Oliver captures Christian fish imagery in “The Fish.”
Monthly Archives: January 2023
Out of Pain We Feed This Feverish Plot
Books Banned Because They’re Powerful
Book banning is on the rise in the U.S., including recently in Virginia. Brecht’s “Burning of the Books” is always powerful.
Libby Changes the Way We Read
Listening to Libby books on my cellphone has opened up a new dimension of engaging with novels.
Roth and the Hamline Mess
Roth’s “Human Stain” has lessons for Hamline’s recent mess-up over an art teacher. It has also given me a new perspective on my two sons.
School Panics about Dr. Seuss Discussion
A school administrator objected when a class discussion of Dr. Seuss’s “Sneetches” veered into questions of race.
Words That Burn the Center of the Sun
In her poem about Martin Luther King, Gwendolyn Brooks opposes the volcanic fire of hate against the sun’s fire of transcendent justice.
Holy Ghost: Warm Breast and Bright Wings
Hopkins’s “God’s Grandeur” captures the magnificent but intimate moment when the Holy Spirit enters us.
Trumpist Stefanik, Shakespeare Lover?!
Trump fanatic Elise Stefanik loved Shakespeare in college. So what exactly did she take away from the plays?
Charles Simic, R.I.P.
Charles Simic died Monday. Like much of his poetry, “Poem without a Title” is simple but powerful.