One thing that Aldo Leopold did to become great was find, and use, his voice. His family was in many ways similar to mine and to thousands of others here in Wisconsin; his famous shack seemed completely familiar to us–just like Grandad’s place up north. But he made a difference in the world by figuring out what he had to say that was worth saying, and saying it wisely and well.
Do you breathe the water?
During my first pregnancy, I lived on a truck route. My pregnancy manual, the ubiquitous and sometimes disturbing What to Expect When You’re Expecting, said that unless I was living in a bus terminal or a tollbooth, “breathing in the big city…isn’t as risky as you might think…. Even in the 1960s, when pollution was [...]
February 10, 2008 By
On Being Broken
I am a huge fan of the listener-essay series, This I Believe, on NPR. With the tagline, “a public dialogue about belief–one essay at a time,” this reincarnation of a 1950′s radio show is a deep trove of thoughtful and beautiful writing, as well as a great resource for teaching and learning to write. If [...]
February 4, 2008 By
Writing Tips from Hobgoblins, Pandas, and Doves
The fantastically helpful Janice Campbell has reviewed Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins: The Careful Writer’s Guide to the Taboos, Bugbears, and Outmoded Rules of English Usage; Lynn Truss’ (or is that Truss’s?) aggressive panda is back for the kids in Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!, and from his first year English [...]
January 30, 2008 By
State of the Union, and the Best Speeches Ever
Now that American Gladiators is over (go, Wolf!), we are sitting in the living room watching the State of the Union Address. For us, this has become an Event, like the World Series or the Olympics. It is something bigger than our family, something that we share with our kids and try hard to help [...]
January 28, 2008 By
January 27, 2008 By
What Are Blogs? Not Monologues but Conversations
Perhaps the best thing about the web, and the blogosphere in particular, is that it enables you to connect with like-minded people you might never meet otherwise. –Kriss M. at Circle M Farm On January 27th, 2008, Reading Circle Books will host its first group! In her wonderful invitation to our first Reading Circle, Kriss [...]
January 20, 2008 By
Our first Reading Circle!
Kriss over at Circle M Farm suggested Having Faith after reading author Sandra Steingraber’s earlier book, Living Downstream. We’ll be reading it together beginning in January, 2008, with Nicole Five Pennies as our host. So go look up Kris’ wonderful invitation to read together, get your copy (the little blue box by the title will [...]
January 15, 2008 By
Reading the Foundations of Religious Freedom
Kenneth Jackson, writing in the New York Times, commemorates the 350th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance, written in 1657 by Edward Hart and his fellow Flushing, New York, citizens to protest the public torture of a Quaker preacher and the fining and imprisonment of non-Quakers who allowed them to meet in their homes. Jackson notes [...]
December 28, 2007 By
What is the eternal city?
With a little Roman history and Latin under your belt, you end up seeing more everywhere…. –Harry Mount, A Vote for Latin. I completely agree–with a big thank you to Mrs. Robesonand her teaching descendants today, who taught me lingua latina and classical humanities at Lane Technical High School, and introduced me to the depths [...]
December 3, 2007 By