Monthly Archives: December 2020

the gods wait to delight in you

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

It should come as no surprise to any one that the poet Charles Bukowski was an inspiration and muse for the great Tom Waits. I am always moved by the short Bukowski poem “The Laughing Heart” so I love the … Continue reading →

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Art Mystery or Art Prank

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

You don’t have to be a street art sucker like me to be intrigued by the tale of the Cookie Monster “мир, земля, печенье” (“Peace, Land, and Cookies” in Russian) mural that popped up on a commercial building in Peoria, … Continue reading →

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Books By Bike

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Although Sri Lanka has one of the highest youth literacy rate in South Asia, there are still many villages all across the country with no libraries and no access to books. To address this problem, social worker Mahinda Dasanayaka created … Continue reading →

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Sea of Cortez

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

We know it as the Gulf of California, but in 1940 it was called the Sea of Cortez. In that year, the novelist John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts  traveled there to research a book project on the region’s … Continue reading →

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A Window on the Universe

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Image Credit & Copyright: Zachery Cooley This extraordinary image was taken at North Window Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, this past October by Zachery Cooley. Not long ago, I spent a few days in and around Arches; it is … Continue reading →

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The Nature of Middle-Earth

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

H/T to faithful reader Bonnie B. for this post Fans of the Tolkien Universe will be happy to hear that a veritable treasure of unpublished writings from J.R.R. Tolkien will be released this coming June by HaperCollins. Titled “The Nature … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism: World’s Oldest Bookshop

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Although I have only visited Lisbon once, I had the serendipitous experience of staying in the Chiado district which is home to some of the city’s best cultural attractions, cafés, and the world’s oldest continuously operated bookstore. Livraria Bertrand, which … Continue reading →

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An Epic Story for a Hard Year

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

To be perfectly honest when I first was introduced to the 1,000-year old epic tale Beowulf in high school I was not a fan, but as they say it grew on me over the years. This year, the writer Maria … Continue reading →

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Reading is still the path

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

“The gears of poverty, ignorance, hopelessness, and low self-esteem mesh to create a kind of perpetual failure machine that grinds down dreams from generation to generation. We all bear the cost of keeping it running. Illiteracy is its linchpin…. Frederick … Continue reading →

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Dear Tourists

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

DEAR TOURISTS Johannes Göransson Dear Tourists, You can grope for moist souvenirs in the basement, but you’ll need patience because nobody down there will warn you about the floor. In the street you’ll find squirrels; on my scalp, bumps. If you … Continue reading →

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