Lori Perkins

By Lori Perkins As a native New Yorker, I recognize the landscape playwright Alex Lin so often explores—the city as the East Coast’s immigrant mecca, where identity, ambition, and belonging are constantly negotiated. I also come from a long line of intermarried immigrant families and strong women, and I’ve seen firsthand how the promise of the American dream can be both alluring and exclusionary. For many, it reveals itself as a system built on transactional power—historically white and...

by Lori Perkins I was genuinely excited to see The Wild Party  at City Center on Community Night, especially with the promise of a pre-show “wild party” featuring champagne and appetizers. The atmosphere was festive, though the entertainment itself felt a bit uneven—two bawdy musical numbers (one centered on a nightclub assault, which felt jarringly out of step with expectations) alongside two elegant and engaging burlesque performances. Then came the main event. Based on a 1920s poem and...

By Lori Perkins I’ve been working in publishing for four decades, so of course, I’m a book lover. But the last thing I want as a present is another book. Or bookmark. Or a mug about a book or my book loving passion.  At this ripe old age, I also have no wall space left for posters about books. So what do you get someone like me? I’ve been keeping a journal for over 40 years (yes, since I was a kid), so a lovely 5 x 8 book --lined our unlined (I love the ones from the Metropolitan Museum of...