Molly Fisk: An Apiary Has Nothing to Do with Apes
One of the things I’m good at is linking people together. Not match-making, although two couples have married who fell in love during my poetry class. Usually it’s more practical: … Continue reading
Sarah van Gelder: I Was Wrong About the Rural–Urban Divide
Wisconsin dairy farmers reminded me not to allow Fox News and the NRA to define groups of people. I thought I knew something about Wisconsin politics. I assumed the state … Continue reading
Sarah Freeman-Woolpert: Amid opioid epidemic, ‘recovery activists’ shape a powerful grassroots movement
Almost a decade after beginning his recovery from heroin addiction, Brett Bramble is undertaking a new challenge. Accompanied by his dog Domino and a small group of fellow activists, Bramble … Continue reading
Jose Padua: How Does It Feel to Be Loved and All the Other Questions I’ve Ever Wanted to Ask the Armed Cheerleaders of the Corporate State as an Act of Defiance
That night one year ago, after dinner, I was in the dining room talking to my wife Heather when our thirteen-year-old daughter Maggie came in to ask me for help … Continue reading
Paul Christensen: Reading Camus
We live in strange times. The columnists and commentariat have run out of ways to milk horror and agony out of their visions, and … Continue reading
Kate Daniels: Remembering former poet laureate Philip Levine
Former US Poet Laureate Philip Levine (1928-2015) was down to earth and humble. But he spared no rage towards those he deemed selfish and narcissistic. Across the hall from my … Continue reading
Michael Simms: An Appreciation of the Poetry of Robert Gibb
Robert Gibb is a poet’s poet. By that phrase I mean that he’s widely admired among poets across the country, but virtually unknown to the public. He’s published a dozen … Continue reading
Matika Wilbur: I’m Dreaming About a Modern World That Doesn’t Erase Its Indigenous Intelligence
It is important to understand that decolonization is a physical action and that since the creation of the United Nations, more than 80 countries have decolonized; which is to say, … Continue reading
Abby Zimet: The Kids Have Had Enough
“The NRA is a terrorist organization.” With evidence growing that prayer will not stop bullets from killing school children, the kids themselves are stepping up to be the grownups in … Continue reading
Ellen McGrath Smith: The ascendancy of the word “Douchebag”
can be attributed to Twitter and other social media. Compared to other obscene slurs predating the Internet, “douchebag” enjoys much more frequency and vehemence. It’s fun and satisfying for the … Continue reading
Charles Davidson: A Day for Love in the Age of Trump
You might say that at its inception St. Valentine’s Day was born as a lover’s “blizzard.” For, as legend has it, Saint Valentine, a third century Christian priest, selflessly ministered … Continue reading
Paul Christensen: The Lie Detectors
I recall those gray days after school in the 1950s when I settled in to watch “Superman” on our black and white TV. The theme music was proto-John Williams epic … Continue reading
John Lawson: For Jefferson Beauregard Sessions and my cousins Billie and Dave
When I was a boy in a Virginia suburb, The maids came on the bus each day, And cleaned and ironed and made us lunch. Outside, the colored vendor (“colored” … Continue reading
