Category Archives: Reviews

Reading Poetry

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Jeff

I go to a fair number of poetry readings by visiting poets, Open Mics, and poetry festivals (AIPF, Waco WordFest, Georgetown Poetry). Austin gets a modest number of famous poets reading (e.g., Naomi Shihab Nye several times this year). Most … Continue reading →

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The Second Mountain

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Jeff

David Brooks writes a column for the New York Times. He describes himself as a conservative and a Republican. Here in Texas, those labels in the news have been co-opted by small-minded, mean-spirited, xenophobes trying to out do each other … Continue reading →

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LeGuin on Dystopia

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jeff

Earlier I wrote about several of Ursula K. LeGuin’s books in Dystopias with Light Visible. In Words Are My Matter (an excellent collection of her essays about writing, book reviews, etc.) she says: Dystopia is by its nature a dreary, … Continue reading →

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Dystopias with Light Visible

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Jeff

Most of the Ursula LeGuin books I’ve read are dystopias, not unescapable darkness, but unsettling visions of possible futures or scenarios. The Word for World is Forest is a disturbing portrait of evil even more relevant in these days of … Continue reading →

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Sixer Prompts

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Jeff

In one of my writing groups, someone brought a prompt she described as a sixer, a story in six words: “Iris bloom around steps, house gone.”  From it I wrote a very good poem that is making the submission rounds. … Continue reading →

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Review: The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Jeff

I enjoyed Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and Tiffany Aching stories.  The first page always grabbed me and the climaxes made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  We lost a great writer when he passed away last fall.  … Continue reading →

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Review: Chasing Francis

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Jeff

Chasing Francis—A Pilgrim’s Tale by Ian Morgan Cron is a novel with workbook and bibliography attached. The novel is not great art, but it is an engaging read. I read it in two sittings, unusual for me. I tend to … Continue reading →

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Henry Miller on Money vs. Wealth

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Jeff

Henry Miller when challenged by Ezra Pound on money about “what makes it and how it gets that way.” wrote a little booklet of the same name. Much of the details of money have changed since then (for example credit … Continue reading →

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Field Guide to Getting Lost – Review

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Jeff

In my reading and in my life, I’m starting to encounter what Meister Eckhart called the Via Negative, the path through darkness, of not knowing. Often characterized as the downward path. A Field Guide to Getting Lost: Rebecca Solnit on … Continue reading →

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Your Brain at Work

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Jeff

What I bought Your Brain at Work for is summed up in the subtitle, “Strategies for overcoming distraction, regaining focus, and working smarter all day long.” What I found it most useful for was meditation.It describes the neuro-chemistry and biology … Continue reading →

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