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Jennifer Schulaner's avatar

Beautiful piece Suzanne, Thank you! I can totally relate to your interest and exit from the college Geology class in favor of maintaining mystery, memory and meaning embedded in stone. Thanks for letting us take this ride with you along the Hudson River Valley through the Palisades and into the bowels of Penn Station. Also, Thanks Rev Stephanie. I’m going to check out the novel you cited.

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Suzanne Spellen's avatar

Thank you!!

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Albert's avatar

I live half the year in Brooklyn and the other half in Gilbertsville. I’m on Mill St and Bloom.

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Suzanne Spellen's avatar

What a great combination. We should talk one of these days!

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Rev. Stephanie's avatar

Thanks for this Substack, Suzanne! I used to be an avid reader years ago of your posts on Brownstoner, which I always found wonderful and informative, especially given the rapid gentrification of the city and the loss it meant to historical memory, among so many other things. Solid as a rock, indeed! Geologic history is so important, particularly nowadays in the context of our climate emergency, and I love how you linked your personal story and love of rocks and one particular rock that was a refuge for you and inspired some of your first writings to some of the rock formations in and around the city. I just wanted to mention Colum McCann’s novel “This Side of Brightness,” which is about the “mole people” who live under NYC and the (forgotten) immigrants and Black people who built the train lines, many of whom died in the process. It’s a book that influenced me and how I imagined the city when I moved there in 2002. Anyway, just wanted to comment here and say I’ve always appreciated your work.

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Suzanne Spellen's avatar

Thanks, Rev. Stephanie. I knew about the term "mole people," and was living in NYC when the stories about people living underground were everywhere. I just didn't want to use that term. I will check out McCann's novel, as I'm sure there's a lot in there I don't know. Every day, every conversation with people makes me realize how much I don't know about a lot of subjects. Thanks for your comment.

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