Monthly Archives: August 2013

The Thrill of Bird Watching

Sports Saturday I don’t know if bird watching is a sport or not, but it’s the activity that my recently deceased father engaged in for exercise. Although from his childhood he was nearly blind in one eye and couldn’t look straight up without experiencing vertigo, he was an excellent birder and just needed the tiniest […]

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In Defense of the English Major

Adam Gopnik makes a spirited defense of the English major in a recent “New Yorker” article.

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What Light Verse Meant to Scott Bates

My father used light verse to stay optimistic in the face of a grim reality.

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Keeping the Civil Rights Dream Alive

Great Civil Rights moments are great. Movements are better.

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Prevent Sexual Assault with Literature

If men are to overcome their predatory natures, they must become gentle-men. Literature can help.

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Poetry vs. Death’s Madness

In the face of death, poetry stands as a bulwark against dissolution, chaos, and madness.

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A Time for Silence

Silence can be a very powerful response to tragedy.

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Waiting for the Tide to Turn

Dickinson, Coleridge and Dickens come to mind as we await the moment of my father’s death.

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Moving through Death’s Doorway

My father’s poem about Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl” is comforting me as he slides towards death.

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