It’s impossible to follow up a post on the death of a loved one and sound anything but banal, but here goes:
Friday, I got a call at the office from my old friend Matt Ruben, an urban studies scholar in drag as a literature scholar (or is it the other way around?) Anyway, I always liked his work — sophisticated, critical, engaged in the way that the best urban studies is, and very politicized. Matt got his PhD recently and so has decided to run for an at-large seat on the Philadelphia City Council. The election is coming up soon, so I sent in a donation. It will be tough but he has a chance. How often do you find a political candidate in whom you can actually believe? It’s true that I don’t live in Philly, but sometimes it’s nice to support one of the good guys.