Monthly Archives: May 2021

All the misery of manilla folders and mucilage

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

DOLOR Theodore Roethke I have known the inexorable sadness of pencils, Neat in their boxes, dolor of pad and paper weight, All the misery of manilla folders and mucilage, Desolation in immaculate public places, Lonely reception room, lavatory, switchboard, The … Continue reading →

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The Bradbury Chronicles

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

As I have mentioned more than a few times over the years, I was a voracious reader of Ray Bradbury’s novels and short stories as a kid. So, I was excited to see that the American Writers Museum in Chicago … Continue reading →

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The Reader

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Murder At Full Moon

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t remember which book that I read first, Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath, but both had a lasting effect on me and made me a John Steinbeck fan. Over the years, I think that I’ve read every novel and … Continue reading →

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Books are only human after all

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Rooting through my image files I came across this little series of paintings by British artist and illustrator Jonathan Wolstenholme. He is widely known for his amazingly detailed works deriving from a love of old books and of the paraphernalia … Continue reading →

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Maps of States

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

MAPS OF STATES Terrance Hayes  A map indicating the state of the union may Yield the statues, static & statutes of grave White men while a map indicating disrepair may Yield colorful groundbreakers uprooting graves.   A map indicating the … Continue reading →

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Call For The Dead

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, Viking announced that this year—which happens to be the 60th anniversary of the publication of John le Carré’s first novel, Call for the Dead—they will publish the late writer’s twenty-sixth, and likely last, novel, Silverview. Silverview will be … Continue reading →

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When They Haven’t Really Read The Book

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Cartoonist Ward Sutton creates classic books illustrated by artists who have clearly not read the books.

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Waving Not Drowning

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

By now nearly every human being on the planet has seen one version or another of the iconic painting above. What do most of us really know about this sublime work of art ? When woodcut artist Katsushika Hokusai made his famous … Continue reading →

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Gorey on Gory

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I was saddened to read that mystery writer and editor Marvin Kaye died on May 13, 2021 at the age of 83. Edward Gorey created wonderful wraparound dust jacket cover designs for eight of the numerous anthologies Kaye produced.  

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