Adrienne Rich: On Poetry, Freedom and Silence
We have become a pyramidic society of the omnivorously acquisitive few, an insecure, dwindling middle class, and a multiplying number of ill-served, throwaway citizens and workers [resulting in] a kind … Continue reading
Ruth Clark: Here in Hereford, Snake Edition
In Hereford reptiles, like rodents, are abundant. Most commonly we see the quick-moving whiptail lizard, which is the favorite food of the road runner, the gecko, most often on a … Continue reading
Martin Kirk: The Beautifully Lived Life of Jo Cox
What use are words penned in moments of shocked grief? What insight can be found here that eludes us at other times? What useful honesty can I access when both … Continue reading
Michael Simms: The Apothecary in the Back Yard
In our garden of blueberry, elderberry, rose, zinnia, sage, oregano, and tomato, Eva and I have decided to reserve a corner that will be left untended. This plot will be … Continue reading
Ellen McGrath Smith: Wounded Antelope of the Herd
Some Thoughts on Brock Turner, Drinking, and Rape I was 18, waking up on the dorm hallway floor. Mary Beth, the upperclassman who woke me to get dressed for work, … Continue reading
Ruth Clark: Here in Hereford
Hereford, Arizona Our area has no prestige. Was supposed to be all site built but isn’t. Sharp turn onto dirt road, quick to avoid an unperceived vehicle. Next pass 3 … Continue reading
Paul Christensen: Village Life
A stone village like St. Martin de Castillon, where I live in southern France, was squeezed together long ago by vanished defensive walls. Only a few turrets remain at different … Continue reading
Patricia A. Nugent: Stains
A blend of green and orange fluid poured out of two-year old Clara’s mouth in a constant stream, puddling on the recently-shampooed carpet. Like an oil slick. She’d been … Continue reading
Jose Padua: The Philosophy of Flowers v. The Speed of Life
It was probably the day before my dad died that I brought in from the car the September 2011 issue of Poetry, in which I found the card he had … Continue reading
Video: Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, “Chasing Bubba”
Powerhouse raconteur Dhaya Lakshminarayanan recounts the story of how she met Bill Clinton. Original score by Alex Mandel, performed by Alex and the Snap Playaz.
Paul Christensen: Back in Provence
I’m back in France after nine months in rural Vermont. I had grown indifferent to the cold in Vermont, the gray skies hanging down like some Sheik’s desert tent. I … Continue reading
James Baldwin: The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity
I really don’t like words like “artist” or “integrity” or “courage” or “nobility.” I have a kind of distrust of all those words because I don’t really know what they … Continue reading
Doug Anderson: Street Photography
Wonder how long it took people to get over the shock of the first photographs, the exact replication of the human image? Was it eerie? Did people feel that something … Continue reading
John Samuel Tieman: After Reading Sappho
. [For you] the fragrant-blossomed Muses’ lovely gifts [be zealous] girls, [and the] clear melodious lyre. [but my once tender] body old age now [has seized] my hair’s turned [white] … Continue reading
