Dos Passos in The New Yorker
What a splendid way to end the year! Yesterday, The New Yorker published a re-appraisal of John Dos Passos’ U.S.A. trilogy. These “second reads” of his books are rare indeed […]
Call for Papers: 2020 Conference of John Dos Passos Society
The big day is here. The Call for Papers is out for the 2020 conference of the John Dos Passos Society, its 4th biennial conference. The conference will take place […]
Remembering Ellen Bromfield Geld
Ellen Bromfield Geld, farmer and writer, has died at age 87. She wrote nine books and had a marvelous, unique style of creative nonfiction. Sending love and light to her […]
Learning from Poet Ted Kooser
What a great manual for writers of all kinds. Just soaking up Ted Kooser’s relaxed, confident voice is a pleasure. After reading the book, I immediately went to work writing […]
My Science Writing
My debut as a science writer. Thanks to the Climate.gov team for making this possible. The story of climate change in Alaska pulled me in and challenged me at every […]
Office Space: Notes on a Screenplay
Watched Office Space again. But with a mission this time. Took notes with the idea of learning lessons for my screenplay-in-progress. I thought I knew every bit of the movie, […]
Fire and Ice
Last week, I got to thinking about Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” while I was at work on climate matters. Arctic melting, record high temperatures, Montana blizzard. It’s not […]
Ponta do Sol
The JDP Cultural Center and Villa Dos Passos are in Ponta do Sol, Madeira, a small town. The name of the town means “Point of the Sun,” and the sun […]
Discovering Madeira
My discovery of Madeira taught me something. There are three things that really jump-start self-actualization. Falling in love with a soulmate. Finding a calling or vocation that feeds the soul, […]
A Fish Porter at Billingsgate
Today, I received word that one of my poems, “A Fish Porter at Billingsgate,” was accepted for publication by a literary magazine–to appear next year. I got emotional about the […]