Paul Christensen: In Praise of Spring
As I got down from the car after shopping, my wife led me to the side yard. She pointed down into the tangle of winter grass and let me discover … Continue reading
Patricia A. Nugent: Resurrecting Jesus
“…Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” Bow head at His name. Finish the Hail Mary. Make the sign of the cross. Blow … Continue reading
Herman Hesse: Trees
For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them … Continue reading
Abby Zimet: Time of Useful Consciousness
A belated 98th birthday to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, indefatigable poet, bookseller, anti-Fascist, First Amendment activist, environmentalist, publisher, painter, creator of community, patron saint of the Beat artists, Poet Laureate of San … Continue reading
Michael Gregory: Battleship America
Most Americans, like most people in the world for the past hundred years, have lived with the threat of war hanging over them, or have been in actual combat. For … Continue reading
Bart Plantenga: Paris Scratch
Archaeologie de Boureé Archaeology of the Drunk Dance The short snout-nosed barman at the landmark, Le Pigal, wipes grime & puke off the dormant juke. Shines it until he sees … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: The Sweet Nostalgia for War
Donald Trump and the triumph of fantasy The other day, I walked across much of Manhattan Island on the street where I grew up. Once upon a time, in a … Continue reading
John Samuel Tieman: The Fall Of An Khe
I never saw Saigon. In 1970, I was stationed at Camp Radcliff next to the village of An Khe in the Central Highlands. I was assigned to the army’s 4th … Continue reading
Video: Karim Sulayman — I trust you
. Karim Sulayman is an Arab-American tenor from Chicago. Ten days after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Sulayman teamed up with filmmaker Meredith Kaufman Younger to perform a trust experiment. … Continue reading
John Samuel Tieman: How To Tell A War Story
I remember the day Senior Drill Sergeant Rose lined us up in squads of eight. It was the first week of Basic Training. “Every single one of you is going … Continue reading
Marc Jampole: Trump’s War On Us
Trump’s war on immigrants comes home. Guess what? It’s part of a larger war on our economy and our values. The other day I was at a friend’s house when … Continue reading
John Samuel Tieman: A Pebble on a Gravestone
In a rising tide of racism and anti-semitism around the world, vandals toppled and damaged more than 170 headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in the St. Louis … Continue reading
Billy Clem: As My Death Approaches
I am gravely ill. Medical tests indicate that my blood and many of my internal organs now fail to perform necessary functions. My body, enervated, starving, looks and feels terrible. … Continue reading
Shirley Ann Higuchi: Suddenly What Happened to Japanese Americans 75 Years Ago Is Relevant
In May 1942, just six months into World War II, a medical doctor in the U.S. Army went to a notary in Fort Smith, Arkansas and signed over the sale … Continue reading
