Reading James Baldwin

Race, love and what to do with God This week I’m thrilled to share an analysis of one of my favorite writers — one of the great thinkers, speakers and humanists of the 20th century: James Baldwin.Enjoy!

Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Appreciating Didion’s 1968 masterpieceTeaching requires intimate knowledge of a piece of writing, immersion in its world. When it’s great writing, this is a great pleasure. When it’s Joan Didion-circa-1968, there is almost nowhere else I’d rather be.Although...

Going Deep with De Profundis

An appreciation of Oscar Wilde Appreciation begins with understanding.I hadn’t appreciated quite to what extent until I visited Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum after reading Laura Cumming’s transcendent memoir Thunderclap. She wrote — lovingly, evocatively...

Poems for Two Tuesdays

For all the storms that comeOn Tuesday, October 29, my home near Valencia, Spain, was lashed with the most extraordinary storm I’ve ever experienced. More than 220 people died. Associated Press: Unprecedented Floods in Spain As the scope of the tragedy began to sink...

Election Day Special: Envoys

International humanities and social sciences journalHaving just weathered the storm of a lifetime, I await the election outcome with a similar sense of dread and urgency. Urgency, not dread, must drive our actions. Hence why I’ve chosen today to announce the launch of...

Writer's Read: Bird by Bird

Anne Lamott, 1994Key wordsWriting, writer’s craft, creative writing, narrative writing, writing teacher, books about writing, writer’s life, personal writing, writing for beginnersLast week, I wrote about Steve Almond’s shiny new tome Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the...