Category Archives: USA

Rules for Writers

Raymond Chandler’s 10 rules for writing a detective novel: It must be credibly motivated, both as to the original situation and the dénouement. It must be technically sound as to the methods of murder and detection. It must be realistic … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Mapping

The Pandemic had a devastating effect on the book trade in Philadelphia. Over the last two years, the city has lost some of its oldest and most beloved bookshops. I was heartened however to discover that the city’s surviving booksellers … Continue reading →

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The water was black and warm

Much has been written about the great American novelist Cormac McCarthy since his recent death. I have long admired his writing, but often found his books to be grim. Ironically, my favorite work is The Road, which is about a dark a … Continue reading →

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To My Enemies

Watching the nonstop maddening show of U.S. politics and culture these days, I have been reminded of the poem “To My Enemies” by the under-appreciated American poet Bert Meyers. Meyers was born in Los Angeles on March 20, 1928. The son of … Continue reading →

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Freedom of the Press

Every day I seem to be reading another story about the erosion of press freedoms here in the United States and around the world. The insidious takeover of print and online news outlets by rightwing corporate capitalist enterprises is just … Continue reading →

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Whole lotta shaking going on

I don’t have a lot of personal experience with earthquakes. My area of North America is in a low to moderate risk zone. Although we did have a 2.30 quake in my town about 14 years ago. At the time, … Continue reading →

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“What is the purpose of all this?”

In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in His cosmic loneliness. And God said, “Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done.” And God created every … Continue reading →

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Dead Stars

DEAD STARS by Ada Limón Out here, there’s a bowing even the trees are doing. Winter’s icy hand at the back of all of us. Black bark, slick yellow leaves, a kind of stillness that feels so mute it’s almost … Continue reading →

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Browse, Borrow, Board

The U.S. city of Boston is making borrowing reading material on-the-go more accessible through a pilot program that will offer public transit users access digital content from books and periodicals to audiobooks and newspapers at 20 bus stops across the … Continue reading →

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What’s your sign

I have recently noticed a number of stories online suggesting that there is a resurgence in the popularity of astrology. While I do not want to wander into the quagmire of discussing  astrology, it’s interesting to note that the pseudo-science … Continue reading →

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