Eric D. Goodman's Blog, page 11
August 16, 2023
Our family journey through Lisbon in Washington Family Magazine!
The latest online issue of Washington Family Magazine features my travel feature on Lisbon!
Join us as we delve into the heart of Lisbon, Portugal, a city that offers a unique blend of history, culture, and affordability. Our family has visited Lisbon twice, pre- and post-pandemic, and each time, we've found new adventures in one of Europe's oldest nations.
Our favorite neighborhood in Lisbon is Alfama, the city's oldest area, where historic buildings with red-clay roofs and cobblestone streets create a picturesque scene. We also explored the Castelo de São Jorge, a fortress that offers panoramic views of the city.
Lisbon isn't just about history. The city is also home to one of the largest aquariums in Europe, the Lisbon Oceanarium, which houses over 8,000 marine animals from around the world.
The city's main pedestrian street, Rua Augusta, is filled with cafes and restaurants where we sampled local delicacies like pastel de nata, a delicious egg custard pastry.
Our journey through Lisbon offered us a chance to immerse ourselves in a different culture and create lasting family memories.
Check out the full story in Washington Family Magazine at the link below:
https://www.washingtonfamily.com/lisb...
Join us as we delve into the heart of Lisbon, Portugal, a city that offers a unique blend of history, culture, and affordability. Our family has visited Lisbon twice, pre- and post-pandemic, and each time, we've found new adventures in one of Europe's oldest nations.
Our favorite neighborhood in Lisbon is Alfama, the city's oldest area, where historic buildings with red-clay roofs and cobblestone streets create a picturesque scene. We also explored the Castelo de São Jorge, a fortress that offers panoramic views of the city.
Lisbon isn't just about history. The city is also home to one of the largest aquariums in Europe, the Lisbon Oceanarium, which houses over 8,000 marine animals from around the world.
The city's main pedestrian street, Rua Augusta, is filled with cafes and restaurants where we sampled local delicacies like pastel de nata, a delicious egg custard pastry.
Our journey through Lisbon offered us a chance to immerse ourselves in a different culture and create lasting family memories.
Check out the full story in Washington Family Magazine at the link below:
https://www.washingtonfamily.com/lisb...
Krakow: A Tale of Two Cities - Unraveling Jewish History and Culture with My Son
My son and I were excited to explore Krakow, a city that boasts a stunning Old Town Square, historical landmarks, and the famous Wawel Royal Castle. However, we were also drawn to a lesser-known side of Krakow: the rich and resilient history of its Jewish community. Join us on our journey by reading: "Exploring Jewish Krakow: Tracing the Rich History and Culture of Poland's Jewish Community" in Go World Travel Magazine.
Delve into Krakow's fascinating Jewish history as we visit synagogues dating back to the 1500s, Schindler's Factory, and Ghetto Hero's Square. Learn about the important role King Casimir III played in the development of the Jewish community and how it thrived until the devastating events of World War II. Walk with us as we navigate the lively Kazimierz neighborhood, now home to an array of Jewish and Polish restaurants, cafes, and shops, and discover how the area's revitalization began with the filming of Schindler's List in the early 1990s.
Although our visit to Krakow did not include a trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau, as my son was under the recommended age, our journey provided us with valuable insights into the lives of the city's Jewish community and their enduring strength and perseverance.
Embark on this father-son adventure by reading "Exploring Jewish Krakow: Tracing the Rich History and Culture of Poland's Jewish Community" in Go World Travel Magazine.
https://www.goworldtravel.com/jewish-...
Delve into Krakow's fascinating Jewish history as we visit synagogues dating back to the 1500s, Schindler's Factory, and Ghetto Hero's Square. Learn about the important role King Casimir III played in the development of the Jewish community and how it thrived until the devastating events of World War II. Walk with us as we navigate the lively Kazimierz neighborhood, now home to an array of Jewish and Polish restaurants, cafes, and shops, and discover how the area's revitalization began with the filming of Schindler's List in the early 1990s.
Although our visit to Krakow did not include a trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau, as my son was under the recommended age, our journey provided us with valuable insights into the lives of the city's Jewish community and their enduring strength and perseverance.
Embark on this father-son adventure by reading "Exploring Jewish Krakow: Tracing the Rich History and Culture of Poland's Jewish Community" in Go World Travel Magazine.
https://www.goworldtravel.com/jewish-...
July 7, 2023
Multiple Bed Partners
For many, bedtime is the best time of the day. Not for the sleeping, but for all that happens before sleep comes. Exciting things can happen at the end of a long day in a comfortable bed.
