The Talk of the Town Veves by Alec Wilkinson. Talk story about banners called veves, which are made from drawings done by voodoo priests or priestesses during ceremonies, usually on the ground with cornmeal. The image is laid out in bright beads and sequins on silk or velvet, like a brocade. Veves are not sacredNthey are not considered to...

Musical Events A Frail Bark by Andrew Porter.

Comment by Daniel Ford. In his 1946 essay "Politics and the English Language," George Orwell wrote that "political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible," and consist chiefly of "euphemism, question-begging, and sheer cloudy vagueness." Under the influence of these truth-denying practices, English would ultimately deteriorate, he prophesied, into...

Fiction Grapette by Frederick Barthelme. The narrator, 37, attends the birthday party of Carmel Seaver, 17, who is the daughter of an old friend. Four years earlier they had been lovers. The man has not seen Carmel more than half a dozen times since their "little romance," and never alone. Her parents, Herman, a real...

The Talk of the Town Higher Education by William McKibben. Talk story about visits to three Manhattan schools: Charismedia Services for Comfortable Effective Speaking, the New York School for Jingle Singing, and the Announcer Training Studios. The writer visited the Times Square office of Morris Brownstein, the founder and registrar of the Announcer Training Studios. Brownstein said that in broadcasting...

Annals of Zoology II-A MOODY GIANT by Emily Hahn. ANNALS OF ZOOLOGY about gorillas. The first birth of a gorilla in captivity was at the Columbus Zoological Garden in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 22, 1956. Zoo officials discovered that the gestation period was between 257 and 259 days. Later observations have pared the period down slightly. As more and...

Our Footloose Correspondents THE AIR by Michael J. Arlen. Column about the fact that British war correspondents, just back from covering the Falkland Islands conflict, have compared their lot unfavorably with the experience of American TV news crews in Vietnam. Writer points out two initial differences between the Falklands and Vietnam: one was that the American role in Vietnam...

Books Female Pilgrims by John Updike.

The Talk of the Town White House Party by Ved Mehta. Talk story about attending a White House concert and reception in honor of Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India. There was a dinner preceding it to which the writer was not invited. Tells about the invitation and the card necessary to get in, which was not transferable. Writer joined a...

Jazz JAZZ TEN LEVELS by Whitney Balliett. Column about jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz, who plays occasionally around New York with a nonet. Konitz plays bebop, and was influenced by Charlie Parker. Describes his playing style, gives history of his career...

Fiction The Faculty Meeting by Jeremy Bernstein. A humorous story about professors at a small university. The climax comes at a meeting of the faculty. The issue is whether or not to grant an honorary degree to Herschel J. Lang, a self-taught biologist who made a fortune creating bacteria that would produce specific products when fed...

Poetry Brothers and Sisters by Kathleen Cushman. As if in some badly made home movie, their faces shift...

Poetry The Lake by Karen Fish. The water is the color of Chinese green tea...

Poetry In The Aquarium by Patricia Goedicke. From the front door to the back garden...