We say “literally” when it’s anything but literal, and “LOL” when we are not really laughing out loud, but today I literally, for two minutes, laughed out loud at the most endearing little story, which I just have to share with you. This comes from a Japanese author pen-named Nobunaga, who jokingly describes himself as a confused samurai wandering through America. He writes short vignettes of his adventures, replete with observations of our culture, which he posts on his website and also sells in several volumes on Amazon.
Read MoreContrarian Author Liza Libes: A Rising Star Worth Watching
I spent several hours today perusing the essays and banger posts of a fresh, bright voice on the Internet: Liza Libes, an iconoclastic novelist who describes herself as “rebuilding literary taste one book at a time.” She writes on X, Instagram, and her website about “literature, beauty, art, culture, and big ideas.” Discovering her was like taking a bath in sunlight.
Read MoreA Little Treat for My Blog Readers
I came across this poem today that an old poetry student of mine wrote about small-town life. I find it so touching, and thought you all might enjoy it, too. Wapello, Iowa1980 Hot summer nights in Wapello, Iowa. Small dogs yip and claw at screen doors while young men cruise in wine-colored Buicks and grey Ford pickups up and down ... Read More
Three Great Reads
I promised to do another post soon for my writer blog-readers about some of my favorite novels, and this is me fulfilling that promise. Insurrection, the first book I want to recommend, was written by my client Brandon Teskey. Brandon is an infantry officer and 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army National Guard. During his service in the Middle East, he ... Read More
The Conservative Vegetarian–An Oxymoron?
Genesis has God giving man “dominion” over the animals. Perhaps a better translation would be “stewardship.”
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