Category Archives: books

“For Allen Ginsberg” by Dorothea Grossman

Posted on March 18, 2012 by

Among other things thanks for explaining how the generous death of old trees forms the red powdered floor of the forest.

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Today, Langston Hughes

Posted on February 4, 2012 by

“Motto” (1951) I play it cool And dig all jive That’s the reason I stay alive. My motto, As I live and learn,        is: Dig And Be Dug In Return.

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Something GOOD About the Good Old Days

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

Last fall I bought a used book that had once been a library book. Glued firmly to the back inside cover of the book was a neat old card (see below). I don’t visit many used bookstores, and I get most of … Continue reading →

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“The Secret” by Denise Levertov

Posted on January 15, 2012 by

Two girls discover the secret of life in a sudden line of poetry. I who don’t know the secret wrote the line. They told me (through a third person) they had found it but not what it was not even … Continue reading →

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A Summery Poem for a Cold Day

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

It’s January in Minnesota, and there’s no snow, but it got cold and windy today. Seems like a nice chilly night for a summery poem by Mark Twain. Well, it’s not really about summer, but that’s perfectly fine. Even better, … Continue reading →

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Ann Patchett’s “State of Wonder”

Posted on January 7, 2012 by

A couple of years back, I read and loved David Grann’s The Lost City of Z, a true story about a late 19th- and early 20th-century British explorer, Percy Fawcett, who traveled many times to the Amazon to search for a … Continue reading →

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My Friend, Christopher Hitchens

Posted on December 16, 2011 by

Christopher Hitchens died yesterday. I had to type that sentence to become reacquainted with the fact. I didn’t know he was so close to death, so I was shocked this morning when I read it. Yes, Christopher Hitchens died yesterday. I feel … Continue reading →

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“Contemplation On Rain And Religion” by Jeff Gundy

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

(I’m borrowing the following poem from the December 2011 issue of The Sun Magazine.) “Contemplation On Rain And Religion” by Jeff Gundy I’ve decided that I’m religious but not spiritual. –Gregory Wolfe I always feel more religious in the sunshine, especially … Continue reading →

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Water Taxis

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

My mom and I are planning a trip to Italy. We’ll spend our last few days in Venice where, I just learned tonight, we will take a “water taxi” to get places. I have read about water taxis in books, most … Continue reading →

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How to Write the Opening Line of a Novel

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

This morning I finally got to sit down the Henry James’ The Aspern Papers, after letting it languish in a stack of junk for the last week. Writers, take note:  this is how to start a novel: I had taken … Continue reading →

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