Monthly Archives: August 2014

American Politics, Dashiell Hammett Style

By Robin Bates | Published: August 13, 2014

Dashiell Hammett’s rough and tumble novels catch some of the spirit of today’s political battles.

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Pantry Moths in the Howling Storm

By Robin Bates | Published: August 12, 2014

Faced with an infestation of pantry moths, my mind turned to Blake’s “The Sick Rose.”

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Whitman’s Blast of Green Grace

By Robin Bates | Published: August 11, 2014

Scott Bates’ homage to Walt Whitman tells of amorous encounters from the grass’s point of view.

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Something Different Crosses the Threshold

By Robin Bates | Published: August 10, 2014

Mary Oliver gives a powerful reading of Jesus calming the storm.

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Wonder in an Old Leather Mitt

By Robin Bates | Published: August 9, 2014

Emilio DeGrazia’s poems about an old leather mitt is a wonderful meditation on aging.

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Headed for the City of Big Shoulders

By Robin Bates | Published: August 8, 2014

I use a vacation visit to Chicago as an excuse to revisit Sandburg’s famous poem.

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A Large Pig Haunts the University

By Robin Bates | Published: August 7, 2014

A visit to Iowa has be revisiting Jane Smiley’s “Moo,” set in a disguised Iowa State University.

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A New Sun Blots Vesuvius

By Robin Bates | Published: August 6, 2014

Richard Tillinghast’s powerful poem about Hiroshima sees a world of stunted promise.

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Poetry Changed during World War I

By Robin Bates | Published: August 5, 2014

The horrors of World War I created some great poetry. But not in its early days.

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