With Gratitude for Harold Bloom
In 1994 I purchased Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon after I had taken a leave of absence from my doctoral program in Religion and Society at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Bloom offered…
Author: Mark J. Chmiel
#TitleIXat50
Our dear Friend Laura was on Twitter today and found the following about Joanie from Missouri State Athletics– Joanie French did her part in establishing MSU’s women’s athletic programs in the 1970’s! She was a…
This Week’s Novels to Read
School starts in a week!
I Remember High School (after Joe Brainard)
I remember getting on the school bus before 7 am. I remember it was an old man who picked us up, hell maybe sixty-one years old! I remember reading Richard Lattimore’s translation of the Iliad…
“Observe What’s Vivid”
1.“There is a story in the Jewish tradition about a student going to see a great rabbi, not principally to study Torah or Talmud, but to watch how the rabbi ties his shoes.”–Eboo Patel 2. “I…
“Stand up against Governments, against God”
For in the years to come you will find yourselves up against gods of all sorts, big and little gods, corporate and incorporeal gods, all of them demanding to be worshiped and obeyed – the…
Ralph Nader
As consumer advocate par excellence, Ralph Nader has improved the quality of life of millions of American citizens. As gadfly of the presumedly immutable two-party system, he has aroused the wrath of the powerful. He…
What Rubem Said to Maria Evelina
Yes, Raquel’s birth was a purifying experience in that it empowered me to say, “this is important,” and the rest becomes blurred. Her birth re-integrated things in my life. For example, when she was born…
Favorite Mary Oliver Poems
Instructions for living a life: Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it.–Mary Oliver, from “Sometimes” Laura …When I Am Among the Trees When I am among the trees,especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks…
I Was Talking to Ram Dass about You and…
How things were going in Italy–The heat, the workloadThe limited energy for creative endeavorsI sounded a little worried I supposeHe put his arm around my shoulders and said,“She knows the scoreShe knows gratitude is where…