Uncancelable
Colin Irwin, Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited New York : Billboard Books, 2008 Legendary Session 1. You’ve been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s books… And dropping a barbell he points to the sky saying,…
Author: Mark J. Chmiel
“What a Community!” Reading The Book of Mev by Jean Durel
My friend Jean sent me the following… Have so loved The Book of Mev — even though my heart was breaking at times and tears were streaming down my face. Of course I knew the end,…
A Question from Lynda Barry
Emily Dickinson wrote at least 1,700 poems. Why? –Lynda Barry, Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor
Lines Written on the Back of a Wangari Maathai Postcard by Katja
I remember cookies crumbs on 6 North Coffee tables I remember the banishment of “should” I remember Being Peace I remember blue-lined notebooks I remember Natalie Goldbergisms I remember writing outside the margins I remember…
The Good News of Translation
1. Thanks to __________, I Was Able to Read_______’s _________ [Language] Richard Fein, Yankev Glatshteyn, Selected Poems [Yiddish] Hillel Halkin, Sholem Aleichem, Tevye the Dairyman [Yiddish] Nili Wachtel, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Meshugah [Yiddish] Martha…
Dirda in Threes
RULE TWO: General duties of a student — pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students. —Sister Corita Kent Michael Dirda, Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments Indiana University Press, 2000…
Continuation via Chris Wallach
From Thich Nhat Hanh– One autumn day, I was in a park, absorbed in the contemplation of a very small but beautiful leaf, in the shape of a heart. Its color was almost red, and…
Dear Teacher by Yael DiPlacido-Eastman
I once asked Jean Abbott what made her choose the path that she chose in life. Her answer became a guiding principle in my life. She said that she was raised to believe (I believe…
Share the Wealth: With Gratitude for Jean Abbott
I invite you to join us for an evening of sharing stories about Sister Jean Abbott (1943-2021), who was the founder of the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma here in Saint Louis….
The Mutation of Vision
Pierre Hadot, What is Ancient Philosophy? Translated by Michael Chase My friend Pat and I have been reading and discussing via Zoom works by French philosopher Pierre Hadot since this past summer. Having previously read…