Art with Fountain Pens
A friend of mine is a passionate collector of fountain pens. In fact, I wrote a poem about it (still hoping to publish it). He recently showed me some of […]
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 […]
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 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, […]
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 […]
Carl Sandburg and John Dos Passos
It has long fascinated me that Carl Sandburg was one of the writers who nominated John Dos Passos for election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1947. […]