A Time for Portuguese
In June of last year, the John Dos Passos Society convened in Lisbon. I knew almost nothing about Portuguese history and language. I knew I had a great opportunity, however, […]
Nancy Hanks Lincoln
Working on a poem about Abraham Lincoln mourning his mother’s death. She died when he was a boy of 9. I get the fascination every writer/historian seems to get while […]
Fall River, Massachusetts
Working on a poem about Fall River, MA. As part of my greater Portuguese education, I’ve been reading up on Portuguese immigration in New England. I was fascinated to learn […]
Apollo 11
Apollo 11, the documentary, was fascinating and put a smile on my face. I’m certainly not saying 1969 was the year the United States of America aged to perfection. Vietnam, […]
AOC and the Millennial Dilemma
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lives the dreams of many a millennial, waiting anxiously for their chance to lead. Many in the Baby Boom generation in America are refusing to cede power, time […]
Kavanaugh
Like Trump, Kavanaugh represents the worst in America. The erasure of personal responsibility for the “ruling class,” the enshrinement of rich white male privilege, the vaulting, careening vanity. The only […]
Robocop: Commentary
Watched Robocop (1987) again after a long spell. Now it’s just a sad, sad film and sharp satire. I don’t react to the action the way I did when I […]
John Fogerty
Wrote a poem about John Fogerty. I seem to be on the way to a series on music. I put my heart and soul into it. I saw John Fogerty […]
John Dos Passos Reports at Nuremberg
Research for my speech has sharpened my appreciation for my grandfather’s prestigious reporting career. For example, Dos Passos’ observations of the Nuremberg trials in fall 1945. “Except for Hess, who […]
John Dos Passos and Democracy
“War is a time of Caesars,” wrote John Dos Passos in The Grand Design (1949). As I study biographical material for my Lisbon speech, I’m noticing material I can use […]