An 1867 Brooklyn ghost-story legend, first collected by a 19th-century local historian: a man who takes a dare near a site with real Revolutionary War history, rides off into the dark for more brandy — and comes back changed, and silent. A history-forward piece (~9 min) that uses the legend to unpack how Brooklyn neighborhood names like Fort Greene and Cobble Hill carry real buried history most people walk past every day.
Speaking / Storytelling
Mr. Boerum (Mr. Boerum Dies 2 Days Later)
Related
Related talks & storiesmore speaking on this theme
A dark New Jersey road in 1896, a decorated Civil War veteran, and the strangest first in American newspaper history.
Story
Cropsey
A campfire legend about a hook-handed maniac who hunted children on Staten Island — and the real, disturbing history that got tangled up in it.
A walk through how we got to SNL — and the irony that its once ground-breaking variety show format is the only one left standing.
Related essaysthe written companion
Essay
Notes on a Play
Notes on a Play – fred chong rutherford
Essay
Death Row Mukbang
I think this is the last time I’ll post an essay to Facebook. During a period of my life where I was convinced I wasn’t writing, it turned out I’d poured hundreds of thousands of words here and on reddit. All of it practice, all of it scales, all of it worth it. Getting feedback […]
Essay
Carter and Marlo
I wrote a short-short story yesterday. As I understand it, flash fiction is a short story of less than 800 words, and a short-short is a story of about 800-2000 words. When I learned that, I realized I spent a good chunk of my teens and twenties writing both kinds. They often end with some […]
Programming a night?
Tell me about your bill — supernatural, confessional, or comedic — and let's see if a set fits.
A conversation, not a form — clips, rooms, and range so you can book by seeing. Opens the contact form on the homepage; mention this piece and I'll follow up directly.