Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Call To Step into That River

By Robin Bates | Published: January 11, 2025

Luke, Milton and Malcolm Guite are all enthralled with the moment when Jesus, at the moment of his baptism, fully realizes that he–and all of us–are God’s belovèd and delight.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Baptism of Christ", Epiphany, John Milton, John the Baptist, Malcolm Guite, Paradise Regained | Comments closed

Orwell Foresaw the Dangers of AI

By Robin Bates | Published: January 9, 2025

In “Prevention of Literature,” Orwell anticipates AI and how authoritarians will attempt to use it–and to ban or rewrite Literature.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged artificial intelligence, authoritarianism, George Orwell, Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun, Prevention of Literature | Comments closed

Red Wind in California

By Robin Bates | Published: January 8, 2025

60 mph wind bursts are fueling the fires burning L.A., bringing to mind Chandler’s noir novella “Red Wind.” For him, the wind is the dark wildness at the core of society.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged California wildfires, climate change, Raymond Chandler, Red Wind | Comments closed

MAGA Militias and Nazi Collaborators

By Robin Bates | Published: January 7, 2025

Kate Atkinson’s “Transcription” involves a mole infiltrating the ranks of Nazi sympathizers. Pro-Publica recently published an account of such a mole in U.S. rightwing militias.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anti-Semitism, AP3, Big Sky, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, Emily Dickinson, Kate Atkinson, Nazi collaborators, Oath Keepers, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, rightwing militias, Started Early Took My Dog, Transcription, When Will There Be Good News? | Comments closed

Going Gently into That Good Night–Or Not

By Robin Bates | Published: January 6, 2025

In which I pull on Kenyon, Dylan Thomas, Conrad, Chandler, Lawrence and others in an attempt to penetrate the mysteries of dying.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Do Not Go Gentle", "Fern Hill", "In Blackwater Woods", "Let Evening Come", Big Sleep, D. H. Lawrence, death and dyiing, Dylan Thomas, Heart of Darkness, Jane Kenyon, Joseph Conrad, Mary Oliver, Raymond Chandler, Sons and Lovers | Comments closed

Playing Whack-a-Mole with Jan. 6

By Robin Bates | Published: January 5, 2025

The GOP plays moral whack-a-mole (Kate Atkinson’s metaphor) with Jan. 6. Soon they may claim, like the government in “100 Years of Solitude,” that it never happened.