Brian Fawcett recalls something he discovers about how Dostoyevsky wrote dialogue that leads him to take a swing at James Wood, (the critic, not the actor)
Brian Fawcett reads Norm Sibum’s new volume of verse. He thinks Sibum is a skilled poet, but….
Lawyer Jim Gottstein uncovers Big Pharma’s use of the drug Zyprexa on involuntary mental patients.
Recent Articles and Reviews:
Kindly People Who Feed Squirrels: A Rant
Brian Fawcett isn’t fond of people who feed peanuts to squirrels. Here’s why.
Paul Krugman vs. the Policy Proposals of the Living Dead
Paul Krugman’s Arguing With Zombies drives a stake through the heart of “zombie ideas.” The premier U.S. op-ed columnist who writes honestly about dishonesty.
For Those looking for our Olga Tokarczuk Post on the Corona Virus
A few days ago, Merrily Weisbord sent me a piece written by Olga Tokarczuk about the Covid-19 crisis currently sweeping the world. A friend of Merrily’s, Jerzy Przytyk, had translated the piece using Google’s notoriously mechanical translation program. What Tokarczuk had to say in the piece was interesting because she is Olga Tokarczuk, the author…
Ken Belford RIP
Brian Fawcett’s obituary for poet Ken Belford, who died in February
Ken Belford: A Personal and Literary Reminiscence
John Harris remembers poet Ken Belford.
Graeme Gibson RIP
I didn’t know Graeme Gibson well, and for most of the time I was a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada, I didn’t like him very much. Gibson was one of the Union’s founders and in a way, remained, to the end of his life, its primary living role model (the Union’s other role…
Is There an Answer to Cultural Appropriation?
John Harris reviews a little known pamphlet from a little known press about a deceptively large subject.
Once in Europa: What do the 2019 EU election results mean?
The rightwing populist tsunami didn’t happen; Greens blossom; Europe fragments, pro-EU majority maintained.
Sonnet About Orpheus (Where)
Singing the Lord’s song in a strange land.
Trump Prose Poem, a.k.a. Potus Takes a Snooze
POTUS takes a snooze.
Guardians of the Truth? Notes on MSM
Stan Persky checks out the “guardians of the truth,” and puts in a good word for mainstream media (MSM). It’s “breaking news.”
This Year’s Question
Can Democracy Work? asks James Miller. It’s not only this year’s question, it’s a question for the ages, from ancient Athens to the Trumpian present.
Good Country for Old Men
Two senior Vancouver poets, George Bowering and George Stanley, do a book together. John Harris reads and reviews.
Alexander Meiklejohn: Free Speech Theorist, Teacher, and Activist
Bob Rowan tells a free speech story about a too-little-known American philosopher, Alexander Meiklejohn.
- National Game: Quebec Bans Hockey Mask Face-Covering
- Senator Corker, Bob (R – Tenn.)
- Margaret Atwood’s Backyard
- Democracy, Two Cheers for…
- Native-born Immigrants. Huh?