Posts by Charles Levin
Ancestral Echoes, Ballroom Dancing, and CIA Missions
When did this happen? Last week, my sons, who both live in California, blessed us with a rare visit. It was a magical weekend for many reasons, including a big party we gave for 50 of our closest friends and family. The night before the big party we did Chinese takeout from Ho Ho Kitchen,…
Read MoreThe Submersible in ‘NOT SO DEAD’
[Author’s Note: so many of the events and predictions in my NOT SO DEAD Series have strangely happened as predicted or appeared later in the news. The world has been captivated for the last 2 weeks by the trials and tragedy of the Oceangate submersible. That very same Oceangate submersible model appears in my first…
Read MoreHarry Belafonte and Elaine: In Praise of Unassuming Heroes
[Note: this is a guest post from one of my favorite authors, Bob Katz. The heroic true story of Elaine referenced in this post, alludes to his book Elaine’s Circle: A Teacher, a Student, a Classroom, and One Unforgettable Year. I highly recommend it.] For many years I ran a speakers bureau, which I would…
Read MoreSmile Though Your Heart is Breaking
Charlie wakes up on a bed in an LA department store. His rumpled black jacket is wrapped around him; his derby hat rests on the night table: and his black shoes with the holes and spaghetti laces lay neatly underneath. The store is empty, the lights dim. He rubs the sleep from his eyes by…
Read MoreThe Last Candy Store in East Apple
Story by Diana Searby and Charles Levin | Written by Charles Levin [Reader’s Note: two weeks ago I invited readers to help me finish writing a short story I had half-written on a plane flight from San Francisco to New Jersey. Thanks to all those who contributed their very creative and fun ideas. I chose…
Read MoreWrite a Story with Me #2
[Reader’s note: this is an unfinished story, featuring some childhood memories–maybe yours or maybe mine. I wrote the original Write a Story With Me in 2019 and had some very creative responses which I turned into the finished story The Gift with credit to those who contributed the What happens next to the unfinished story. Let’s…
Read MoreChat GPT and The Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial
By Charles Levin with ChatGPT [Authors Note. I had an idea for a satiric short story based on a real clinical Alzheimer’s drug trial application form I saw that seemed to be absurd on its face. But I have been experimenting with AI and I thought I’d ask GPT to chime in. The following are…
Read MoreAll That Jazz on the Wall
I inherited the painting from my mother thirty-two years ago. It was one of many by an accomplished artist named James Carlin. But this one differed from the rest. I’ll get to that in a minute. My mother and James ‘Jimmy’ Carlin struck up a friendship in the 1950s. She was the first female stockbroker…
Read MoreChapter 21: “This Isn’t That”
[Author’s Note: Today, sample a chapter from my upcoming thriller STILL NOT GONE, the 5th book in the NOT SO DEAD Series wherein Evan meets Evan.] Frank tries to match the circadian rhythms of the real world in this virtual world we inhabit. So, when it’s dark back home where I used to live with…
Read MoreSame Time, Same Station
A familiar phrase popped into my head recently and it got me thinking… Do you remember hearing “Same Time, Same Station?” I heard it often as a kid when one of my favorite TV shows, like Superman or Carol Burnett or Andy Griffith signed off for the week. My parents heard the same phrase as…
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