from the publisher

I recently visited a school imprisoned by a high fence, where the children play on concrete and which is housed in an area marked by the curious California blend of strip malls, liquor stores, fast-food drive-thrus, crack houses, and homes owned by the precarious middle class. My task was to interview fourth-graders and uncover what they liked about school. Reading, they announced, but "not baby books," the "ones they get to pick," ones that are color coded by level and subject, with "a lot of different choices."

This week's outsider and community choices include The Good, the Bad and the Freaks, which looks at Zen killers in Brooklyn and drug peddlers in Africa. Joan Bieder offers explanation and excerpts from Albert Einstein's journal in Singapore and Jaron Kanegson details private moments played in public.

And of course you will find more fiction, nonfiction, reviews, poetry, and art on the page.

This is the last week of our inaugural issue which will remain archived on the site when siblings arrive. We're also looking into ways to make On the Page available in print, and we will keep you posted on our progress.

We love to hear from you.