Category Archives: Uncategorized

Pynchon on Orwell

Posted on April 14, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I recently discovered that Thomas Pynchon penned a lengthy introduction to the Plume Centennial Edition of George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty -Four. It’s a long read, but well worth the time. George Orwell’s last book, 1984, has in a way … Continue reading →

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Tokyo: Beyond the cat cafe

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Tokyo is famous for it’s unusual themed cafes. When I visited the city, I saw everything from a hedgehog cafe to a tiny pig cafe, and even a cafe where all of the waitstaff were robots. So it’s no surprise … Continue reading →

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Time Machine

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

The Radio Time Machine may look like a stylish, retro radio but it’s so much more. A classic dial, wood cabinet, mid-century modern looks, however instead of frequencies, the dial moves through years. Turn it to 1968 and the device … Continue reading →

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Flannery O’Connor, Allen Ginsburg & Ralph Kramden

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

“On June 1, 1994, Allen Ginsberg gave a poetry reading to nearly 30,000 people—without question the largest audience of his entire career. Then firmly ensconced as the most recognizable American poet alive, Ginsberg read one poem, was booed throughout the … Continue reading →

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One Train May Hide Another

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

One Train May Hide Another (sign at a railroad crossing in Kenya) — Kenneth Koch In a poem, one line may hide another line, As at a crossing, one train may hide another train. That is, if you are waiting … Continue reading →

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Take a musical journey

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Those of you who make regular visits to Travel Between The Pages will be well aware of my fondness for these web-based international music and entertainment sites. TuneJourney is one of my new favs. “Discover, listen to, and stream free … Continue reading →

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How and Why

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

The great poems, plays, novels, stories teach us how to go on living, even when submerged under forty fathoms of bother and distress. If you live ninety years you will be a battered survivor. Your own mistakes, accidents, failures at … Continue reading →

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London in the 18th Century

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I never tire of reading about Britain’s greatest city. London in the 18th Century by Wallace Crawford Snowden, revised and edited by Marie Clayton, offers a full reproduction of pioneering cartographer John Rocque’s 1746 An Exact Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster which provided … Continue reading →

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There is no i in Absence

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Carol Shields — the American-born Canadian novelist who won a Pulitzer Prize for The Stone Diaries in 1995 — wrote a short story called “Absence” without using the letter I a single time. It appeared in her 2000 collection Dressing Up for the … Continue reading →

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Free Short Stories

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

The Library of Short Stories is a wonderful, and completely free, website dedicated to classic short stories. Offering a wide range of genres from around the world, the Library is the work of Melbourne based author and web developer Evan C. Lewis. Each story … Continue reading →

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