Fiction The Foul Ball by John Irving. Twenty years after Johnny Wheelwright left his home town of Gravesend, New Hampshire for Canada, he recalls his boyhood friend, Owen Meany, the smallest person he ever knew. Tells about their friendship. When they were both 11 Johnny's mother was killed when she was struk on the head by a...

The Talk of the Town Pick Men by Bryan Di Salvatore. Talk story about Chuck Collum & Rickey Anderson--who are best pals & who collect guitar picks. Rickey is 20. He was holding a snakeskin 3-ring binder. "It's not real snakeskin," he said. "It's only plastic. But it's snakeskin pattern." The binders were filled with pocketed sheetsoof clear plastic...

Comment by Daniel Menaker. Comment about a memorial service held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for Martin Luther King. There was a gospel concert on Saturday night & a convocation on Sunday afternoon & the unifying idea of each was the education & moral development of children--one of Dr. King's...

Fiction Poetry by Nina Cassian. From this pencil departs a path of black lead...

The Talk of the Town Irradiation by Richard Brookhiser. Talk story about a visit to the Russian Turkish Baths on 10th St. between First Ave. & Ave. A. The baths occupy a town-house size building. In the foyer there are instructions for anyone with special dietary requirements or a desire for a "Platza"--a massage with oak-leaf...

The Talk of the Town Scarves Everywhere by Holly Brubach. Talk Story about "A Scarf Is Born," an exhibition of 100 Hermes scarves from the last 50 years on view at the Hermes Gallery, one flight above the store on East 57th St. Writer visited the gallery earlier that day to talk to Jean-Louis Dumas Hermes, the chairman of...

Books by Terrence Rafferty.

Profiles VITAL POWERS by Caroline Alexander. PROFILE of Daphne Park, born in England in 1921. She grew up in Africa. At age 11 her parents sent her to England. After a distinguished & eventful career as a British diplomat she is now principal of Somerville College, one of the two remaining single-sex colleges at Oxford...

Our Far-Flung Correspondents EMPTY OR NEARLY SO IN HOUSTON by George W. S. Trow. OUR FAR-FLUNG CORRESPONDENTS about the glut of office space in Houston, Texas. Writer visits the Phoenix Tower, a new office building, built in 1985. which has stood empty because the economy of Texas, dependent on the health of the energy industry, has been in crisis. Writer talks to Carolyn...

Letter from Europe by Jane Kramer. Writer's neighbor is a conseiller. There are 79 conseillers in France. The last time writer saw him, the French were voting on a referendum, an elaborate(and some say constitutionally suspect)referendum having to do with the future of their Pacific islands of New Caledonia. Writer tries to visit him...

Comment by Daniel Menaker. Comment about a memorial service held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for Dr. Martin Luther King. There was a gospel concert on Saturday night & a convocation on Sunday afternoon & the unifying idea of each was the education & moral development of children--one of Dr...

Poetry Surface Tension by Elizabeth Macklin. Desire restrained takes a long, cool bath...

Poetry Heads (Jerusalem, November 1987) by J. D. McClatchy. The aromas of split persimmon...