Category Archives: Writing

American Weirdo

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

This weekend I stumbled upon this terrific retrospective on the way under-appreciated alternative comics series created by R. Crumb in the 1980s. Weirdo bridged the cultural and generational gap between the “underground comix” of the 1960s and the later so-called “alternative comics”. … Continue reading →

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Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower Rainer Maria Rilke Quiet friend who has come so far, feel how your breathing makes more space around you. Let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. As you ring, … Continue reading →

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Wordless Novel (no fooling)

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

To follow-up on my recent post about Lynd Ward’s wordless novels, I would like to introduce the German wordless novel, Die Sonne (the Sun), created by Franz Masereel (1889-1972), and published originally in 1919. This copy was re-issued in 1926 by Kurt … Continue reading →

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Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Kurt Vonnegut’s masterwork Slaughterhouse-Five. Part autobiographical, part science fiction, part satire, Slaughterhouse-Five was Vonnegut’s first bestseller and remains a revered literary classic of the 20th century. After the real-life Vonnegut … Continue reading →

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Literary Infographics

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Back in the olden days when I was a student some of my peers would avoid assignments by reading Cliff Notes rather than full books. If you’re not familiar, Cliff Notes were commercially produced summaries of full length books that … Continue reading →

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Perpetually Awaiting A Rebirth of Wonder

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Today is the 100th birthday of America’s most loved living poet. If you spend any time at TBTP, you have by now likely noticed my fondness for Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In fact, the first poetry books that I bought were his A … Continue reading →

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Nothing Happens

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

 

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You should have seen him go go go

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been more than five years since Lou Reed’s death, but the seminal 60s rock icon has not been forgotten in New York City. To celebrate what would have been his 77th birthday, the New York Public Library has opened … Continue reading →

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The Carrier of Ladders

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

This week the two-time Poet Laureat of the U.S. and two-time Pulitzer prizewinning poet W.S. Merwin died at the age of 91. One of America’s best known and loved writers, Merwin managed to weave themes of spirituality, politics, relationships, and … Continue reading →

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Free Books For Travelers

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Hub City Books and the Hub City Writers Project in Sparatanburg, S.C., have launched Free Books for Travelers, a new community outreach project. Travelers passing through the Sparta Passenger Center are encouraged to take a free book along for the … Continue reading →

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