reading – joshua chamberlain

tomorrow

I recently stumbled upon a letter E.B. White wrote in response to another man’s despair and loss of faith in humanity: Dear Mr. Nadeau: As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing thatContinue reading “tomorrow”

something to lose

I’ve spent a good amount of the last few weeks trying to hold it together. This seems to be the case for most of us these days. Something I’ve found distressing in the midst of it all has been my inability to engage with certain media. Watching TV is often difficult, despite the fact it’sContinue reading “something to lose”

happiness is not bullshit

I was struck by a brief exchange in Ann Lamott’s episode of The Midnight Gospel, which quickly dispels the myth of the tortured artist. “I felt terror that if I stopped drinking, I would never write again,” Lamott muses. “Because I needed the misery. Because I needed that edge. And I needed the shame andContinue reading “happiness is not bullshit”

lessons from Mike Nichols

I finally finished reading Mark Harris’s biography, Mike Nichols: A Life. A few takeaways: “I passionately believe that in art, certainly in theater, there are only two questions…The first question is: ‘What is this, really, when it happens in life?’ not what is the accepted convention…but what is it really like? And the other questionContinue reading “lessons from Mike Nichols”

listening to listen

It seems like most of the time, when I listen to a podcast, it’s to get something out of it. I’m on the hunt for tidbits of creative advice, insight into a craft, or equipment for living life in these trying times. Rarely do I listen just to listen. Marc Maron’s interview with David ChangContinue reading “listening to listen”

home in October

I love the month of October. Each year, it feels like a return to someplace familiar. As Kerouac says in On The Road, “Everybody goes home in October.” Thomas Wolfe agrees: All things on earth point home in old October: sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voiceContinue reading “home in October”

learning vs. education

I started reading Verlyn Klinkenborg’s Several Short Sentences about Writing and twenty pages in, it’s already the most useful book on writing I’ve ever read. One of the hard truths from the book: The central fact of your education is this: you’ve been taught to believe that what you discover by thinking, by examining yourContinue reading “learning vs. education”

a poem or a prayer

I’ve always loved how poetry comes from somewhere deep, almost as though it’s the language of the soul. Austin Kleon, in addition to being famous as the Steal Like an Artist guy, is known for his blackout poems. He takes newspaper clips and blacks out most of the words to create a poem. After all,Continue reading “a poem or a prayer”

“all shall be well…”

Around this time last year, as Covid reared its head and we barreled into the political upheaval of fall, I was possessed by an idea. It kept appearing in my head over and over: “All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well…” There was a familiar comfortContinue reading ““all shall be well…””

many things at once

This morning’s Writer’s Almanac had an interesting quote from Raymond Chandler, discussing Philip Marlowe, the protagonist of his novel The Big Sleep: He must be the best man in his world and good enough for any world. I do not care much about his private life; he is neither a eunuch nor a satyr; IContinue reading “many things at once”