Everard Jones’s best subject was music. He could sing, play guitar, and pick out a few pieces on the piano. He wanted the kind of experience that would make him a great musician.          “Work at a station for a few years, Everard,” said his high school music teacher, Miss Moore. “Meet people. Make contacts [...]

          The skin on my hands was dry and blotched red; the pockets to my coat were filled with napkins and coins, forcing me to keep my hands close to my chest as I stood in front of Jamaica Hospital. Marching in place, I looked up at Tom, waiting for him to decide what he [...]

          I grew up in the interior of Maine, in the sort of house that’s never finished. In the bedrooms, exposed insulation waits for drywall; for twenty years there have been rolls of linoleum stacked in a corner of the kitchen. Outdoor chores wait until the brief summer: July and August are for staining and [...]