Here’s a little story I wrote about how my homeless alcoholic brother taught me to love a poem. If you’re not sure it’s worth the click, here’s an excerpt:
“I’ve gotten misty at poems, even gasped once. But never have I experienced my brother’s visceral joy. What would the anointed experts say about this? Is it acceptable to shout approval at ‘Casabianca,’ or is that like admitting on the first day of poetry workshop that your favorite poet is Shel Silverstein?”
And on the same site, hosted by Slant Books, is an essay I wrote about the pandemic that was killing us long before coronavirus, and how one remedy may be to give our children better books to read. An excerpt:
“We put our children in charter schools, telling ourselves charter serves as a talisman against boredom. Now they read mediocre, Expert Approved books intended to make a point.”
