Author Archives: Robin Bates

Caste in a Multicultural Democracy

By Robin Bates | Published: April 2, 2024

To grapple with Wilkerson’s understanding of racism as a caste system, I turn to Langston Hughes, Twain, and Arundhati Roy.

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Bridges and the American Dream

By Robin Bates | Published: April 1, 2024

The Key Bridge disaster–and doubts about America’s response–brings to mind Hart Crane’s bridge poem, a hymn to America aspiring to greatness.

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On Hummingbirds and…Menstruation?!

By Robin Bates | Published: March 31, 2024

With hummingbirds beginning to arrive, here’s a hummingbird poem comparing them to…menstruation!

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Radical Hope, Love’s Secret Discipline

By Robin Bates | Published: March 30, 2024

Two poems for Easter on the power of love over death.

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Moscow’s Terror Attack and Big Brother

By Robin Bates | Published: March 28, 2024

Like Big Brother, Putin is attempting to change the facts of the Moscow terrorist attack to justify his political goals.

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Beware Freeing an Authoritarian Gulliver

By Robin Bates | Published: March 27, 2024

Dreams of a strongman freeing himself from Lilliputian ropes is a dangerous fantasy, Swift explains.

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Joe Biden as Old Father William

By Robin Bates | Published: March 26, 2024

Think of Joe Biden as Lewis Carroll’s Old Father William, who pushes back against ageism.

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To Understand Trump’s Trials, Ask Alice

By Robin Bates | Published: March 25, 2024

To understand the Trump trials, check out Lewis Carroll’s Alice books.

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Revisiting My Son’s Grave

By Robin Bates | Published: March 24, 2024

As I revisited the grave of my son for the first time in six years, the concluding paragraphs of “Wuthering Heights” came to mind.

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