Category Archives: Writing

The Right to Read

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

In response to the ongoing rightwing hysteria of school students free access to books Federal legislation was introduced last week that would expand access to school libraries and codify student First Amendment Rights. The Right to Read Act (S. 5064 and H.R. … Continue reading →

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Room to Swing

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

It’s always good news when the U.S. Library of Congress announces the release of a reissued classic. The Library of Congress Crime Classics series features some of the finest American crime writing from the 1860s to the 1960s. Drawn from the Library’s … Continue reading →

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What then do we want words for?

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“By the Numbers” by Hob Broun [1] THEY WORKED AT THE enclosed mall in King of Prussia. They wore plastic nametags, the corporate logo above a deep groove accommodating a Dymo label. Jenelle for the record store, Courtney for the … Continue reading →

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It’s That Shirley Jackson Time of the Year

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Like most U.S. students of my generation I was introduced to the work of Shirley Jackson through her story “The Lottery.” A small town in Vermont is the setting for “The Lottery,” and the town square where the locals gather … Continue reading →

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Mushroom Season

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

MUSHROOMS by Sylvia Plath Overnight, very Whitely, discreetly, Very quietly Our toes, our noses Take hold on the loam, Acquire the air. Nobody sees us, Stops us, betrays us; The small grains make room. Soft fists insist on Heaving the … Continue reading →

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This took me back to childhood

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

It’s always a bit serendipitous when one randomly discovers a blog post on a book that transports one right back to childhood.  This copy of ROBIN HOOD by Paul Creswick. (Philadelphia: McKay, 1917), illustrated by N.C. Wyeth, was one of the  volumes … Continue reading →

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What illusions can do to us

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“The Nobel Prize” by Robert Walser translated by Tom Whalen Today, thank God, I’m back in the pink again, which I definitely deserve because I’m a nice person. How was it for me yesterday? I was emotionally ill. Full of … Continue reading →

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write the truest sentence you know

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the peel of the little oranges into the edge of the flame and watch the … Continue reading →

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Reading Tolkien

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Like millions of other J.R.R. Tolkien fans I have been transfixed by the new televised adaptation of the Middle Earth saga. Waiting for the next episode to drop, I searched out a wonderful set of recordings of Tolkien reading from … Continue reading →

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Joy is not made to be a crumb

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. … Continue reading →

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