Author Archives: Jeff

Ambiguous is not the same as Unclear

Ambiguous comes from the Latin ambi (both ways) and agere (to drive). A lot of my poetry is ambiguous in the sense that words and phrases have two different interpretations, both of which are intended. In a writer’s group, someone … Continue reading

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Science in Real-time

All during my schooling, science was in books. Quantum mechanics and relativity theory were all worked out between my parents’ births in the 1920s and mine in 1950. There remained plenty of engineering challenges and questions of the implications of … Continue reading

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Letters at 3AM

COCKROACHES SCURRY. A tiger lies still in tall grass for hours awaiting prey. I write. The cockroach, the tiger, and me – we do how we are made. Michael Ventura Michael Ventura wrote the “Letters at 3AM” column from 1993 … Continue reading

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The Art of Solitude – mini review

I picked up this book by Stephen Batchelor because I liked a prior book of his. I read it all the way through, but at times wondered why. And wondered why the publisher bothered. It is a collection of essays … Continue reading

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Well informed, Nothing done

I spend too much of my day reading up on the news. At the end of the day, I find I have no time or energy to do the things that matter: writing poetry, editing and submitting it, typing in … Continue reading

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We in the World

Laurence Musgrove published my poem, “We in the World”, on his Website, Texas Poetry Assignment. I wrote the poem after reading about the rapid spread of the omicron SARS-CoV2 variant and the world’s varying responses.

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If Necessity is the Mother …

Accident is the red-headed stepchild of invention. Several “inventions” happened when someone made a “mistake”, but checked the result before tossing it. Acknowledging the accident is sometimes problematic (see first example below). There are several stories about how ganache, the … Continue reading

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It Was Legal – Topical Poetry

Topical Poetry published my poem on the Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery trials. They publish poems on current events that happened in the previous two weeks along with a link to a news article that provides context.

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Addiction/Cravings

A Month Without Coffee is an interesting look at addiction/cravings, specifically about coffee, but applicable to other substances. And I think about food at contemplative retreats, monasteries, etc. A key phrase is “flavor signal”. Substances with a strong flavor signal … Continue reading

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Reading Outside of Your Lane

Reading Outside of Your Lane is a blog post on how to approach reading a novel about a person or people outside of your usual fare. The author writes transgender historical fiction. This is needed advice as literature opens up … Continue reading

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