a golden splendor.
An entire continent lay hidden behind Manhattan’s skyline.
The sky glowed.
I turned my back on the sunset to find that the light in the northwest was growing colder, although a few buildings now shone as if lit with an inner light.
As I began the walk to the subway, the East River ferry pulled into its dock.
And back in Manhattan after dark, the raccoons of Riverside Park were just beginning their day.
Explore posts in the same categories: 2013, Art and Literature, dogs, Domestic animals, Fall, In the City, SeasonsTags: NYC in autumn, Quil Lawrence, sunset NYC, Williamsburg sunset, Words After War
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November 13, 2013 at 1:21 pm
You make wherever you are THE place to be. Thanks also for throwing light onto Words After War and the writers returning from Afghanistan. More on this important group and their artists, please.
November 5, 2013 at 7:41 am
I was just across the bridge from you Saturday, in Bowling Green and South Street seaport, enjoying the crisp air and the sight of all the buildings both up the along the Hudson and over in downtown Brooklyn. It was a beautiful day, wasn’t it?.
November 4, 2013 at 6:04 pm
Want to hear more about Words after War, sounds like an incredible org. Hope that you’ll be able to contribute your work as well.
November 3, 2013 at 7:10 pm
I photographed that squirrel mural too!
November 3, 2013 at 6:28 pm
This was a haunting walk with you Melissa – and has left me feeling somewhat sad, but also thoughtful. Lots to consider this evening. Thanks.