Monthly Archives: March 2017

Trump as Lear, Howling in the Storm

By Robin Bates | Published: March 21, 2017

Donald Trump has a lot in common with King Lear. I suspect, however, that Lear has the happier ending.

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Democrats Have Dickens, GOP Ayn Rand

By Robin Bates | Published: March 19, 2017

We see the hand of Ayn Rand in Trump’s proposed budget cuts. Charles Dickens would understand what’s going on.

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Our Second Self, the Woman at the Well

By Robin Bates | Published: March 19, 2017

A Carolyne Wright poem about the Samaritan woman at the well shows us a figure searching for spiritual truth beneath the “brackish water” of her life.

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RIP, GOP Insurance Plan

By Robin Bates | Published: March 18, 2017

Rachel Kranz composed the following piece of doggerel in honor of the GOP Insurance Plan to Obamacare, “a.k.a.: RIP.”

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Resolving Shakespeare’s Shrew Problem

By Robin Bates | Published: March 16, 2017

“The Taming of the Shrew” is one of Shakespeare’s problem plays because it seems to endorse Kate signing on to a male domination fantasy. Modern productions such as the Synetic Theater’s non-verbal version have to make adjustments to satisfy modern audiences.

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Reading Aloud, Shared Intimacy

By Robin Bates | Published: March 15, 2017

If you want to become close to someone, read literature aloud. Doing so circumvents defenses and helps you make connections that are otherwise difficult to access.

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The Work of the World Is Common as Mud

By Robin Bates | Published: March 14, 2017

Marge Piercy’s poem “To Be of Use” essentially shows why Barack Obama’s legacy is likely to survive GOP repeal efforts. The difference is work that comes from a deep place as opposed to shallowly grounded executive orders.

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The Bigger Ego: Trump’s or Zaphod’s?

By Robin Bates | Published: March 13, 2017

If you know anyone with an “ego as big as the universe,” compare him/her to Zaphod Beeblebrox in “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” In Beeblebrox’s case, it is shown to be literally true.

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Clifton Poems Make Connection Possible

By Robin Bates | Published: March 12, 2017

In a recent event honoring the memory of Lucille Clifton, poet Toi Derricotte read a poem about how Clifton’s poetry opened up a relationship with the mother of a sick child. Here I share Derricotte’s poem as well as the poems she read to the mother and examine why they had the effect they did.

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