FACING A DILEMMA As today marks the beginning of the third year of this blog, I am faced with a dilemma. In the past, my goals were simply defined: Reflect on the life of a writer, even a small potatoes one like me. Make connections between writing, literature and world events. Addres

A DAY OF CELEBRATION Today, I wish to thank my readers for their support and their loyalty over the past two years. March 22 marks the end of my second year as a blogger and I am staggered to think that I have written over 600 essays at the rate of five a week (M-F) on varied topics b

Normal 0 SOUTH SUDAN, AN OLD COUNTRY IN A NEW SHOE South Sudan’s decision to unite its 150 tribes by making English the country’s official language is a reminder to us all that words do matter (“A Civil Tongue,” by James di Giovanni, “Harpers” March 2012 pg 53

JUST SOUND — NO FURY AND NO POINT Besides touting their own books or writing reviews about the books of others,  literary bloggers sometimes review people who pass themselves off as experts in the field. Okay, I’m going to say this up front so that my prejudice is not only cl

UNDER THE RED TENT I posted an article last Thursday about a proposed law in Arizona. It requires that a woman seeking medical coverage for birth control pills provide her employer with a note from her doctor verifying that the pills are prescribed for medical treatment and not for co

“Under the Red Tent,” tomorrow’s blog, examines the ever-expanding notion of religious freedom in this country. Think it’s time for a national debate and the blog attempts to start the ball rolling.  I look forward to reading your views.  If you haven’t checked into the b

THE WEARING OF THE GREEN As Saturday is St. Patrick’s day, I can think of no better way to celebrate the occasion than by honoring an Irish author who is the living spirit of Emerald Isle, at least as I imagine it. Lizzy Shannon resides in the Pacific Northwest, though she is from I

 (Robert Frost, “Mending Wall”) I know, I know. I am not the measure of all things. There is much I don’t know… more than enough to make me blush. It is also true that I haven’t followed trends in poetry for a long, long while — not since William Carlos Williams — thoug

Hi Everyone, I’m responding to queries about an e-book version of Gothic Spring, I am happy to announce it is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Google books and will be on Apple in a couple of days. I’ve provided the links so you can open the page and read the first ch

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ANYTHING I came across a column written in the March edition of “Good Housekeeping” by Dominique Browning. About a year ago, I commented on her last book “Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness.” She was once t