Sometimes, it all depends on how many bed partners you keep. I’ve always been one for multiple bed partners. They, after all, can make or break the final hours before sleep arrives, can be the difference between excitement and boredom, infatuation and indifference. And when one begins to shed its allure, you can always put your hands on another.
I’m talking, of course, about books.
Books are always stacked on my bedside nightstand, although none of them remain permanent residents. Some readers prefer to focus on one story at a time, but I tend to keep multiple books beside me. With three or four novels in progress at any given time, I know there will always be something to interest me, regardless of my mood.
At the moment, I’m sharing my bed with Jonathan Franzen’s Crossroads, Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, David Mitchell’s Utopia Avenue, and George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: in which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life.
Who have you been sharing your bed with?
Sometimes, it all depends on how many bed partners you keep. I’ve always been one for multiple bed partners. They, after all, can make or break the final hours before sleep arrives, can be the difference between excitement and boredom, infatuation and indifference. And when one begins to shed its allure, you can always put your hands on another.
I’m talking, of course, about books.
Books are always stacked on my bedside nightstand, although none of them remain permanent residents. Some readers prefer to focus on one story at a time, but I tend to keep multiple books beside me. With three or four novels in progress at any given time, I know there will always be something to interest me, regardless of my mood.
At the moment, I’m sharing my bed with Jonathan Franzen’s Crossroads, Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, David Mitchell’s Utopia Avenue, and George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: in which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life.
Who have you been sharing your bed with?
June 26, 2023
Yin Yang Yankee Doodle Rides Loch Raven Review
Loch Raven Review has published my poem "Yin Yang Yankee Doodle," in their latest issue.
Although I primarily write fiction, travel stories, and nonfiction, I occasionally dabble in Poetry. During the pandemic, I found myself inspired to write a little more poetry than usual. The result: poems like "Sissons" that was published last year in North of Oxford, and this one.
It's all about balance, for better or for worse. Check it out in the latest issue of Loch Raven Review.
https://thelochravenreview.net/eric-d...
Although I primarily write fiction, travel stories, and nonfiction, I occasionally dabble in Poetry. During the pandemic, I found myself inspired to write a little more poetry than usual. The result: poems like "Sissons" that was published last year in North of Oxford, and this one.
It's all about balance, for better or for worse. Check it out in the latest issue of Loch Raven Review.
https://thelochravenreview.net/eric-d...
June 9, 2023
But If You Try Sometimes …
As the old Rolling Stones wisdom says, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need. The Stones are one of a number of musical acts referenced in my new novel, Wrecks and Ruins.
In the short novel, men and women of a certain age rummage through the ruins of their wrecked relationships to create something beautiful … and a main character finds beauty in the byproducts of automobile wrecks and the ruins of dilapidated homes and buildings. What’s this book all about, besides just telling a story?
People today tend to idealize what a relationship is supposed to be. Our instant-gratification, post-and-like mentality, coupled with images of what we “deserve” in a mate perpetuated in movies, shows, magazines, and on social media, give people the impression that if things aren’t perfect, then end it and search for that perfection. But relationships aren’t about getting everything you want. They’re joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, compromise, and work along with the play. Working at a relationship—whether a marriage, friendship, or professional one—is not “settling.” It’s being an adult and a realist and being part of the effort. We should all do our part to make meaningful relationships work.
Readers of Wrecks and Ruins will get to know characters who are not perfect and who do not have perfect relationships. But like a phoenix from the ash, they flourish.
Learn more about Wrecks and Ruins at www.EricDGoodman.com.
In the short novel, men and women of a certain age rummage through the ruins of their wrecked relationships to create something beautiful … and a main character finds beauty in the byproducts of automobile wrecks and the ruins of dilapidated homes and buildings. What’s this book all about, besides just telling a story?
People today tend to idealize what a relationship is supposed to be. Our instant-gratification, post-and-like mentality, coupled with images of what we “deserve” in a mate perpetuated in movies, shows, magazines, and on social media, give people the impression that if things aren’t perfect, then end it and search for that perfection. But relationships aren’t about getting everything you want. They’re joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, compromise, and work along with the play. Working at a relationship—whether a marriage, friendship, or professional one—is not “settling.” It’s being an adult and a realist and being part of the effort. We should all do our part to make meaningful relationships work.
Readers of Wrecks and Ruins will get to know characters who are not perfect and who do not have perfect relationships. But like a phoenix from the ash, they flourish.
Learn more about Wrecks and Ruins at www.EricDGoodman.com.
