Category Archives: USA

A Little Roadside Poetry

Posted on September 15, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

From Maine to New Mexico and from Alabama to Minnesota a series of roadside poetry signs have been popping up across the United States. The often philosophical works are all based on Japanese Senryū  style a sister poem to the … Continue reading →

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Dune, Now and Then

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Science Fiction fans around the world—myself included—were excited to see the first trailer for the new Dune film last week. (see below)Although I enjoyed the first cinematic interpretation of Frank Herbert’s interstellar saga, like many I found David Lynch’s version lacking in … Continue reading →

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Recreate Responsibly

Posted on September 12, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Who knew that the National Park Service had a sense of humor. You can check-out some more clever posters on the official website.  

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Dear Book People

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

  Sincerely Erik, is a moving short film written and directed by Naz Riahi about one bookseller struggling in these plague times. Although it is fictional, it poignantly reflects the reality that many folks in the book trade are experiencing all over … Continue reading →

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The Parable of the Author

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I am not a big re-reader of books, but at the start of the pandemic I picked-up a copy of Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower. If you are not familiar with the novel, it was published in 1993, but was … Continue reading →

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We wear the mask

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The Mask by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr,, one of the leading letterpress printers, book artists, and papermakers working in the United States today, was printed at Bloomington, Indiana, in 2000. Nearly all of his work has an Afrocentric focus. Mask features the use … Continue reading →

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Yes, it can happen here

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

There are a few memorable books that I read during my childhood that had profound influence on my social and political consciousness. Sinclair Lewis’ novel It Can’t Happen Here was one that I’ve never forgotten. The book was published during the rise … Continue reading →

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Denial Is A Cliff

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Denial is a Cliff We Are Driven Over Joy Priest I want to believe Don West when he writes: none of mineever made their living by driving slaves. But in my grandfather’s mouth that utterance would’ve taken on another meaning: In … Continue reading →

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Poison Book Project

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Just in case you needed another reason to wash your hands these days… The bright emerald green cloth on the books (above & below) gets its intense color from copper acetoarsenite, more commonly known as arsenic. The inorganic pigment was … Continue reading →

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Sometimes You Just Have To Listen To Oprah

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t think that I’ve ever actually read O, the Oprah Magazine, but I recently heard about an issue that featured “17 Black-owned bookstores in America that amplify the best in literature.” It also recommended the favorite bookshops of renowned … Continue reading →

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