You all might as well know...

...that I have a soft spot for Hugh Hefner. First of all, he ran his college humor magazine (at the University of Illinois, called I believe The Shaft--but maybe that's just too perfect). Second, in the 50s and 60s, he was a real champion of comedy and cartooning--and he remains a proponent of jazz. All good things. Third, at least until competition forced it to get unbearably sleazy, Playboy did publish a lot of damn fine stuff; between them, Esquire, and The New Yorker, magazines were genuinely worth reading. And my mom likes him, too. So I'd love to bid on some of the stuff he's auctioning. I just wish he still lived in the Mansion. Chicago hasn't been the same since. Anybody else read that early 60s profile of him? Wolfe or Talese wrote it--very good.



Also enjoyed this article about writer's workshops. Sometimes I think wanting to write should be listed in the DSM-V.