May 22, 2023
Warsaw: Old and New – in Go World Travel Magazine
Poland, once considered one of the wealthiest and mightiest countries in the world, appealed to my teenage son and I as we thought about where we’d like to travel for a father-son adventure. Join us as we uncover the thrilling destinations we explored on our recent trip to Warsaw by reading my travel story: “Warsaw: Old and New” in Go World Travel Magazine.
Exploring the Royal Route, Old Town, and the Royal Castle; marveling at the architecture, sculptures, and street life in Old Town's Market Square; enjoying the view of the city from our rented flat – find it all in Go World Travel Magazine.
https://www.goworldtravel.com/warsaw-...
Exploring the Royal Route, Old Town, and the Royal Castle; marveling at the architecture, sculptures, and street life in Old Town's Market Square; enjoying the view of the city from our rented flat – find it all in Go World Travel Magazine.
https://www.goworldtravel.com/warsaw-...
May 17, 2023
My short story, "Infected" (an excerpt from Wrecks and Ruins) was published in Loch Raven Review. Here’s an excerpt of the excerpt.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic began, it had been all fun and games, at least for Stu and Tiffany. They relished the opportunity to spend all their time together in their spacious home on Pinehurst. Coronavirus was all anyone talked about on the news or in phone conversations—it dominated talk the way it dominated the economy, the health system, politics, and everything else.
On the plus side, Stu and Tiffany and most of their friends and family were healthy, so even if they contracted the virus they knew they would likely be fine, not much worse off than if they were to get the flu. But as the quarantine dragged on from March to April, April to May, all the way into June and July and autumn, and winter, the novelty of being stuck in the house together had worn thin.”
Read the full story at the link below:
https://thelochravenreview.net/eric-d...
On the plus side, Stu and Tiffany and most of their friends and family were healthy, so even if they contracted the virus they knew they would likely be fine, not much worse off than if they were to get the flu. But as the quarantine dragged on from March to April, April to May, all the way into June and July and autumn, and winter, the novelty of being stuck in the house together had worn thin.”
Read the full story at the link below:
https://thelochravenreview.net/eric-d...
May 10, 2023
"Victimless" in The Five-Two
I'm thrilled to announce that my poem "Victimless" has been published in The Five-Two, an online journal that publishes one crime-related poem each week. "Victimless" explores the lingering guilt and fear of a past crime through the lens of an adult reflecting on naive teenage years.
You can find "Victimless" and other crime-related poems on The Five-Two website.
https://poemsoncrime.blogspot.com/202...
You can find "Victimless" and other crime-related poems on The Five-Two website.
https://poemsoncrime.blogspot.com/202...
May 6, 2023
The Doctorow Method of Research
Do you ever find yourself questioning just how much research you need before starting out on the adventure of beginning a new novel or story? E.L. Doctorow never worried about how much research to do. He already knew.
"Just enough research," he explained when I met him one year at the National Book Festival. He expressed that many writers research and research and research until they know too much and can't write a decent fiction. Many writers, in an effort to get things right, get caught up and research and never get deep enough into the writing.
Case and point: his research for perhaps one of his best-known novel, Ragtime.
"My knee fell into a shelf at the library, a book fell out." That book led him to write Ragtime. "That’s my idea of research."
The New York Times makes it easy to do all the research you'd like on Doctorow.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/03/05...
"Just enough research," he explained when I met him one year at the National Book Festival. He expressed that many writers research and research and research until they know too much and can't write a decent fiction. Many writers, in an effort to get things right, get caught up and research and never get deep enough into the writing.
Case and point: his research for perhaps one of his best-known novel, Ragtime.
"My knee fell into a shelf at the library, a book fell out." That book led him to write Ragtime. "That’s my idea of research."
The New York Times makes it easy to do all the research you'd like on Doctorow.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/03/05...
April 17, 2023
Exploring Alfama in Go World Travel
Alfama, as ancient as Lisbon itself, is the oldest neighborhood of the city, founded in 1200 BCE. The rustic neighborhood looks like something out of a sketch from centuries ago.
Historic apartment buildings with red-clay roofs are everywhere. Cobblestone side streets twist through the hillsides connecting little squares. Decorative tiles mark doorways where locals sell liquor from their homes—or hang laundry from them.
There’s just something about the authenticity of Alfama. Join me for a walk along the cobblestoned streets at the link below.
https://www.goworldtravel.com/alfama-...
Historic apartment buildings with red-clay roofs are everywhere. Cobblestone side streets twist through the hillsides connecting little squares. Decorative tiles mark doorways where locals sell liquor from their homes—or hang laundry from them.
There’s just something about the authenticity of Alfama. Join me for a walk along the cobblestoned streets at the link below.
https://www.goworldtravel.com/alfama-...
