Can we ever know the full truth about the Epstein and friends? A Stephen Crane poem expresses doubts, a Dickinson poem is more optimistic.
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Monthly Archives: September 2025
Dickinson, Crane, and the Epstein Affair
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Tell all the truth but tell it slant", Emily Dickinson, Epstein affair, Greg Olear, Jeffrey Epstein, Stephen Crane, Truth Comments closed
Samuel Beckett’s Tennis Advice
Beckett, a tennis fan, has some lines that can bolster tennis players. Or at least get them through long slogs.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Amanda Anisimova, Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Beckett, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, tennis, theater of the absurd, Thomas Swick, U.S. Open, Unnamable, Worstward Ho Comments closed
Le Guin and the Power of Affirmation
Le Guin’s story “Things” provides hope for those feeling daunted by Trump’s assault on American democracy.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Hope is the thing with feathers", Emily Dickinson, Fascism, Things, Ursula K Le Guin Comments closed
The Universe in a Clay Jug
At one point Jeremiah compares to God to a potter who can either make or destroy Israel. Novelist A.S. Byatt and poet Kabir both have creative works about pots.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “inside This Clay Jar", A. S. Byatt, Children's Book, Jeremiah, Kabir, pottery Comments closed
A Life Lived in Literature: How It All Began
The first installment of a planned series on my life in books. My parents’ background and first two years.
Posted in Uncategorized Comments closed
Two Wind-Obsessed Narcissists
Trump and King Lear, two wind-obsessed narcissists. But only one connects with his soul.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged climate change, Donald Trump, King Lear, renewables, William Shakespeare, wind power Comments closed
Lit, a Critical Defense against Fascism
Have Democrat’s suffered from a lack of imagination? Literature can help fix that. (For instance, “Handmaid’s Tale,” “1984,” and “Ozymandias.”)
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Ozymandias", 1984, anti-abortion movement, censorship, E. D. Hirsch, Fascism, George Orwell, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Hubbell, Trumpism Comments closed