Category Archives: USA

Mapping the Bans

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The onslaught of reactionary right wing book bans does not seem to be abating in the U.S.. This attack on freedom of expression is just one component of the political/cultural war raging in America. The American Library Association (ALA) reports that … Continue reading →

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It’s really all about mutual aid

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

It may seem to be a big leap from U.S. Presidential politics to a book published in 1902 by a Russian scientist and anarchist, but this week watching the electioneering I have been thinking about Peter Kropokin’s seminal work Mutual … Continue reading →

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Banned Book Wagon

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

For the second year in a row, the Banned Wagon–powered by Penguin Random House and in partnership with Unite Against Book Bans (UUAB), Little Free Library, and First Book–is visiting bookstores and libraries during Banned Books Week–and beyond–in areas in the South and Midwest where … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Freedom of Speech, USA | Tagged | 2 Comments

Autumn is a second spring…

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.– ALBERT CAMUS   Whether one calls it Autumn or Fall, the Autumn Equinox is nearly here. Americans can’t agree on much, but most love the seasonal changing of the … Continue reading →

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Lit Box

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

To celebrate 25 years of publishing and its 74th issue, the San Francisco-based magazine McSweeney’s is offering a lunchbox packed with literary treats. Instead of a PB&J sandwich and an apple, the retro-inspired box includes sets of author cards, pencils … Continue reading →

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When Ray Bradbury channeled Herman Melvile

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was today years old when I learned that the iconic American Sci-Fi writer Ray Bradbury was also a Hollywood screenwriter. The Los Angeles Review of Books recently published a fascinating story on the fraught collaboration between Bradbury and the … Continue reading →

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No Monopoly On Fun

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The old fashioned board game has been making a comeback in North America, especially with Gen Z. Many attribute the renewed interest in this decidedly nondigital pastime to the Covid Pandemic. Along with the iconic games such as Monopoly and … Continue reading →

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It’s all one thing

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

HYMN TO TIME by Ursula K. Le Guin Time says “Let there be” every moment and instantly there is space and the radiance of each bright galaxy. And eyes beholding radiance. And the gnats’ flickering dance. And the seas’ expanse. … Continue reading →

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Great writer, artist not so much

Posted on September 8, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

In 1952, when the quintessential Beat writer Jack Kerouac began marketing his second novel On the Road to publishing houses, he designed his own book cover. He sent it to a potential publisher A.A. Wyn, with a little note typed … Continue reading →

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Stand Your Ground

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

A few years back, I was taking a short hike around a glacial lake below the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska and nearly walked up on a bear. Fortunately after seeing the fresh bear tracks, I reversed my course and found … Continue reading →

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