Category Archives: Writing

Be a planet, not a meteor.

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Advice to A Young Writer1. If possible, be Russian. And live in another country. Play chess. Be an active trader between languages. Carry precious metals from one to the other. Remind us of Stravinsky. Know the names of plants and … Continue reading →

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from this green earth

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

 

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*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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A rare literary find and more stuff you need to see

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

A papyrus of part of the Iliad has been discovered in a Roman-era tomb of mummies in Egypt. “The papyrus contains a passage from Book II of Homer’s Iliad, specifically the section known as the ‘Catalogue of Ships’…” from the … Continue reading →

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Islands in your pocket

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

In the late 15th and mid-16th centuries, publishers in Venice produced a genre of small books called isolarii . The original publications can be thought of as an encyclopedia of islands containing maps along with text descriptions of significant history, … Continue reading →

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Print vs Ebooks

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

A new paper released last week by the Pew Research Center found that print books continue to be American adults’ preferred reading format, though digital formats continue to make inroads. According to a survey of 8,046 U.S. adults conducted last year from … Continue reading →

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the world is exceedingly complex for the simplicity of men.

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

“Inferno I, 32” — Jorge Luis Borges In the following short story, originally published in 1955, Borges remarks on the use of a leopard in the first canto of The Divine Comedy. What follows is, characteristic of Borges’ short prose, … Continue reading →

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Only wait a while and listen.

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I recently had a sad conversation with my sister about someone who we both loved who took his own life many years ago. It reminded me of this moving poem by Pulitzer-winning poet Galway Kinnell  addressed to a student of his … Continue reading →

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Five Centuries of Vulgarity

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Green’s Dictionary of Slang has become available as a free website, giving you access to an even more updated version of the dictionary. Collectively, the website lets you trace the development of slang over the past 500 years. The website allows lookups … Continue reading →

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My Magnum Opus

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Brian D. Butler
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