Gwyn Mcallister

In Stage Battle of Sexes, Mark Twain Wins

There’s an old Rabbinic saying that in every generation we are Adam and Eve in Eden, able to begin again. Considering the current state of global affairs, we can certainly take heart that, like the original couple, we too can survive the Fall with grace and optimism. No less an inspiration than the American master of humor himself, Mark Twain, has provided us with a life lesson worth heeding.

The two-character play drawn from Mark Twain’s Diaries of Adam and Eve is now on stage at the Vineyard Playhouse.

 

 

 

NEGOTIATE LIKE THE PROS: A Top Sports Negotiator’s Lessons for Making Deals, Building Relationships, and Getting What You Want. By Kenneth Shropshire. McGraw-Hill. October, 2008. 224 pages. $19.95.

Professor Kenneth Shropshire is a former all-state athlete who grew up in inner city Los Angeles and attended Stanford on a football scholarship. He is a sports fan who can discuss ESPN news with enthusiasm and will knowledgeably forward his opinions on shady college recruitment practices and sports agent scandals.

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CAMUS, A ROMANCE. By Elizabeth Hawes. Grove Press. July 2009. 304 pages. $25 hardcover.

As an undergrad, Elizabeth Hawes became fascinated with Albert Camus and embarked on an exploration of not only the work but also the world of the brilliant, handsome and charismatic writer and philosopher. Although she was physically half a world away and metaphorically a universe away from her subject, she was determined to somehow enter her idol’s world.

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A mysterious stranger became the highlight of the poetry night at Che’s Lounge two weeks ago. Here’s how former West Tisbury poet laureate Dan Waters, one of the 70 or so people who crowded the Vineyard Haven cafe that evening, describes it:

“A tall, 90-year-old man walked in with a sheaf of poems — which happens all the time — and started reading. Every poem was preceded by an anecdote. They were humorous, and it was amazing.”

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There’s an old Rabbinic saying that in every generation we are Adam and Eve in Eden, able to begin again. Considering the current state of global affairs, we can certainly take heart that, like the original couple, we too can survive the Fall with grace and optimism. No less an inspiration than the American master of humor himself, Mark Twain, has provided us with a life lesson worth heeding.

The two-character play drawn from Mark Twain’s Diaries of Adam and Eve is now on stage at the Vineyard Playhouse.

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