Category Archives: Writing

Happy Hemingway Day

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“Cat in the Rain” by Ernest Hemingway There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel. They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs on their way to and from their room. Their room was on … Continue reading →

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Life-Changing Books

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Among the many vocations over the course of my life was a two decade stretch as a psychotherapist. While the most rewarding work, it was often filled with self-doubt and angst. During my graduate school education, I was fortunate to … Continue reading →

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Compelling Firsts

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Speaking of Sunsets

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Never Again The Same Speaking of sunsets, last night’s was shocking. I mean, sunsets aren’t supposed to frighten you, are they? Well, this one was terrifying. Sure, it was beautiful, but far too beautiful. It wasn’t natural. One climax followed … Continue reading →

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Nothing stops bibliophiles

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I just learned from a friend’s social media posts that in the middle of a horrific war the book community in Ukraine actual held the nation’s largest annual book festival. The poster above is for the 2023 International Book Arsenal Festival which … Continue reading →

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A Writer’s Tale

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Way back in 1961 a 14 year-old writer had the audacity to submit an unsolicited short story to Spaceman Magazine. That bold young author was undeterred by the rejection of his work and kept at it. Stephen King has gone … Continue reading →

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The Work of Happiness

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

THE WORK OF HAPPINESS by May Sarton I thought of happiness, how it is woven Out of the silence in the empty house each day And how it is not sudden and it is not given But is creation itself … Continue reading →

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A Hunger Artist

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

In honor of Franz Kafka’s 140th birthday, here’s his popular short story “A Hunger Artist.” Published just two years before Kafka’s death from tuberculosis in 1924, the story is often viewed as a reflection of his illness and his struggles … Continue reading →

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Summer Sunday Sundries

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“In its June 26, 1948, issue, The New Yorker published Shirley Jackson’s unsettling story “The Lottery,” and it’s not an overstatement to say that readers freaked out. They wrote letters in droves, angry or unsure about what this slowly unfolding … Continue reading →

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A problem involving Don Quixote

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“A Problem” by Jorge Luis Borges Translated by Andrew Hurley Let us imagine that a piece of paper with a text in Arabic on it is discovered in Toledo, and that paleographers declare the text to have been written by … Continue reading →

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