Nov 18The Last Waltz: Goodbye, Catholic New YorkCatholic New York newspaper published its last edition this week. I had met my wife, Nancy, working there in the 1980s. Its editor, my friend John Woods, published this informative article about the publication’s history: https://www.cny.org/stories/goodbye-cny,24614 In it, he mentions two editors I worked for at the start of my…Journalism3 min readJournalism3 min read
Nov 7Three Recent PoemsRecent original poetry, all about family memories, first posted on my blog — Bob Varettoni, 11/7/22. Elegy in a Living Room I lie alone in my boyhood home, on a faux-leather sofa, a curiosity from the 1970s my mother won’t surrender. The suburbs are Sunday-silent. I shut my eyes and begin to float… Up a…Poetry2 min readPoetry2 min read
Sep 10Visiting the Warhol Museum: Ambivalence and Awe in PittsburghNancy and I took a road trip to Pittsburgh, ostensibly to see the baseball Pirates host the New York Mets. On our way to an afternoon game, we crossed paths with the Andy Warhol Museum. I was excited to see the works of this New York City legend, not realizing…Art4 min readArt4 min read
Aug 26Braided Essay*: ‘Thunder Road’ in 6 ScenesAre You Scared? Are You Thinking That Maybe You Aren’t That Young Anymore? Scene 1: The disambiguation page on Wikipedia lists 21 possible references to “Thunder Road.” But as anyone knows who grew up in New Jersey in the decade of the ’70s, there’s really only one. It’s the song recorded by Bruce Springsteen in 1975. A song without a chorus. Scene 2…Springsteen4 min readSpringsteen4 min read
Jul 26Hamlet in Suburbia: Why I Love PhotographyHere’s another shameless self-promotional photo of me (far left, which is as political a statement I’ll make in this post), holding a copy of the new “New Jersey Fan Club” anthology with some co-contributors. We had gathered this past Saturday at The Corner (top right), a great little shop/studio in…Photography3 min readPhotography3 min read
Jun 3Happy Birthday, Allen GinsbergToday would have been the 96th birthday of the poet who saw the best minds of his generation destroyed by madness. I have a great affinity for Allen Ginsberg. Although we are polar opposites in terms of personality and poetic ability, we at least share a complicated love of…Poetry Writing4 min readPoetry Writing4 min read
Jan 9Why I (Sometimes) Love Social MediaI can be a hero… just for one day. Have you ever had a social media post go viral? I experienced that on a small scale earlier today, with this Twitter post of a throwback photo of the epic Jersey City mural by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra:Social Media2 min readSocial Media2 min read
Jan 312 Days of Christmas in New JerseyLooking back on 2021 with appreciation for my home, and the people and things that surround me December 2021-January 2022 In pre-COVID times, on Epiphany Sunday, I’d take Mom to Mass at St. Bonaventure’s Church in Paterson, NJ, to listen to the Chopin Male Choir of Passaic sing Polish Christmas carols. I once wrote that these trips were a reminder of New Jersey’s quirky, and powerful, diversity…New Jersey14 min readNew Jersey14 min read
Oct 2, 2021Thirteen Ways of Looking at New York (Happy Birthday, Wallace Stevens)If social media has taught me one thing about life, it’s to reaffirm how ordinary I am. Which is why one of my favorite writers is Wallace Stevens, an ordinary life insurance executive who wrote some of the world’s most extraordinary poems. It’s his 142nd birthday today. I love the…Poetry4 min readPoetry4 min read
Sep 10, 202120 Years Later, 9/11 RememberedThis year I’ve again updated a Pinterest site of photos and stories recalling my former Verizon colleagues and their heroic response to 9/11. You can reach it at https://www.pinterest.com/bvar/verizons-response-to-911/ . Newly added is a booklet from 2005 about the history and recovery of 140 West Street, the old headquarters building…9 11 Attacks2 min read9 11 Attacks2 min read
