Category Archives: On Writing
Music in the Snow
OK. Here’s a bit of parallel thinking about a snowfall heading up the coast from Florida to Boston. See if you can navigate all this without losing your balance and falling into the slush. Let’s begin with some music. James … Continue reading
Filed under Literary Criticism, Media, Music, On Writing
Rabbit’s At Rest
Lorrie Moore’s splendid little piece, “The Complete Updike,” on the NY Times op ed page on Jan. 28, 2009, reminds me that there are writers and there are super writers. John Updike (1932-2009) was in the super category. The only … Continue reading
Filed under Literary Criticism, On Writing, Personal Essays
Newspapers Die, but Not Graceful News Writing
To answer those who continue to make the silly claim that graceful writing has somehow been obviated by the Internet or by streaming video; and to rebut those who argue that news writing somehow lacks the creativity of other kinds … Continue reading
Filed under Current Affairs, Media, On Writing
B+ for Obama, A for Lincoln
In the Saturday, January 9, Weekend Wall Street Journal, novelist Jonathan Raban rates the writerly gifts of US presidents. And while Obama gets high marks for the literary excellence of Dream of My Father, Raban says Obama’s no Lincoln. The … Continue reading
Filed under Literary Criticism, On Writing, Poetry, Political Communication, Politics
