Adieu, and Be Well ... Broad Street is now closed.

Adieu, and Be Well … Broad Street is now closed.

One last time, and forever, we thank all of our contributors, our readers, our boards, and our editorial staff over the last almost-decade. We had a great run and published so much of which we are deeply proud. We started laying plans in 2011 with a dream and a shoestring...
“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

Reflections on life, afterlife, and the reality of the dark, dark passage. “Nothing in my life will be erased after I die.” Photo by the author. To most of you out there, I’m old. I’m so old, odds are I’ll probably die soon. You can think on that for a few seconds and move...
“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

A pandemic and other global breakdowns inspire a visual journal of diverse styles and influences. “I think for me what is interesting about this series of work is the diversity of voices within myself.” “Vitriol.” Editors’ Note: Alexandra (Ali) Blum is a California-based artist who draws on influences from around the...
Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser. 

Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser. 

 The BLM movement is writ large on the Civil War monuments of the Confederacy’s former capital. And now some controversial statues are being removed. “We Just Want Justice,” protesters and graffiti at the base of the Robert E. Lee statue. Broad Street’s home is in Richmond, Virginia, where Jefferson Davis once presided...
From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

On learning that she should sacrifice herself for the good of the public. pikrepo.com On the television this morning, an idea was floated with great sincerity. I could sacrifice myself for the public good. If anyone had to get sick or starve or die from a lack of oxygen, I was...
Latest entries
“Two Broken Feet,” by Kathleen de Azevedo.

“Two Broken Feet,” by Kathleen de Azevedo.

Differences in healing pre- and post-pandemic. “I felt a sense of creeping dread, made worse by the feeling that I could not run away.” http://www.metmuseum.org/ My last essay for Broad Street told of my trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when I broke my foot. On that trip to my birthplace, I wanted to prove my...
“Aurora Borealis,” a stroll with Harry Kollatz, Jr., through Nature, Disaster, Memory.

“Aurora Borealis,” a stroll with Harry Kollatz, Jr., through Nature, Disaster, Memory.

“These days, the natural world around us is magnificent as a Baroque painting adorned by blooms and birdsong …” “The summer of 1914 would have been memorable for us even without the doom which it spread over the European earth,” author Stefan Zweig recalled in his book The World of Yesterday. “Throughout the days and nights...
"Epicenter," by Amira Pierce: New York empties out.

“Epicenter,” by Amira Pierce: New York empties out.

“Our New York is scraped raw and almost eerily still…” “Epicenter” is a word they’ve said, we’ve said, I’ve said, you’ve said. Before, I didn’t care but this time I wish we meant it was the fashion epicenter, the entertainment epicenter, the business epicenter. And people who aren’t here ask from my computer monitor, “How is...
“Last Night I Cried,” by Paula Boyland.

“Last Night I Cried,” by Paula Boyland.

No guidelines for a new way of life. “On the surface, we’re still doing what we were doing before the world changed …” Last night I cried. I was pouring myself a glass of wine and debating whether to watch TV in bed or play games on the computer. Mid-pour, I was surprised by the tightness in...
“No One Is Intrinsically Immune,” by Christopher Bradley, MD:  A neuroscientist explains transmission.

“No One Is Intrinsically Immune,” by Christopher Bradley, MD: A neuroscientist explains transmission.

If the surface were “human,” our immune system would not recognize it as “foreign,” and we would not develop immunity. A pangolin, or spiny anteater, in defensive posture. Where do I start? I’m a molecular biologist, a neuroscientist, and a practicing physician (so I deal with infections). I am not a virologist, nor an infectious...