President Trump, When I told a friend of mine I was going to create a booklist for you, he laughed and reminded me that you weren’t much of a reader. As a librarian that’s not supposed to stop me from introducing literature to people. It is, in fact, the point of being a librarian: to…
I’ve been running a poetry show for almost two decades. It’s an irreverent bit of nasty business, but we mean well and want the best for the poets who come through the door. That said, here are five things you can do to improve as a poet today, from one of the most sensitive hearts running…
I’ve been in an emotional holding pattern since the election, neither experiencing the debilitating sorrow that’s plagued much of the anti-Trump contingent, nor struggling mightily with the implications of his presidency. Suggesting I might be suffering from a bout of anhedonia would imply that a Clinton win would have elicited joy, which is patently false.…
Fences features a Denzel Washington who is finally directing something I can’t criticize on any level. His previous efforts – Antwone Fisher and The Great Debaters – were fair, but Fences finds him on a mission. Well, technically, it’s not a new mission. All of his previous efforts have been mission based as well, but…
Dear Kanye, I hope this letter finds you…in a better place than you’ve been lately. We don’t know each other – or rather, you don’t know me, and I only know of you – so that might not mean much to you. All cards on the table: we probably wouldn’t be friends in real life. It’s…
The reason why identity politics are getting chucked around like a bad penny right now is because it won’t go quietly back into its coin purse. Politicians want to acquire minority voting blocs without actually working on the specific concerns of the social blocs behind the votes, vying for a generally representative, trickle-down reality. Some…
There is a silver lining during this phase of post-election Trump ascendancy (PETA): all bets for the job are officially off. We no longer have to pretend that the American political machine is anything more than a high school popularity contest on steroids fronting for every –ism in the book and Big Banks. Donald Trump…
