This seemed like a most unusual spambot, with a rather elegant and “literary” sound to it: The landlady sobbing and wailing at her forlorn condition like a peasant woman. So I looked it up, and sure enough, it’s from this … Continue reading →
I’m finished editing Gerard’s poetry book, and the cover’s being designed as well. What’s left? Printing it and distributing it, and there are decisions to be made about those things, too. Last time a friend did the mailings, but that … Continue reading →
… and although I’m very close to finished, I recently hit an extremely frustrating formatting snag. Formatting the essay book wasn’t easy, but it was a piece of cake compared to formatting poetry. The settings that purport to be appropriate … Continue reading →
Recently commenter “Selfy” linked to this article and offered the following quote from it: Mr. Rigney echoes this critique of systemic racism but reserves most of his ire for feminism, which he blames for many of empathy’s ills. Because women … Continue reading →
Robert F. Graboyes is a writer I often read, and I recommend this more personal piece he wrote about his beloved recently-deceased wife. RIP. She sounds like a rare and wonderful person, and it sounds as though they had a … Continue reading →
I was generally an excellent student, but my worst and most disliked subject was foreign languages. I’m not sure why, except that I hated having to memorize lists of words. I took Spanish because I was told it was easier … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This a slightly edited version of a previous post of mine.] Father’s Day. A sort of poor stepchild to Mother’s Day, although fathers themselves are hardly that. They are central to a family. Just ask the people who never … Continue reading →
I knew it had to happen, although I’d been delaying it: closing down Gerard Vanderleun’s blog. For one thing, he left instructions to me to leave it up for two years and then to take it down. So it was … Continue reading →
Let’s step away from politics for a moment. Lately I’ve been working hard on Gerard’s poetry book. I’ve discovered that editing poetry is different than editing essays – in some ways easier and in some ways more difficult. And of … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Today is Presidents’ Day, and this is a repeat of a previous post.] I’m not that old, but pedagogical practices in my youth seem absolutely archaic compared to whatever passes for education these days. For starters, we had Washington’s … Continue reading →
Here’s a fellow lover of poetry: WHEN I speak of poetry, I think of classic poems written by great poets of the past, poetry that modern educationalists think of as ‘elitist’ literature. Such writing may now be largely the preserve … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a slightly edited version of a previous post.] This is the second night of Chanukah, and I wish everyone a happy one. Chanukah is about a successful revolt and a miracle of light: The miracle of the … Continue reading →