American Chronicles THE ITALIAN THING by Calvin Trillin. AMERICAN CHRONICLES about the Tiro a Segno Italian social club & about a controversial renovation there. Writer mentions over Italian social clubs such as the Progressive Era Association and the Columbus Citizens Foundation. The Tiro is located on Macdougal, just north of Houston Street. The clubhouse has been carved out...

Comment by Mark Danner. Comment about the potential of war with Iraq over the occupation of Kuwait, in the context of the post-Cold War era. Two hundred thousand troops have been added to the forces in Saudi Arabia. Whether this is a sign that war is inevitable or simply a means of tightening...

Comment Comment, Pt. II by Gerald Jonas. Second part of comment about seeing a rainbow over Central Park. Writer was hurryingnorth on Central Park West, trying to get home before it rained... The only thing exceptional about this rainbow was its location. One end appeared to rise out of the Upper West Side, while the other end...

The Theatre CLEAN by Edith Oliver.

The Talk of the Town Triple A Double S by Nina Tumarkin. Talk story about the annual convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (known as Triple A Double S), in Washington, D.C. At the Washington Hilton, participants talk about the changes in Slavic studies that have been wrought by glasnost and perestroika. The academics at the conference...

Fiction Discover Taronia by Polly Frost. The piece is in the form of a catalogue of collectibles from the country of Taronia, written by the country's president. People can save themselves the trouble of travelling to other countries to collect souvenirs: Taronia offers an 800 telephone number through which they can buy such items as the...

Fiction The End of Vandalism by Tom Drury. Dan Norman is sheriff in the farming community of Grafton. At a fall blood drive, he chats with Louise Darling and her husband, Tiny. Dan suspects Tiny of being responsible for some break-ins. Dan next runs into Tiny in a fight at the Lime Bucket Tavern. Dan puts Tiny...

A Reporter at Large THE WINDOW-WASHER by Janet Malcolm. REPORTER AT LARGE about recent visits to Prague. The first time the writer arrived in late Dec., 1989, on the morning of Vaclav Havel's inauguration as President of the Republic. Writer's parents had fled Czechoslovakia & the Nazis with her sister and her in 1939. They were one of the...

Books by Judith Thurman.

Dept. of Amplification by Paul Brodeur. DEPARTMENT OF AMPLIFICATION of ANNALS OF RADIATION(7/9/90) about power lines & their effect on cancer rates on residents of Meadow Street, in Guilford, Connecticut; on citizens in two small towns in North Carolina; and on pupils in a California elementary school. Tells about a meeting at the Guilford Public...

The Talk of the Town Shogi by Adam Gopnik. Talk story about a meeting of members of the New York chapter of the Shogi Federation of Japan, at the Iroha Restaurant, on W. 49th St. Shogi is an offshoot of chess, dating from medieval times. It has overlaid upon the rules of chess still more complexities of strategy, variety...

The Art World (The Art Galleries) by Adam Gopnik.

The Current Cinema MOTHER, HUSBAND, BROTHER by Pauline Kael.

Poetry I Wake Alone by Camillo Sbarbaro. From sleep I wake alone in dead of night...

Poetry The Red Dress by Vickie Karp. Some autumn leaves create a space in the shape of a red...

Poetry Giveaway by Kathleen Norris. In the desert...