July 10, 2019
“Slightly Wavy Due to Being Out of Tune”: On Richard Linklater’s Waking Life
“Waking Life” (2001) was written and directed by Richard Linklater, who caught the eye of critics with his 1991 film, “Slacker.” The film’s title comes from the George Santayana maxim: “Sanity is […]
September 2, 2014
The Dutiful Mob, Reconsidered
It’s the day after Labor Day, which means—at many college campuses, including the one where I teach—that fall classes are starting. In constructing the syllabus for my poetry workshop, I’ve […]
August 6, 2014
Laurels and Hardy
I’ve been thinking about the North Carolina poet laureate controversy. As you may have heard, Governor Pat McCrory appointed Valerie Macon, a self-published and (from the little evidence available online) […]