Category Archives: USA

Memories of Tomorrow

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve long been a fan of vintage travel posters and I especially enjoy the historic posters created to promote the U.S. National Parks. In 1934, the park service began to encourage  state and national park tourism by designing their own … Continue reading →

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Who the hell is Edgar ?

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Here in the former Colonies we rarely pay any attention to the annual Eurovision music contest. However, this year the spirit of the iconic 19th century American author Edgar Allan Poe appears to be the inspiration for Austria’s entry in … Continue reading →

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Picturing Maps

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I have long been intrigued by old school pictoral maps. The exmples above and below are from the  University of Michigan’s Clark Library Maps collection, each shows the United States through a different cultural lens, covering everything from literary giants … Continue reading →

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The supply of strange ideas is not endless.

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“The Flight of Pigeons from the Palace” by Donald Barthelme In the abandoned palazzo, weeds and old blankets filled the rooms. The palazzo was in bad shape. We cleaned the abandoned palazzo for ten years. We scoured the stones. The … Continue reading →

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Some Good Advice

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

In 2006, Ms. Lockwood, an English teacher at Xavier High School in New York City, gave her students an assignment to write persuasive letters inviting their favorite authors to the school. Five students chose Kurt Vonnegut. Though 84-year-old Vonnegut couldn’t … Continue reading →

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words at play

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

MIT Press Bookstore bookseller Barry Duncan stumbled onto the book “An Almanac of Words at Play” four decades ago and it changed his life. Duncan discovered that words could go backwards. The realization set him on a course he would … Continue reading →

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All night I dreamt of bonfires

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Sharks in the Rivers Ada Limón We’ll say unbelievable things to each other in the early morning— our blue coming up from our roots, our water rising in our extraordinary limbs. All night I dreamt of bonfires and burn piles … Continue reading →

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Don’t get suckered this summer

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler
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99 Stories of God

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“Buried in Colorado All Alone” by Joy Williams from 99 Stories of God The girl from the pharmacy who delivered Darvon to Philip K. Dick, the science fiction writer, wore a golden fish necklace. “What does that mean?” asked Dick. She … Continue reading →

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The first duty of the novelist is to entertain.

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“The first duty of the novelist is to entertain. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, traveling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the alone for the … Continue reading →

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