The Education of Oronte Churm

Oronte Churm is the pen name of John Griswold, who teaches in the MFA program at McNeese State University, proudly nestled in Cajun country on the Louisiana Gulf.

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Chasing the Lit Mag Photo Essay, 13

Working with NYC street photographer Donato DiCamillo, San Antonio, Texas, January 2018.

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March 14, 2018

We decided to make another attempt to see The Dominion, which has been an engine of gentrification on the north side of San Antonio.

Heading north on I-10 we passed an empty lot the size of God, marking the scale of change. The lot is between the Forest Park Medical Center, which sold in bankruptcy in 2016 after a massive felony-fraud scandal, and the Landmark One Office Building. A hotel and conference center are planned for the site.

Just past it, after the ring road, are odd patches of land use and development that juxtapose: an indoor-skydiving place, IMAX theater, Bass Pro Shops, Maserati dealer, Ferrari dealer.... trailer park, mortuary, cemetery...golf course, The Dominion...trailer park.