by Jeff Maisey | Oct 20, 2020 | News, News & Views, Robotham
(Columnist Tom Robotham was among the first to enjoy the patio when Taphouse Grill in Ghent reopened in late summer) By Tom Robotham Ten years ago, I wrote an essay in this space called “The Soul of the Pub”—my reflections on the appeal of pubs in general, and The...
by Jeff Maisey | Sep 19, 2020 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham No man is an island, / Entire of itself, / Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. ~ John Donne I didn’t watch this year’s Republican convention—I couldn’t stomach the thought—but I did see the opening montage, which...
by Jeff Maisey | Aug 18, 2020 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham Let me ask you a question: Do you pray? If so, for what and to whom? I used to pray a lot. Throughout my childhood, I attended services at a lovely old Episcopal Church virtually ever Sunday, and for several years I served as an acolyte. In...
by Jeff Maisey | Jul 20, 2020 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, which I had the opportunity to visit twice. When it opened, I was just shy of my 8th birthday—the perfect age to appreciate the exhibits, it seems to me, in that I was old...
by Jeff Maisey | Jun 23, 2020 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham On the evening of June 1, I was watching CNN’s live coverage of a peaceful protest near the White House. It was quite encouraging, given that rioting and looting had taken place in various cities the night before. Then, without warning or...
by Jeff Maisey | May 14, 2020 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham As my friends and family members know, I own a lot of books—somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000, by my estimate. Many people have a lot more than that, of course. Years ago I did a feature story on a retired Norfolk librarian who had about...
