Category Archives: USA

*Meditations in an Emergency*

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

A poem by Frank O’Hara. It’s the first poem in *Meditations in an Emergency*, 1957: To the Harbormaster I wanted to be sure to reach you; though my ship was on the way it got caught in some moorings. I … Continue reading →

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N is for New York

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Those of you who stop by this site on a regular basis are likely aware of my interest in cities, urban transit and city planning. These subjects don’t suggest a topic for a children’s book, but in 1937 New York … Continue reading →

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NYC People

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Named Streets NYC: This is a neat  – a website showing New York, and specifically giving information about who the people some of its streets are named after were. “This map shows the names and biographical information for streets that … Continue reading →

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Cartography comes to Harlem (apologies to Chester Himes)

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Elmer Simms Campbell is famous for his decades of work as an illustrator for some of the most popular U.S. periodicals, such as Esquire, Playboy, and Cosmopolitan,  during the mid to late 20th century.  In 1939, Campbell became the first … Continue reading →

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“Practice resurrection. Part of who you are is who you will be.”

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And you will have a window in … Continue reading →

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New York, New York

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I was astonished by the new website isometric nyc. This project offers an amazingly detailed and incredibly comprehensive isometric pixel art map of New York City – not just Manhattan either, but all the other boroughs too, including my ancestral land of … Continue reading →

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I go unrecognized in paradise

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Dean Young — “Scherzo”

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Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

“In wondering why Americans are afraid of dragons, I began to realize that a great many Americans are not only anti-fantasy, but altogether anti-fiction. We tend, as a people, to look upon all works of the imagination either as suspect … Continue reading →

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So you’re going to New York City

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Book lovers and bibliophiles who are heading to New York City this year will have an embarrassment of choices when it comes to special exhibitions at some of the city’s premier institutions. The Morgan Library & Museum‘s Come Together: 3,000 Years … Continue reading →

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Winter in America

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

  And to the buffalo who once ruled the plains Like the vultures circling beneath the dark clouds Looking for the rain Looking for the rain Just like the cities staggered on the coastline Living in a nation that just … Continue reading →

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