Ken Foster's Blog, page 4

Why Obama Should Hire A Pit Bull to Reform the ACA Healthcare Marketplace

Have a got your attention?  I'm trying to create a post that will attract the most internet trolls to every gather in one spot.

But while I have your attention, what I really wanted to address is my new health insurance.  While everyone else was complaining about the glitches in the system or doing stories on how inaccessible it supposedly was, I somehow managed to enroll.  Three times.  And, having been through the process three times now, I can say that the glitches are...

The Curious Case of Janet Malcolm

Back in the 1990s, when I was in grad school at Columbia University, Janet Malcolm was at the center of the ongoing debate regarding the ethics and responsibilities of journalists.  Her controversial essays and profiles were so much the center of the debate that there was very little discussion of her technique or even, at times, her subjects.  The conversation was always about Janet Malcolm.  What did her latest piece reveal...about her?  Where her choices moral?  Was...

New essay course starting January 13th on Ruzuku

One of the great aspects of online learning is the flexibility of schedule.  But this is one of the great challenges as well.  Online classes tend to appeal to people who have busy schedules, and still those schedules get in the way.  This has inspired me to create a new format with this online essay course.  The course itself is 14 weeks long, divided into seven units.  In each unit we'll spend a week discussing the work of the assigned author followed by a week of s...

What We Talk About When We Talk About Pit Bulls

A few months ago, a friend asked if I would consider contributing to a blog she shares with Your Pit Bull and You.  What did they want me to write about?  "What is a pit bull?"  Sure, I said.  Why not?  I've written on that unanswerable question plenty of times.  But I wanted to find something new to say, or some new way of saying it.
another dog trainer:

It wasn't until, last week, that same friend spoke of the controversy that erupted when Your Pit Bull and You...

18 Stories for just 99 cents

For less dog-centered content, you might want to check out my ebook, The Kind I'm Likely to Get.  I asked my ebook publisher, Trajectory, if we could lower the price for the holidays, and the short story collection is now available for just 99 cents at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.  That includes my original short story collection, which was a New York Times Notable Book, and four new stories.  A total of 18 stories for 99 cents, and worth every penny, I promise....

Help out the pit bulls of New Orleans

My very own Sula Foundation is having its annual calendar fundraiser, and here are the details. I'd be tickled if bought a calendar or shirt for the pit bull lovers in your life--it'll help us continue our work in the lower-income areas of New Orleans, with low-cost clinics, free spay/neuter, etc. We're even training some vets in the new year to bring a non-surgical sterilization procedure to the city:


This year we sponsored a contest looking for pit bull saints from

allover the country; the...

Help out the pit bull of New Orleans

My very own Sula Foundation is having its annual calendar fundraiser, and here are the details. I'd be tickled if bought a calendar or shirt for the pit bull lovers in your life--it'll help us continue our work in the lower-income areas of New Orleans, with low-cost clinics, free spay/neuter, etc. We're even training some vets in the new year to bring a non-surgical sterilization procedure to the city:


This year we sponsored a contest looking for pit bull saints from

allover the country; the...

Yes, the healthcare marketplace works

For the past year, I've been without health insurance.  As someone with a pre-existing condition, this isn't a surprise.  I used to be covered by an employer, who paid part of my costs as a benefit.  But then my hours were reduced in order to avoid having to pay benefits, and my policy cost me $590.00 a month.  Then, after 18 months, my Cobra ran out and I became uninsurable.

I have a pacemaker, which is the main reason I'm uninsurable although, if you think about, having...

What a piece of twerk is man! T-Shirt

Every now and then I think: this is so silly I could make a fortune from it.  But then I don't do anything.  Until now!  Here it is, the What a piece of twerk is man! T-Shirt, the first in a string of silly shirts, mugs and trinkets that I'll be posting to CafePress.  Also available, the one and only Makes Me Wanna Challah T-Shirt!  Collect them all!Visit the archive at www.ken-foster.com

All in the Family: Fun Home opens at the Public Theater

Last week I was in New York for an alumni event at Columbia University and took the opportunity to catch a preview of the new musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's "Fun Home" at the Public Theater.  Short review: I loved it.  I loved it so much that I immediately wanted to find a venue to write about it and spread the word, but there was this one awkward snag in that plan: I'm completely biased.  First clue: this awesome portrait of myself and Doug which Alison did last year a...