Jeremiah Webster In 1858, Heinrich Schliemann (retired at thirty-six after success as a military contractor) set out to discover the walls of Troy that he had read about in Homer's Iliad. This would be like saying, "I will find the Black Gate of Mordor," after reading Tolkien's TheLord of the Rings. Critical consensus during Schliemann's … Continue reading Schliemann in Seattle
Author: ethanwolcott
Extreme Writing Makeover: Week 1
Joshua Robbins For Week 1 of the Extreme Writing Makeover, the key is to select a piece from your back catalog that needs to be gutted, demolished, torn apart, or otherwise razed to make way for the “new thing.” Once you’ve found your piece, state what it is in the comments section. This will help … Continue reading Extreme Writing Makeover: Week 1
Call to Readers: Community Writing Project
Joshua Robbins I think it was a Monday last month that the road leading to our street was overtaken by flatbed semis hauling shipping containers, front loaders, and other sundry heavy equipment. Hearing all the racket from a location that was maybe a couple hundred yards from our back porch and just beyond the leech … Continue reading Call to Readers: Community Writing Project
What We Dread Most
Morgan Feddes The end of the year is notorious for many things. Among them: Stress. Top [insert number here] Lists of the holiday season. Late last month, Consumer Reports combined the two, creating a list of America’s Top Holiday Dreads. The list itself is pretty much what you’d expect -- after all, half of the … Continue reading What We Dread Most
Advent Comes Out Swinging
Joshua Robbins As we enter Advent’s home stretch, I’ve found myself wishing the season’s anticipation would feel…well, more sublime. But, then again, I wonder if Advent should feel sublime. Is this a season of sublimity? And what do we mean by “sublime,” anyway? Is grandma’s Christmas ham sublime? Is the passing of the flame during … Continue reading Advent Comes Out Swinging
Landmarks
Kristina Pfleegor Jeremiah 31:21 A little girl climbing a tree falls on her back, lungs jarred. The sky is a darting school of minnows. The ground shudders. Look up. The highway from treetop to soil, a mapped descent. Consider: wet branch under bare foot, disobedient twigs, leaves torn off, bark scraping the shin. Become acquainted … Continue reading Landmarks
A #Journalist Ponders @Twitter
Morgan Feddes There’s a website you may have heard of before. It’s called Twitter. Depending on your experience with said website, you have just had one of four reactions: 1.The “Ah, yes, Twitter” response: “Twitter? Oh, Yeah, it’s a semi-effective form of sharing news and updates. You can check out my account, if you'd like.” … Continue reading A #Journalist Ponders @Twitter
Coleridge and the Greater Romantic Fatherhood
Joshua Robbins For nine months I daydreamed about what it would be like to write with a little one in the house, about how a baby’s presence would affect the poems: me cartoonishly churning out pages of newly inspired poems as the baby coos and gurgles peacefully in her crib beside me, me scooping up … Continue reading Coleridge and the Greater Romantic Fatherhood
Maybe the Next Game
Joseph Edwin Haeger “He's the most intimidating pitcher in the history of baseball.” “Because of the beard?” “Well, that helps. Would you want to go against this guy?” “I don't know if I'd give a shit about him as much as a dude who puts people in the hospital or once exploded birds in mid-air.” … Continue reading Maybe the Next Game
Anagnorisis
Jeremiah Webster - noun ( /ˌænəɡˈnɒrɨsɨs/; Ancient Greek: ἀναγνώρισις) the moment in a play or other work when a character makes a critical discovery. "What is the single greatest line of poetry?" the doctor asked. I was on butcher paper with hypertension and a persistent eye twitch. Stabbing chest pains on the bus had prompted me … Continue reading Anagnorisis