Peyton Farquar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of Owl Creek Bridge. Slowly, a bit distracted, he would get up and move among his men, checking the perimeter, then at full dark he would return to his hole and watch the night and wonder … Continue reading
Category Archives: reading
Black Lives Matter / discussion / Essay / Native American History / Protest: Action, Performance, History, Literature / reading / Sadness
Instead, I never want to use the word “and” again: Racism in America
For several days now I have wanted to write something, but I am often angry and speechless. The murder of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020; the murder of Breonna Taylor on March 13th, 2020; the murder of Ahmaud Arbery on February 23, 2020; and Riah Milton and Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells, two Black trans women … Continue reading
Essay / poetry / reading / Uncategorized
Following Discovery: Considering Self-Acknowledgement After Reading “The Answer” by Agnes Lee
After much searching I found what I was looking for, but now that I have I don’t know what to do. I messaged a dear friend; she said talk to friends, talk to your therapist. She said, I love you. I said, I love you too. In times of unknowing I also turn to literature. … Continue reading
Revisiting the Hermitage: Questions & Answers After Reading “Sanctuary” by Jean Valentine
Past midnight; the gravitational pull inside the hour pushing into the next day. I am tired; knees buckle. I cannot say that I am trapped in the “Sanctuary” , a poem by Jean Valentine because I can straighten myself up and walk forward and away. But the address of “you” is too inviting and I am drawn … Continue reading
Art / Essay / Muriel Rukeyser / Poetics / poetry / reading / Sound / Uncategorized / Writing
New Essay On Muriel Rukeyser
I am excited to share my essay, “She Sings the Body Electric: Soundscape in Two “Songs” by Muriel Rukeyser,” up and ready for reading at the Muriel Rukeyser: A Living Archive Scholarship Page (sponsored by the Eastern Michigan State University English Department and EMU’s Women in Philanthropy, founded and edited by Elizabeth Däumer). I hope … Continue reading
Reading Life: Instructions for Reading One-Way Street by Walter Benjamin
1. You must read the book cover to cover. Do not skip the preface or introduction; allow yourself to soak up Marcus’ observations and Jennings history with Benjamin. 2. You do not have to read Benjamin’s text in order. I did. There is no damage in doing so, but give yourself the freedom to explore and … Continue reading
Reading Life: Windows by J.-B. Pontalis
What we see as an everyday common object is one we take for granted. A window is often clear, reflective, sometimes blinded with sunlight or darkened at the end of the day, a point at which we can only see ourselves distorted and beveled. A window is about vision, what we see in both … Continue reading
Art / Commentary / criticism / Imogen Cunningham / Photography / poetry / reading / San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / Writing
Body Talk: Poetic Space in Imogen Cunningham’s Triangles, 1928
A friend once told me there are three sides to every story. *** If three is a number of unity then why are the nocturnal arcs of her body far more connective to me than angles? Her body receives light with subtle gradations yet provides an unending Rothko depth. I too am soft, but not … Continue reading
Reading Life: Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine
Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine is a collection of six stories: “A Brief History of the Art Form Known as “Hortisculpture””; “Amber Sweet”; “Go Owls”; “Translated, from the Japanese”; “Killing and Dying”; and “Intruders.” In perfect Tomine-esque brevity -in both text and illustration– each story presents the spacious darkness of the human condition through … Continue reading
Reading Life: Responding to the Eye in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God
Note: I originally wrote this piece for my U.S. Studies in Ethnic Lit. course. It was such a pleasure to write reader response pieces. This was my second reading of Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and it was wonderful! A hurricane is a brutal, destructive force of nature that, much like love can be a deceiving … Continue reading
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