As the rain fell tropically into our garden and the children disappeared for the night, we settled into something of a rhythm, watching and scooping as the sky greyed over and dozens of birds provided a backing chorus. Continue Reading »
Everyone—or almost everyone—agrees that there are no such things as fairies nowadays, and probably never were. They seem to belong to the class of mildly amusing, spooky things mentioned in urban fantasies for fun and in antireligious tracts to suggest that believing in God is just as silly. To . . . . Continue Reading »
The Young Pope depicts a Church that no longer seeks the favor of the world—and is all the more fabulous for . . . . Continue Reading »
The sole remaining source of authority, in the world of the new future history play Charles III, is vulnerability. Continue Reading »
In the end, Silence was too Christian for Hollywood and too Hollywood for Christians. Continue Reading »
Despite appearances, jazz and baseball are historically intertwined. Baseball players and jazz musicians both strive for a perfect balance between disciplined practice and spontaneity. Continue Reading »
In Gautreaux’s stories, signals demand knowledge, even wisdom, if they are to be understood. Continue Reading »
By now, everyone who reads contemporary fiction will have heard of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed historical novels about Thomas Cromwell, the powerful advisor to Henry VIII who all but single-handedly disestablished the Catholic Church in England. Anathema to many . . . . Continue Reading »
Panic is good. It’s the crest on the wave of creativity, corresponding to the “transition” stage of labor. Once you’ve had a good panic, you’re fine. Everything’s smoothly downhill from here. Continue Reading »
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