Michael A. Kahn

Fathers and Sons and the Iliad: An Apology to Homer

Posted on March 20, 2021April 4, 2021 by Michael Kahn

I confess to a failure to appreciate certain works of literature that bask in universal acclaim. One example triggered my apology to Tolstoy for failing to love Anna Karenina–a novel on every list of the greatest works of world literature. And for years I felt a similar bafflement over my lukewarm reaction to Homer’s The…

+

Tonto, Aunt Jemima, and the Challenge of Oblivious Bias

Posted on February 28, 2021March 8, 2021 by Michael Kahn

Surrounded by dozens of hostile Indians on horseback waving rifles and tomahawks, the Lone Ranger turns to his faithful companion. “What are we going to do, Tonto?” “What do you mean ‘we,’ Kemo Sabe?” Earlier this year I gave a Strafford webinar presentation entitled “Rebranding Trademarks: Challenges of Walking Away and Choosing a New Mark.”…

+

Remarkable Graveyards and Sad Words of Wisdom

Posted on October 18, 2020October 18, 2020 by Michael Kahn

As our days in St. Louis grow shorter–we move to Chicago in November–Margi and I took a hike through the remarkable Bellefontaine Cemetery, rightfully named a Best Hidden Gem by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In addition to serving as the final resting place for many historical figures, such as William Clark of Lewis & Clark…

+

From Covfefe to Aunt Jemima R.I.P.–Trademarks in the Era of Black Lives Matter

Posted on August 7, 2020August 18, 2020 by Michael Kahn

In my day job as an intellectual property lawyer I’ve been blogging occasionally about the strange new world of trademarks that began three years ago with the explosion of trademark registration applications for the 7-letter typo in one of Donald Trump’s late-night Tweet complaints about what he claimed was “fake news.” Following that trademark silliness…

+

Benny and the Greatest Bowel Movement in Literature

Posted on July 26, 2020January 24, 2023 by Michael Kahn

Several years ago, as an interminable mediation of a high-profile trademark case stretched into the wee hours of the night, I stepped outside my crazy client’s breakout room to get another cup of coffee and found the mediator–the late and beloved Dick Sher–seated at a table in the lunchroom sipping his own cup of coffee…

+

Sex, Ecclesiastes, and Jewish Mothers

Posted on May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 by Michael Kahn

One of the unexpected joys of writing a mystery series–or any series–is getting to spend more time with your main characters and, in the process, learning more about them. Such has been true with my Rachel Gold series, with has now reached #11 with the recent publication of Bad Trust. Over the past several novels,…

+

An Author Event in the Era of COVID-19

Posted on April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 by Michael Kahn

I now have my own sequel to one of my favorite novels by the great Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera. While I concede my sequel may not have the same poetic charm as the title of the Marquez novel, I can now say that have presided over a Book Signing in…

+

More on Cage-Free Characters

Posted on April 23, 2020April 23, 2020 by Michael Kahn

Okay, you may be saying, enough with these cage-free characters already! I understand. I promise. But Bookreporter.com asked me for my thoughts on that subject, and offered them some thoughts, which they published today. Here’s the article. Enjoy.

+

Marcus Aurelius and COVID-19

Posted on April 16, 2020April 16, 2020 by Michael Kahn

I keep a copy of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius nearby and am continually amazed by the wisdom and the timely relevance of the musings of a Roman emperor from nearly 1,900 years ago. I learned today that he lived through the Antonine Plague of 165 CE, a global pandemic that wiped out more than…

+

A Special Heaven for Authors: My Fantasy

Posted on March 22, 2020April 23, 2020 by Michael Kahn

I’ve been thinking about the afterlife lately. Not mine, though at age of 67 I know I am closer to my end than my beginning. But, to quote Marcus Aurelius, “It is not death a man should fear but he should fear never having to live.” So I try focus on the living part. But…

+