Monthly Archives: July 2026

your one wild and precious life

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver’s life and career are explored in the new documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, directed by Sasha Waters. Deadline reported that the film has opened at IFC Center in New York City and … Continue reading →

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How the bilingual brain works

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I am terrible at learning languages. Over the years, I’ve struggled to get by with high school French and the bits and pieces of Spanish that I picked up living in South Florida. Before trips, I have crammed traveler’s Greek, … Continue reading →

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Fairy tales are about trouble

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Fairy tales are about trouble, about getting into it and out of it, and trouble seems to be a necessary stage on the route of becoming. All the magic and glass mountains and pearls the size of houses and princesses … Continue reading →

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First Book of Jazz

Posted on July 8, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

When I was in the 7th grade, my wonderful English teacher—shout out to Mrs. Fine—introduced me to the poetry of Langston Hughes. I was immediately hooked. Somehow I never knew until recently about his marvelous introduction to jazz that he … Continue reading →

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A short history and glimpse of the future

Posted on July 7, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

R.Crumb

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running toward life

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

In a long ago edition of the Paris Review, writer Ray Bradbury responded to a question about a mysterious character, Mr. Electrico, who appeared in “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” “Yes, but he was a real man. That was his … Continue reading →

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Holiday Weekend House Party

Posted on July 5, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Here in the sad old USA we are in the midst of a long holiday weekend and a motivation-sapping heatwave. So, it’s a great time to stay indoors and chill. There’s no better way to do so than with an … Continue reading →

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Civil Disobedience

Posted on July 4, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth–certainly the machine will wear out… but if it is of such a nature that it … Continue reading →

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Macédoine

Posted on July 3, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

  Inside Darwin’s bookshelves: a project to catalogue his personal library. International pop superstar Dua Lipa and the historic Portuguese bookstore Livraria Lello have teamed up to launch the Manifesto Library. Opening today, June 27, 2026, the space serves as … Continue reading →

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Birds of America

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

If you’re in Maine, you might want to check out First Fridays at Bowdoin College’s Special Collections Library. On the first Friday of every month, people gather together for a surprise. Some of them have even placed bets on the … Continue reading →

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