Lucille Clifton celebrates Jesus’s Lazarus miracle by pointing to the resilience of the African diaspora.
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Monthly Archives: March 2026
Using Lit to Grapple with a Death
Friday I’ve written so many times about the accidental drowning death of my son Justin—most thoroughly in Better Living through Literature—that I won’t repeat what I’ve said. Instead, I use today’s “a life lived in literature” installment to reflect back on aspects I haven’t touched on before, some of which are unbearably painful but which may […]
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Sad Thoughts in Early Spring
A guest post on Wordsworth’s “Lines Written in Early Spring” from Tobias Wilson-Bates to celebrate the official start of spring.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Spring", “Lines Written in Early Spring", Tobias Wilson-Bates, William Wordsworth Comments closed
The Taming of the Electorate
Petruchio’s gaslighting in “Taming of the Shrew” helps us to understand authoritarian tactics in our own age.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Feminism, gaslighting, Heritage Foundation, Sexism, Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare Comments closed
A Kavanagh Poem for St. Patrick’s Day
“The Hired Boy”—a Patrick Kavanagh poem for St. Patrick’s Day.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Hired Boy", Irish rural life, Patrick Kavanagh, St. Patrick's Day Comments closed
Death’s Untimely Frost
A sudden cold snap after blossoms have begun appearing on trees has me reciting Robert Burns.
The Opening of Eyes Long Closed
David Whyte’s “The Opening of Eyes” works as a poetic gloss on Jesus curing the blind.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Opening of Eyes", David Whyte, Jesus's healing ministry Comments closed
The Golden Years before Tragedy Struck
Recalling the final years of the 20th century—which is to say, the final years before my eldest son’s death.
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Richard III and Epstein’s Crimes
In which I report on an article applying Shakespeare’s “Richard III” to the Epstein fallout.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew, Richard III, tyranny, William Shakespeare Comments closed