Monthly Archives: December 2021

Help Me Forget the Cold

By Robin Bates | Published: December 11, 2021

L’Engle’s poem “The Winter Is Cold, Is Cold” describes a frozen heart that can melt only if it is willing to take a risk and love.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 9, 2021

Dickinson’s “There is no frigate like a book” captures the transcendent nature of poetry.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 8, 2021

Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway” shows us how to juggle this uncertain moment in the Covid pandemic.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 7, 2021

Is Trump, like Miss Havisham, so embittered by his loss that he’s creating little Estelles, designed to break America’s heart.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 6, 2021

A Scott Bates poem about World War II captures the reality of war, which is the opposite of glamorous.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 5, 2021

Hugo’s “Les Misérables” was a hit with Civil War soldiers. An article explores the reasons why.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 4, 2021

In this Advent poem, L’Engle reminds us to sing, not in spite of times being dark, but BECAUSE times are dark.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 2, 2021

As the GOP becomes a pro-Covid party, they resemble Satan in “Paradise Lost,” unleashing death upon humankind.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 1, 2021

Angela Carter’s “Infernal Machines of Doctor Hoffman” captures the unreality of the Trump years.