How do we feel about annotation? I'm for it, in the abstract. I tend to get a kick out seeing authors' and others' marginalia. I inherited my parents' shared copies of the Norton Anthology of English Literature, which they used as non-traditional college students. I love their annotations, how what they saw as important enough … Continue reading To Annotate or To Not Annotate. That is the Question
Month: September 2020
A Delicate Mess
I sit, carefully constructed. Coffee lies within reach. Legs crossed, on the couch, a pillow settled as a spongy lap-desk. A plate balances on the pillow's apex, a beautiful pastry holding court at the center of my being. In my left hand I balance a paperback copy of M Train by Patti Smith. I use … Continue reading A Delicate Mess
A Conversation about ‘Crossings” by Alex Landragin
In a first for this site, I recorded a conversation with my brilliant, wonderful friend Dr. Martina Shabram about the recently-released novel Crossings by Alex Landragin. This novel has a formal innovation where you can read it straight through as three free-standing but interconnected novellas (Martina's way) or via the "Baroness method," which tells you … Continue reading A Conversation about ‘Crossings” by Alex Landragin
Notions, Late Summer Edition
I'm cooking up something different than normal that may go up as early as tomorrow. For now, I present this collection of beautiful, powerful, and/or thought-provoking items for your holiday weekend. If you read one thing on this list, read Jesmyn Ward's jaw-dropping, heart-breaking, awe-inspiring essay on the death of her Beloved and its resonances … Continue reading Notions, Late Summer Edition
Dogs, Coffee, & Books 