Category Archives: Writing

Nemo me impune lacessit

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In this age of mindless memes, it’s refreshing to run across an unexpected Edgar Allan Poe reference. While not as well known as the Murders in the Rue Morgue or the Tell- Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado is just … Continue reading →

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The Idea of a Forest

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

THE OTHER TRADITION John Ashbery They all came, some wore sentiments Emblazoned on T-shirts, proclaiming the lateness Of the hour, and indeed the sun slanted its rays Through branches of Norfolk Island pine as though Politely clearing its throat, and … Continue reading →

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Soon the city fades before your eyes…

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

When you have arrived at Phyllis, you rejoice in observing all the bridges over the canals, each different from the others: cambered, covered, on pillars, on barges, suspended, with tracery balustrades. And what a variety of windows looks down on … Continue reading →

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The sound of liberty

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The Memoirs and Poems of Phillis Wheatley celebrates the life and work of the first Black American poet to be published. Although she was an enslaved person, Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. Educated … Continue reading →

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A Literary High

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991)  

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A Mind Needs Books

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

“A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That is why I read so much.” – George R.R. Martin  

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Writer’s Block

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Symptoms of Hibernating

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Anais Nin : “You live…sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book…or you take a trip…and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are … Continue reading →

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Rules For Writers

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

A few years before his death at age 84, the beloved novelist, critic, essayist, raconteur, and academic Umberto Eco left us a tongue in cheek list of rules for writers. Those of us with any literary aspirations would do well … Continue reading →

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We Lurk Late

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The paper-cut puppetry video below was commissioned by the Poetry Foundation and created by Manual Cinema in association with Crescendo Literary,  it animates a May 3, 1983 recording of Gwendolyn Brooks speaking during an Academy of American Poets reading series held at the Guggenheim Museum in … Continue reading →

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