Botticelli in the Burgh

All of these paintings, the originals in Tuscany, are also viewable down to the most granular detail, by the most strict parameters of verisimilitude, in an Italianate building of white granite and red terra cotta roof in the middle of Pittsburgh.

2024-04-15T10:24:18-04:00April 8, 2024|

Damned in Ohio

My immediate family was irreligious. My grandparents were raised in contradictory faiths, and their first grandchild was the singular blessing, the lone scandal, that could unite them in disbelief.

2023-12-27T12:12:51-05:00December 15, 2023|

The Complexities of Jewish Identity

She made a choice in life, and I respect her right to choose to practice (or not practice) a religion that best suits her beliefs. That doesn’t mean I think a pastor should be speaking from a synagogue pulpit on Shabbat.

2023-09-20T09:23:41-04:00September 15, 2023|

Birds of Paradise

Alison Vilag pays attention for a living. She counts migrating ducks at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, near Paradise, Michigan. It's key to getting a pulse on different bird populations. But for Alison, counting ducks is more than just science – it's an escape from the expectations of others.

2023-08-02T09:28:34-04:00July 29, 2023|