Sanctuary
Sean MurphyI visited my mother’s grave the first several years for the same reason I used to attend church: it was expected, it was meant to make me feel better, it…
Rock Island: 1989-2019
Fall '89 My good friend, and brother Tony James reminds me that today is the 30th anniversary of Rock Island. It was love at first listen and, in hindsight, the…
This Creeping Malaise
Of course, what we write about is what we think about, and what we think about is invariably influenced by what we’re doing, what we’re reading, what we’re ceaselessly reacting…
Some of the Things Toni Morrison Means to Me
I’m not certain if it has anything to do with what you study in college, or the type of person you already are (of course the two are not mutually…
Melville at 200 and, of course, Moby Dick
Herman Melville is not only, arguably, our most American author; he is America. Author of the most successful second act in literary history (posthumous, alas), Melville is sui generis as…