March 2012
22 posts
March 28, 2012
SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY
It doesn’t take much to make me feel insecure. If I watch a BBC mystery and don’t understand the killer’s motive, I feel inadequate. If someone tells a joke and everybody laughs but me, I feel lost. Sometimes I don’t even get the quips that appear on Facebook.
Self doubt is natural but when I think about the miracle of language, I marvel that sound can be used to convey...
March 27, 2012
THE MORAL IMPLICATION OF A SMILE
Recently I read two commentaries in a magazine that, together, left me feeling as though I’d been dumped on by a load of bricks. The first, excerpted from the “Wall Street Journal,” was about an ailing doctor and why, like others in his profession, he declined aggressive treatment for his life-threatening disease.
“Having seen so many...
March 26, 2012
NOT ON THE STREET WHERE I LIVE
Unlike Victorian children who were expected to be seen and not heard, American children, according to writer Daphne Merkin, have been protected and indulged to the point where they have a sense of entitlement. How, she wonders, will these little inhabitants “of their own imperial worlds… grow up with sufficient psychological flexibility to relate empathetically to...
March 23, 2012
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.
Address the questions that arise when I struggle to write, or when I read words that bring tears to my eyes because...
March 22, 2012
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 but all related to literature and writing as it reflects life.
In the course of creating these blogs I’ve gained...
March 21, 2012
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). The leaders’ task is daunting not only because of the many languages spoken but also because few schools exist where English...
March 20, 2012
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 clear but blatant - much of what experts write on publishing is blather. I’m amazed at the numbers who earn a living or...
March 19, 2012
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 contraception. Proponents of the law argue the procedure is necessary to protect the religious freedom of employers...
March 16, 2012
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 Ireland, and is the author of three books: “Tempest Raise” ( Sci-Fi); “Time Twist” (Sci-Fi)...
March 15, 2012
SOMETHING THERE IS THAT DOESN’T LOVE A WALL, THAT WANTS IT DOWN (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 — though I confess to reading some Robert Pinsky...
UPDATE: Gothic Spring
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 chapter before buying.
Chapter One, “Gothic Spring:”...
March 14, 2012
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 the editor of the now defunct “House and Gardens” and I’ve been following her career since the...
March 13, 2012
DOUBTS ABOUT THE MEANING OF WORDS
I know it’s a big, big world out there but before the Internet, it didn’t seem that way. One had family and friends that were near but the outside world came across the threshold in the form of newspapers, literally waiting at our feet until we were ready to let them in. Over coffee, we’d peruse events at arm’s length, creating a breathing space between us and the...
March 12, 2012
THE ARTISTRY OF MEMORY AND DISTANCE
I had lunch with a friend the other day who asked about a mutual acquaintance. My reply was that he and I hadn’t talked for some time. Then I added, “We get along better when we don’t communicate.”
My luncheon companion giggled at my witticism and, immodestly, so did I. But on the walk home I considered the truth of my statement. There are those whom I can...
March 9, 2012
WHAT’S YOURS IS MINE AND WHAT’S MINE IS MINE
Is “Fahrenheit 451” about to become a greater reality than we imagine? Ray Bradbury’s story about a government’s attempt to destroy books may be a greater possibility than we think, according to a recent article in the February 17 issue of “The Week.” The warning came from writer Jonathan Franzen at a recent book festival. There...
March 8, 2012
THE MATILDA EFFECT
The other day, I came across the name of a woman in the suffragist movement whom I did not know, Matilda Josyln Gage. She was more radical than her cohorts, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, because she refused to narrow her concerns to only those of women. Instead, she aimed her indignation at all forms of repression, including those affecting the rights of Native...
March 7, 2012
A TREE GROWS WHERE IT’S NEEDED
Traces of spring are easy to see as I walk through my garden. Green shoots are everywhere though the temperature is cold enough to oblige me to wear a jacket and mittens. The view from my front window is glorious, too. There, the sight of parked cars is softened by the branches of a large, flowering plum tree. It has stood outside my window for the 35 years I have...
March 6, 2012
THERE’S A PLACE FOR US, SOMEWHERE A PLACE FOR US
One of my young Facebook friends who resides in India wrote on his page that he was retiring from writing for a while. He said he needed time to think about life. As he is in his early 20’s and I am in my mid 70’s, I didn’t imagine it would be fair for me to tell him that “thinking about life” seldom brings one to a conclusion. Life tends to pose...
March 5, 2012
SONG OF MYSELF
A few days ago I had lunch with an old friend. She is devoted to her grandchildren, who are now “tweens,” and there was no hiding the pride in her voice as she boasted about their recent accomplishments. Sometimes I get bored with so much talk of grandchildren, but on that day I listened with admiration. How lucky these youngsters were to be so unquestioningly adored. I hoped they...
ANNOUNCEMENT
Mark will be posting my blog entries for a few days while I go off-line for computer repairs. I will be unable to respond to comments for a short time and will miss the comments and conversations, but you can keep up with the blog posts. Back to you soon. My silence begins Friday afternoon.
One other note: We finally exorcized the grinch that prevented you from viewing selected readings posted...
March 2, 2012
THE MAGIC OF THE NARCISSISTIC PLATFORM
Sometimes reading can be dangerous to your health. I have a habit of turning on the computer first thing in the morning to read the news and then follow up with my Facebook page. The news is seldom good but I look forward to a little cheer from my virtual friends. They seldom let me down with their YouTube clips or chatter about the ‘Daily...
