The Process Of Composition, Messing Around With

I Have Admired Melissa Pritchard's Writing For Several Years Now For Its Wisdom, Its Humble Elegance, And Its Earthy Comedy.

I Am In Boston Right Now, In Fact, To Do Work At The New England Historical Genealogical Library, Where I'm Trying To Finish Up Tracing My Lineage Back To The Seventeenth Century.

I Suppose I Should Say That I Treasure Blasphemy, As A Faith Of The Highest Order.

The Great Recession Is Not Imaginary, And The Effects Loom Large. There Was An Article In The Nyt About The Galloping Death Rate Among White Men In Middle Age. Higher Than Among Any Other Demographic, Etc. Mostly Death By Drugs, Alcohol, Or Suicide. Many Of Them Rural. My Feeling Is That It's Many People Who Haven't Been Able To Get Back Into The Work Force. Reg Morse Is An Example Of The Problem.

I Believe In The Absolute And Unlimited Liberty Of Reading. I Believe In Wandering Through The Stacks And Picking Out The First Thing That Strikes Me. I Believe In Choosing Books Based On The Dust Jacket.