The Talk of the Town Dayliner by Mary Norris. A talk story about a day trip up the Hudson River on the Dayliner, a ship owned by the Day Line, Inc. Brusie is a retired dackhand who is riding the Dayliner as often as he can this summer because these four trips may be her last - she is scheduled...

Musical Events by Andrew Porter.

A Reporter at Large CAFETERIA by Michael Stern. REPORTER AT LARGE about cafeterias, particularly the unique Laughner chain in Indiana. There are 5 Laughner cafeterias in Indianapolis, one in Plainfield, one in Terre Haute, and one in kokomo. They all combine self-service, a prosperous milieu, and low prices. Run for four generations by the same family, it...

Reflections THE QUESTION NOT ASKED by William Pfaff. REFLECTIONS about the end of Leninism in the USSR & the unresolved question of what comes next. The revolutionary regime, founded upon ideals of redemptive change led to agricultural collectivization, followed by famine, social & economic failure. Young, selfless revolutionaries focussed on the future & ignored the present. Whittaker Chambers...

Books by Terrence Rafferty.

The Talk of the Town Gold Bar by Alex Prud'Homme. Talk story about the Gold Bar, a so-called Deconstructivist joint hidden behind the facade of an old liquor store on East Ninth Street. Writer met Thomas Leeser, the architect & co-owner of the Gold Bar on a recent Sat. night. The son of an architect, Leeser was raised...

Comment by William Edgett Smith. The 70th birthday of Nelson Mandela, the black S. African leader who has been in prison for almost 26 years, was commemorated in at least 30 countries last week. Tells about gatherings in London & Paris & elsewhere. Dozens of world leaders, including Gorbachev & Reagan, called for Mandela's release...

Fiction Cocky Olly by V. S. Pritchett. Story about Sarah, an introspective girl in her early teens who lives with her parents in the country in England. The Shorts live next door; their son Benedict may be mad. He has a vivid imagination and talks about the Devil a lot. Sarah's father disapproves of the Shorts' lifestyle...

The Theatre MUCH APLOMB by Mimi Kramer.

Comment by Garrison Keillor. A Comment about the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. The speech was given by Ann Richards, the Texas state treasurer. Her speech is described as "classic Democratic oratory" stressing that the people can win if they are united; writer quotes from the speech. Richards also said...

Dept. of Amplification by John Hersey. DEPT. OF AMPLIFICATION on Hersey's "recent essay on James Agee, which appeared under the heading A Critic at Large in the July 18th (1988) issue, I did not give sufficient credited to some of the writings that had been helpful, beyond my own recollections, in the preparation of the article...

Poetry The Amateur by Jean Alice Jacobson. is seated on a step...

Poetry Seeing by Denis Corish. Seeing...

Poetry Chiding the Very-God by Elizabeth Macklin. I can't imagine medicine given me...