A surprise piece of news this morning: I received notice I’d been selected as a finalist in the 2015 Maine Literary Awards Nonfiction Short Works category. The excerpts below – that made up the submission – are part of a larger piece called The Christmas Letters. Some of you are familiar with another excerpt from […]
Author Archives: Adam Nathan
May
11
The Well-Tempered Songbook: #45 Pink Moon, Nick Drake
posted by Adam Nathan
* There were probably ten of us, split up between two cars. We were on spring break, headed from the Upper West Side to Sarasota, Florida. The late model station wagon I was in had bags roped to the roof and about six of us inside. This was long before seat belts so we […]
September
30
The Nathan Brothers: Pas de Deux
posted by Adam Nathan
Adam: In a single word please describe the experience of others watching you dance. Entries longer than a single word will not be given consideration. Chris: Amusement. Adam: Yeah, that works for me, too. I think if I’m on the outer edge of a dance floor and somebody who knows me that isn’t dancing is watching they might be […]
September
26
Tattoo You (A Men’s Night Out)
posted by Adam Nathan
* I’m part of a group of guys that goes out monthly in my neighborhood to, well, drink I suppose, mostly. But we manage to sneak some other activities in there as well. Anyway, it was my turn to host, which really means decide where we’re going to drink, and I decided to put a […]
September
01
The Nathan Brothers
posted by Adam Nathan
Adam: I want to run an idea by you. Let me know when you have a minute. (No hurry.) Chris: Hi Adam. Here I am. On the same page, so to speak. It’s an odd sensation. Very… public. I feel self-conscious, as if you had just invited me up on to a stage where you’ve been […]
July
20
Notes from the STPTS (Seattle-Portland-Seattle Bike Ride)
posted by Adam Nathan
My son and I biked the “STP” Seattle-to-Portland ride last weekend and then returned home via the same route. A few minor notes and observations from the five day, 415 mile ride: ‘Somebody Might Have Mentioned That’ Dept. It turns out ten thousand rider Seattle-to-Portland bicycle “event” isn’t actually a race. You aren’t competing. There’s no prize […]
March
04
Elton John’s Maple Drive Oscar Party
posted by Adam Nathan
Last night watching the post Oscar telecast, I caught an interview with Elton John about what have now become legendary Oscar parties for his AIDS foundation. He mentioned the place where he first held it, some twenty years ago, at a restaurant in Beverly Hills called Maple Drive. The following excerpt, long buried on my […]
January
27
“Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago”
posted by Adam Nathan
Seattle Friends, If you are even a little curious about the Camino de Santiago and would like to understand more about the experience of walking it, this documentary is a great place to start and it is going to be in Seattle soon. Starting on Friday, February 7th at the SIFF Uptown Cinema, there will […]
January
15
9 Reasons Steve Jobs Will Come Back From the Dead to Fire Somebody at TBWA\Media Arts Lab
posted by Adam Nathan
1. The False Note It’s going to be six months before I can read a poem after this mess. Just in case the clap of thunder and the swirling, Terrence Malick storm clouds didn’t clue you in, the long, single stroke of cello should have. I was in the middle of the divisional round and […]
January
01
‘Her’ (Spike Jonze, 2013)
posted by Adam Nathan
Caveat Spectatorus: there are a couple details revealed about the film that *may* be spoilers. But do come back later! There is so much to see. The near-future urban world of ‘Her’ has been exquisitely imagined: holographic video games, softly illuminated elevator panels, sleek intra-building walkways, clicking earbuds – and not a detail feels borrowed […]
December
24
The Christmas Letters
posted by Adam Nathan
I look up from the black and white laptop screen and the whole world is in color just like in the Wizard of Oz. It’s 10:30 at night and I’ll be writing for hours, but I don’t care because I’m ready now. Daddy’s home for Christmas.
December
13
Dr. Brad
posted by Adam Nathan
For several years an old friend has posted Facebook aphorisms with the key words adorned in title case. Gratitude. Love. Look. Soulmate. Partner. Equinox. “I don’t believe I’m the “Healer”, but I DO believe I’m hear as Your Facilitator in Your Healing process.Dr.Brad” They were often punctuated incorrectly, spaces missed on the keys, double-entry on DrDr. They were […]
December
09
The Little Christmas Tree in My Heart
posted by Adam Nathan
Twas the night before Christmas and pouring with rain. We gathered the family in our car and headed out to the Christmas Tree dealership so we could pick out a tree we all agreed on, because that’s the family deal: everybody has to like the tree. If you don’t like it, the way you express […]
November
15
Scenes from a Yoga Practice
posted by Adam Nathan
There is a hot yoga studio hidden about a hundred yards from the door of my Fremont office building. The studio is located at the funky convergence of a tattoo parlor, a Burlington Northern train of garbage dumpsters, and, so help me God, a stray alley cat somebody fitted with a nose ring. If nobody has kicked into […]
November
10
Kenneth Katzner’s English-Russian Dictionary (More Notes of the Film Gravity)
posted by Adam Nathan
(Spoiler alert: if you haven’t seen Gravity, but have plans to, stop here. If you haven’t read my first set of notes on the film, they are here.) Visiting with my son and my brother’s family last night in New Jersey, I saw Gravity for a second time. When I came out the first time, […]
