Everyday is a gift so says the plaque on the bathroom wall. Of course there should be a space between every and day. It is each and every day that is the present. But the everyday is a gift too, wrapped in plain paper addressed in Papermate blue, left at the doorstep, bound in time and string near the mat, common as dirt and dust, ordinary as tap water, easy to miss. When you return to the table it may have taken your place —look before you sit. It … [Read more...]
Don’t kid yourself
These days everyone seems to be talking about politics and the state of our world. Even conservatives and liberals concur that national politics are surreal to a certain extent. Similarly everyone in Illinois agrees that our lawmakers seem to be a bunch of doofuses that can’t even get a budget worked out. And, look at the problems Chicago has; gun violence is epidemic. #SMH is a universal hashtag. Amid all this bleakness people my age often like to cite the inadequacies … [Read more...]
Remembering
I had a hard time finding a post for today. I looked through public domain poems trying to find one that was appropriate, one that celebrates the soldier and laments the war. For that’s how I feel. I hate war. But I appreciate the men and women who have fought and continue to fight in our wars. I appreciate their sacrifices and those of their families. Then I remembered I had a war poem, one I hadn’t shared before because I was embarrassed by the publication of it. It was … [Read more...]
Five is prime — Happy Birthday SISMW!
If I had a five-year-old dog, I would calculate my pet’s age to be 33 years, using a formula in which there are 10.5 dog years per human year for the first two years, then four dog years per human year for each year after. How do you calculate a book’s age? I mean, are book years and human years the same? Five years may seem old for a publication. Most books go out of style or lose their relevancy. I don’t think that’s the case for Solace in So Many Words as we still … [Read more...]
Fair season
It’s that time of year when books are celebrated. Here are three upcoming bookfairs. Currently underway is the Evanston Literary Festival, which started May 4 and goes through May 14. Upcoming events include Zoe Zolbrod tonight at Evanston Public Library to launch the tour for her new book The Telling, just out from Curbside Splendor. There are also readings by Laura Kasischke (May 11)and Alexander Chee (May 12) and a program called “Writing the Next Chapter” on Friday, … [Read more...]
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