January 21, 2015
Talking PBS NewsHour Live Video Blues
When President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress in September of 2009, I wrote about it for this blog. The speech has faded, of course, from national memory; only […]
January 6, 2015
Double Meanings in Gray, Frost, and HBO’s Getting On
A double meaning succeeds when it doesn’t distract from the story. That’s Wallace Stevens’ definition, and in his essay collection The Necessary Angel, Stevens praises masterpieces where the double meaning […]
September 7, 2014
Nostalgia, Sentimentality, and Robin Williams. Part 1
In my office the other day, prepping for an Intro Creative Writing course, I found myself ruffling through cabinets and drawers in search of a set of notes I made […]
December 22, 2011
Mix Tape: The Holidays Wouldn’t Be the Same Without…
Laughing until your belly shakes like a bowl full of jelly. Check out this video of The Elements of Style rap. Suffering through all the merry and bright after a bad […]