Carol Kirkpatrick, possibly the brightest writer I ever met in a writing group (proof positive being her ability to scribble out a pithy, brilliantly crafted story on the spot) had the additional charm of treating me to an oral history of Brooklyn whenever we walked its streets together. Combining warmth, depth, humor, and subtlety well into her 90s, she will always represent perfectly what I’d like to be when I grow up. My hope is to charm you with this sample of her writing:
Second Thoughts
Leash laws are only three or four decades old in New York.
Socrates was a ladies’ man. Neighbors with female dogs used to holler at us for letting him roam. Once the puppies arrived the owners were charmed enough to invite Socky over the next time their dog came in heat.
