ICE’s murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti bring to mind the judicial murder of Irish activist William Orr in 1797, We can use a poem in his honor to honor them.
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
A Historical Poem to Mourn Good, Pretti
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Wake of William Orr", Alex Pretti, ICE killings, Nicole Renee Good, William Drennan Comments closed
I Will Make You Fish for People
Herman Sutter’s “Peter Returns to His Nets” imagines Peter attempting to return to his old, familiar life—and realizing that he can’t.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Peter Returns to His Nets", "St. Peter", Herman Sutter Comments closed
Teaching and Reading in Yugoslavia
The latest installment in my on-going memoir: a Fulbright year in Yugoslavia.
Peter Thiel, Palantir, and Sauron
In May, 2025 former Palantir employees warned that the company was becoming a Sauron-esque force for evil—in essence, resembling the crystal stone after which it was named.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Palantir, Peter Thiel, power corrupts, Terry Pratchett Comments closed
Beyond Close Reading: A Discussion
According to Johanna Winant, close reading is having a moment. I discuss what close reading a literary text means to me.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Beowulf, close reading, Johanna Winant, John Stuart Mill, New Criticism Comments closed
Our Mad King’s Greenland Obsession
William Cowper’s poem about Moravian missionaries in Greenland sees a purer faith than that practiced in more temperate climes.
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King and the Reality of Police Violence
in “Bullet Points,” Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown calls out the reality of police violence.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Bullet Points", Jericho Brown, Martin Luther King, police violence Comments closed
Love Attends the Cana Wedding
Poet Marjorie Pickthall tells the story of the Cana wedding from the point of view of the bridegroom. Jesus’s attendance changes everything.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Bridegroom of Cana", Marjorie Pickthall, Wedding at Cana, Weddings Comments closed
My Early Years as a Teacher
In a continuation of my memoir, I look at my first year of teaching at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, including the shift I would make to elicit meaningful essays.
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