Lafayette, voila mes oncles…
…a couple of older gentlemen stopped and asked me if I needed help. When I answered in my far-from-perfect French, they knew I was a foreigner. “American?” they asked, and I nodded. Their faces broke into wide, warm smiles, they shook my hands enthusiastically, they practically embraced me. “We fought with your father, your uncles,” they said. “We fought with them, side by side…”
Being Midwestern
When I was living in New York City in my mid-twenties (35 years ago), one of my best friends made me aware that being from the Midwest was neither a burden, nor a shame…
Remembering My Friend James A. Emanuel
A poetic masterpiece is what opened the door to my friendship with James Emanuel…
Continue Reading November 14, 2013 at 2:38 am Leave a comment
Literary Quotes About France
A few of my favorite quotes about one of my favorite places in the world…more to come…
France Bookshelf: Some Good Books About France
An idiosyncractic, beginning list of titles of books written (mostly in English) about France, or that take place in France (outside of Paris.) For books about Paris, see my Paris Bookshelf.
Merci et Au Revoir, Mme. Hellier…
A sad farewell to another wonderful independent bookstore..the Village Voice English-language bookshop in Paris. And a thank you to Odile Hellier, bookseller extraordinaire…
Cuba Bookshelf
I’ve just finished teaching “Cuba: A Literary Adventure,” in Havana, for the first time. Here are some of the titles I used in class, along with a lot more, for my students who would like to read more about Cuba, as well as for anyone else who has an interest in learning about this most fascinating and wonderful place.
Continue Reading February 14, 2012 at 2:15 am Leave a comment
rules of spontaneous prose (by jack kerouac)
Jack Kerouac’s brilliant, heartfelt advice about writing. Typically, silliness mixed in with profound wisdom. What a great mind and a loving heart the man had!
Continue Reading February 1, 2012 at 3:49 pm Leave a comment
Writing from the Heart, Reading for the Road 