2000-10-11 - 8:01 p.m.

For Yom Kippur, I'd meant to post an excerpt from Wendy Wasserstein's _An American Daughter_. But first I was busy, and later I realized that my copy of the monologue was stored in an email account that no longer exists. Oops. So I'll just tell you why I love the excerpt, and you can go to the bookstore and find it if you're intrigued (or if you are a drama student looking for good material): the speaker is a Jewish African-American physician. She arrives at her best friend's house dripping wet. She's come from watching the other Jews throw breadcrumbs into the river while sharing their regrets with G-d. It is a speech that harbors both deep and wry emotion within its lines, and it's no wonder Lynne Thigpen won a Tony Award for the role.

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In the car today, I listened to an eponymous CD by Liz Graham. Her voice reminds me of Natalie Merchant, her arrangements remind me of Catie Curtis. I didn't find any of the songs especially compelling, but I think someone feels more strongly about Merchant and/or Curtis might well find it appealing. Information and samples at http://store.yahoo.com/tangible-music/lizgrahilgra.html