The photograph on the cover of Fighters & Writers (and adorning this site) was taken at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York. I’ve always liked the image of a speed bag still swinging in front of a blood-red wall after a boxer moved out of the frame. It simultaneously suggests activity as well as a haunting absence. My wife, Nancy, took the picture.
Numerous well-known boxers (as well as actors) have trained at Gleason’s over the years, and it’s a much-used site for filming movies and commercials. I visited it many times when I lived in New York. I write about the place and conversations I’ve had with boxers, trainers and the gym’s proprietor, Bruce Silverglade, in two essays included in Fighters & Writers: “A First-Class Sport” and “Fighters & Writers.”
