Author Archives: Roger W. Smith

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About Roger W. Smith

Roger W. Smith is a writer and independent scholar based in New York City. His experience includes freelance writing and editing, business writing, book reviewing, and the teaching of writing and literature as an adjunct professor at St. John’s University. Mr. Smith's interests include personal essays and opinion pieces; American and world literature; culture, especially books and reading; classical music; current issues that involve social, moral, and philosophical views; and experiences of daily living from a ground level perspective. Sites on WordPress hosted by Mr. Smith include: (1) rogersgleanings.com (a personal site comprised of essays on a wide range of topics) ; (2) rogers-rhetoric.com (covering principles and practices of writing); (3) roger-w-smiths-dreiser.site (devoted to the author Theodore Dreiser); and (4) pitirimsorokin.com (devoted to sociologist and social philosopher Pitirim A. Sorokin).

“Watched the Twelfth-month sea-gulls …”

 

New York Harbor; photo by Roger W. Smith

Watched the Twelfth-month sea-gulls, saw them high in the air floating with motionless wings, oscillating their bodies, — Walt Whitman, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   August 2025

Robert Moses on New York (August 1943)

 

Robert Moses, ‘What’s the Matter with New York’ – NY Times 8-1-1943

 

Posted here (PDF above):

Robert Moses

“What’s the Matter With New York?: What’s the Matter With New York?”

New York Times Sunday Magazine

August 1, 1943

The article speaks for itself.

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   June 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

shared with Rosa, May 28, 2025

 

 

Rosa, the proprietor of a fresh fish mart in our neighborhood, is friendly with me and my wife.

We told her we would share some photos.

They are posted here.

Rosa, an immigrant who lives in Queens, wrote back:

Wow.

Such nice beautiful pictures!

New York is so vibrant & beautiful!

You take Such good pictures.

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   May 29, 2025

sunrise and sunset (New York Harbor)

 

photos by Roger W. Smith

 

Different times, different seasons.

I have visited as early as four in the morning.

It’s a beautiful spot.

It should be noted that the last photo is of sunrise on the East River. I took it at around 6:25 a.m.

 

here are some more (from October 2022)

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

  October 2024