The PivotI’m one of those people. I rehearse. I practice. I study. I read, ask questions. So it takes me a while to reach the larger questions one…Oct 16, 2020Oct 16, 2020
Argie-BargieIt’s always a good idea to once in a while take stock of yourself as an essayist. Here’s mine —Dec 19, 20191Dec 19, 20191
Turning Ourselves into CharactersSomewhere in mid-Missouri it struck me: Phillip Lopate wasn’t Phillip Lopate.Dec 19, 2019Dec 19, 2019
Today’s MontaignesAt heart, a personal essay is an attempt to arrest oblivion by wrestling into some kind of shape, or purpose, the mess of life. After all…Dec 19, 2019Dec 19, 2019
Open Body: Trying VeganismThis piece is inspired by a friend, who recently decided to become a vegetarian. She made the decision public on social media, and…Jul 12, 2018Jul 12, 2018
On MemoryIn recent discussions on memory, a controversial issue has been whether collective memory or repressed memory is indeed authentic calling…May 6, 2018May 6, 2018
Person from PorlockA dream. An opium-induced haze. Famously, either a dream or a drug helped or hindered Samuel Taylor Coleridge to realize his poem “Kubla…Jan 13, 2017Jan 13, 2017
Ductus!It’s the middle of the night, and I am twelve, maybe thirteen, when I awake in terrible pain. The pain is coming from between my legs. I…Oct 6, 2016Oct 6, 2016