Dawn Potter: Why, as the evening steps forward,
as the late noise of traffic, of shrill birdsong,
dies away, do I always recall
those brief summers, when the old folks
reclined in the grass on the hill
Jianqing Zheng: The Dog Years of Reeducation (excerpt)
When the sampan glides to shore, the bird lands back on the shoulder of the rowing girl while lotus leaves whisper in the morning sunshine.
Edwin Arlington Robinson: The Sheaves
Where long the shadows of the wind had rolled,
Green wheat was yielding to the change assigned;
And as by some vast magic undivined
The world was turning slowly into gold.
Jose Padua: North Richmond Street, Being Blind
This place used to be
called Helltown and some people still call it
that, except at that precise hour when the sky
over the mountains is a perfect flinty lapis lazuli
blue, and the river is a woman named Edna with
the most joyous laugh
Mary Swander: Covid-19 among the Amish
The Amish have become an experiment in herd immunity, the direction where we all seem to be headed in the U.S.
Video: Lonesome Willcox
Rex Allen, The Singing Cowboy . . Willcox, Arizona is a country music town that isn’t … Continue reading
Niaz Dorry: Rural America Is Reeling. What’s the Remedy?
While the U.S. government has prioritized the bailout of Wall Street with public monies, it has marginalized distressed rural communities and failed to provide the necessary funds, expertise and assistance to help revitalize them.
James Wright: Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio
In the Shreve High football stadium, I think of Polacks nursing long beers in Tiltonsville, And gray faces of Negroes in the blast furnace at Benwood, And the ruptured night … Continue reading
Bart Plantenga: A Transsexual, a Chainsaw & a Soiled Toilet
I will always be a stranger who never feels at home Eugene O’Neill . Let me begin by saying that nothing is as it seems and, in this case that … Continue reading
Brenda Butka: Manifesto
Before the revolution, later today, I must admire the chiffon sky, Read a story and the weather report, Feed the fish, find a card for a thank you note. Before … Continue reading
Video: Look & See — A Portrait of Wendell Berry (Trailer)
. LOOK & SEE revolves around the divergent stories of several residents of Henry County, Kentucky who each face difficult choices that will dramatically reshape their relationship with the … 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
Jose Padua: The Color of Bourbon and Other Observations on the Landscape of the Valley Where We Live
. This past Saturday, Heather, Maggie, Julien, and I were going south on Route 11 just outside of downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia. We were there for a quick, cheap, winter getaway … Continue reading
