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Veer Articles Archive
The following posts are website transcripts of Veer Magazine articles written by Naro co-owner Tench Phillips from July 17, 2017 through July 16th, 2020 as a monthly print column, now discontinued. These articles offer Tench’s insights on social and political issues of the day, usually tied into special film events at The Naro. Note that these are archival, listed with the most recent at the top and additional page links for older articles at the bottom.
Waiting for Godot: The Elusive Promise of Reopening
The temporary closing of the Naro Cinema on March 20th of this year marked the beginning of a long period of anticipation for the extended Naro family. We originally planned for a July 4th weekend reopening with showings of the Spielberg classic ‘Jaws’ as a fun and...
John Lewis: A Profile In Courage
It is a good time to reflect on the civil rights era of the sixties and re-learn the effective strategies used by protest organizers and leaders. America has long memorialized the life and work of Martin Luther King. And yet there were other leaders who marched with...
Surviving the Storms Together
Guest Contributor Al Markowitz is a freelance writer, poet, publisher, activist and philosopher. His articles frequently appear in Veer Magazine. He also publishes the Blue Collar Review, Journal of Progressive working Class Literature. More of Al's writings can be...
Bad Habits: Keeping Up With Our Joneses
I like to do my writing in the mornings when I feel most clear-headed. I sit with my laptop accompanied by my cats and a hot cup of black coffee. My daily java ‘jones’ requires freshly ground French dark roast beans placed in our manual pour-over Chemex drip-through...
Saving Life On Earth
Towering over me was a massive elongated head whose six-foot-long neck stretched down to meet us. This giant creature was so strange and intimidating when experienced up close that it might as well have been an alien being. And yet there was a knowing intelligence...
The Best Films of the Past Year (Based On True Stories)
In our modern era, the novelty of real-life events has become stranger than any conceived fiction. The films I’ve seen in the past year that have left their most indelible mark are reality-based stories exploring personal moral choices necessitated by the...
What’s Up, Doc? The Best Documentaries of the Year
When we first initiated the Naro series ‘New Non-Fiction Film’ in the early 2000s, documentaries were still considered to be the red headed stepchild of arthouse programming. The bulk of the screen content being foreign films, indie American films, and film classics....
Looking Back at 2019 and Hopes for Next Year
As I write this, the holiday season with all its emphasis on frenzied gift buying is again upon us, along with the first trickle of election season ads by billionaires seeking to buy the election, as if everything, including the presidency, were a Black Friday...
Exorcising the Ghost of Roy Cohn
Guest Contributor Al Markowitz is a freelance writer, poet, publisher, activist and philosopher. This article is published in the latest Veer Magazine. He also publishes the Blue Collar Review, Journal of Progressive working Class Literature. More of Al's writings can...
The Third Kingdom: Notes From the Underground
After a cool August morning searching vainly for chanterelle mushrooms within an aspen forest on the high slopes of the San Juan Mountains surrounding Telluride – I had reluctantly given up. Turning back towards town empty handed, I came upon a mossy glade in the...
Dark Matter: Einstein’s Unsolved Enigma
It seems that congratulations are in order! At this point in the universe’s 13.76 billion year trajectory, earthlings have reached a comprehensive understanding of all the laws of physics that make up our everyday reality. That’s quite a claim, isn’t it? But the last...
Burning Down The House
I looked down upon a sea of green that spread out below me in every direction as far as my eyes could see. I had flown out of Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, destined for Rio Branco in the western part of Brazil adjacent to the border with Bolivia. But...
Catnip for Jazz Lovers: Blue Note Records at 80
It’s been a rewarding summer for a greying audience of baby boomers who have been rediscovering their hippie roots from the sixties and seventies. I’m not referring to CBD oil. The Naro has shown a number of new documentaries featuring legendary musicians and historic...
Losing My Religion: Seeking A Gospel of Inclusion
I was brought up during the late fifties and early sixties attending my family’s church, Calvin Presbyterian on Little Creek Road in Norfolk. We lived in a white middle-class neighborhood, and everyone we associated with looked like us. I would resist having to attend...
Deep Ecology: How Life Works
I’ve been conflicted about the message I want to convey in this month’s column. How do I tackle the most important issues of our time. What is the tone or spirit I want to express that would make some kind of a contribution for readers. My mood ebbs and flows as I...