Drive
There is something inherently American about a drive on the open road. Other countries certainly have fine cars and highways, but there is a mythic quality to the American road trip that is unique. Perhaps it is because we are a nation that came of age in the era of the automobile that the roar of an engine is embedded within so many of our ideas about freedom, mortality, nature, and the search for meaning. A passion for cars and a willingness to explore these ideas informs much of Elaine Sexton’s latest book, Drive.
The Pleasure of Firing Back
Maybe it was the heat, but I thought about violence a lot this past summer. Please do not be concerned, I am not contemplating violence myself; well, at least not beyond what is normal for most folks driving in Seattle these days. No, I am thinking about all of the violent entertainment I have consumed since childhood, from Natural Born Killers to Narcos. I am also thinking about all of the wars my country has waged in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, and the carnage currently inflicted daily by Russia in Ukraine. In Graham Buchan’s new book, The Pleasure of Firing Ba
A Brother’s Testimony
In his new book of poetry, A Brother’s Testimony, Maurice McFadden has proven to be a good poet and, most importantly, a good apostle. The book cover rightly acknowledges that McFadden’s language is “Raw, Relevant and Real.” A similar voice to the Book of Psalms, this hard-edged poetry collection explores the journey of a man searching for God in times of trials, tribulations, and seemingly unconquerable hardships.
The Distortions
Like people all over the world, I have been in a state of shock, horror, and anger as Russia has waged war in Ukraine for the last few months. I have spent many nights lately baffled by the sheer senselessness of human violence. When I am confused and troubled in this way, I find that is one of the best times to turn to literature, not for easy answers by any means but to read about the people who endured the crises of the past and survived. W.H. Auden has been a source of wisdom and solace. I also found meaning in Writing on the Walls at Night, the latest book by Claudia Serea.
Writing on the Walls at Night
Like people all over the world, I have been in a state of shock, horror, and anger as Russia has waged war in Ukraine for the last few months. I have spent many nights lately baffled by the sheer senselessness of human violence. When I am confused and troubled in this way, I find that is one of the best times to turn to literature, not for easy answers by any means but to read about the people who endured the crises of the past and survived. W.H. Auden has been a source of wisdom and solace. I also found meaning in Writing on the Walls at Night, the latest book by Claudia Serea.
Drowning in Light
Another pandemic which has ravaged the world alongside Covid-19 for the last two years is loneliness. Lockdowns and social distancing have accelerated trends towards isolation that started well before Covid-19. Over the last two years, a choice to go out to a restaurant or movie theater has become a potentially life or death decision and so many folks have opted to stay home to enjoy the ease of a delivered meal and a streaming movie, often by themselves.
Words for the Dead
Lake Angela’s poetry collection, Words for the Dead, reminds me of the extraordinary sensory condition called synesthesia. “Some synesthetes,” according to the American Psychological Association, “taste shapes” or “perceive written digits, letters and words in color.” Angela sees pain in color, “composites of color” as she explains it and, in particular, the pain of losing a child which, I believe, to be the crux of this profound collection.