Personal Narrative

A Staten Island Education

The author shares a memoir of her days at PS22R in Staten Island, when wearing a peace button was controversial, and how she navigated the political culture in the fifth and sixth grades, learning about civil disobedience.

Remembering My Grandfather’s Left-Wing Bungalow Colony in Dutchess County

There’s a common perception that all of the old-time Jewish bungalow colonies in New York State were in the Catskills. Maybe the majority were, but not all. Off NY State Route 9D, in Dutchess County, at the foot of a mountain, lies a large parcel of land with several modern houses on it. If you went back 50 years, during the era of my childhood, however, you would have found one medium-sized house and a group of wooden bungalows, painted white with red roofs; a swimming pool; two see-saws and a jungle gym for kids; and a social hall (called the “casino”).night, and waiting cars and trucks quickly collected the barrels and boxes of imported liquor. The bungalow colony was where my
Belarusian-born maternal grandfather,
Harry Rothstein, and his friends held
forth every summer.

In Her Own Words

These stories were told by Alice Testrake at her home in Ripley, NY, in the winter of 2013–2014. Family members were sometimes present. Her memories were collected and illustrated by Art Facilitator Valerie Walawender, MA, as part of Hospice of Chautauqua County’s Art Enrichment Program.

How I Spent My Summer (1967)

So now I had a job as a showroom model. I had to wear a black dress, heels, makeup, and my hair put up. Quite a change from jeans and sweatshirts. I took the subway from 116th Street to 34th Street and walked to the Brooklyn & New York Fur Manufacturers on 29th Street. When a buyer came—say from a department store in St. Louis or Des Moines—I would slip into a fur coat and walk across the show room, turn, pause, hold the coat open, then closed, and then leave the room. Unless the buyer had a question or wanted to look some more, I would not speak except to say the model number.

From the Waterfront

Beginning in the 1960’s, water taxis were at work, ferrying people to locations within the harbors and ports of Long Island. Captains and crew share their occupational experiences in this column.

Refrain: Notes on Crafting Music

The third of three parts in Eric Ball’s essay trilogy, “Homemade Music A Family Tree.” Using the trope of music, the author reflects on his grandfather and his craft.

Poetry of Everyday Life

In his column, Steve Zeitlin explores the relationship between friends, a death, and a service tree in the New York Botanical Garden.