Monthly Archives: November 2014

Advent and Horror at the Void

Donald Hall’s “Advent” captures the darkness of the season, linking death with birth.

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Belichick Ranks with Lit’s Great Plotters

Coach Bill Belichick resembles the nefarious plotters in such works as “Portrait of a Lady” and “Liaisons Dangereuses.”

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Black Friday: Don’t Just Shop

Black Friday’s shopping frenzy can prompt us to forget the spiritual origins of gift-giving. Leslie Marmon Silko helps us see beyond the glitter.

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America’s Obsession with Pie

Hilaire Belloc’s hilarious complaint about the world’s eating tastes would not treat Thanksgiving well.

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Singing a Lullaby to a Dead Child

I write about the lullaby I sang to my dead son and a Eugene Field poem it reminds me of.

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Climate Change: Signs of Witchery

Native American author Leslie Marmon Silko warns of ecological disaster if we don’t change our relationship to the earth.

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Invisible Men (and Women) No Longer

Immigrants coming out of the shadows recall Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, who also emerges from darkness.

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Often Goes Christ in a Stranger’s Guise

Here’s an old Gaelic poem that captures the spirit of the president’s recent decision to grant relief to the undocumented parents of American citizens.

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Protecting Players in the NFL “Jungle”

Upton Sinclair uses a football analogy as he makes a case for workers needing workplace protections.

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