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Jul 30 2007
A World of Possibilities
It always amazes me when I hear about the dwindling literary readership. The subject comes up in meetings for The Missouri Review from time to time, noted with apathy or… read more
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Jul 28 2007
In Defense of the Beach Read
En route to a recent doctor’s appointment, I realized I had made a grave mistake: I forgot to bring my own reading material. After being sentenced to a lengthy stay… read more
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Jul 26 2007
More than Harry Potter out there?
Nothing says intimidating quite like the public library–at least to me. Although I’ve always regarded the library as a safe haven in which I can get lost in a thousand… read more
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Jul 23 2007
A word on finding an MFA
People frequently bemoan the death of reading these days, which I find interesting in light of the quiet rise of the MFA. Thirty years ago, there were only fifty or… read more
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Jul 18 2007
Living in the Kinkade-Hood
One’s person’s kitsch is another person’s art, a fact that was most evident to me when I was attending college in Branson, Missouri in the early ‘80s. First there are… read more
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Jul 16 2007
The Perils of Literary Laziness
I’m not a fast reader. I’ve improved with experience and age, but it usually takes me awhile to get through any hefty tome. Still, a good book always seems worth… read more
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Jul 12 2007
Allowing for a little substance
As long as I have been alive, there have been convenient ways of interacting with the people in my life, the relatives and friends, near and far. This has been… read more
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Jul 10 2007
Audio Poetry: “Departure in New Affection and New Noise”
In a letter to Paul Demeny, Rimbaud argues “All ancient poetry culminated in Greek poetry, harmonious Life.” For Rimbaud, this harmony involves both mind and body: “verses and lyres, rhythms:… read more
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Jul 08 2007
Lost in Literary Fandom
Okay, here’s the truth of my current reading habits. More often than not, I prefer to read about writers rather than what they’ve actually written. Ann Charters’s Kerouac: A Biography… read more
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Jul 04 2007
A Comic Turn
Here’s a trip down nostalgia lane: a little while ago I went to a comic book shop for the first time in a decade, and everything was just as I… read more