Schemes, Dreams, and Some Thoughts on Poetry
Allen Ginsberg's Best Bad Day
In the spring of 1949, when the poet Allen Ginsberg was twenty-two, he came very close to becoming a common thief.
Running: A Love Story
I don't see myself as a runner. I don’t have the stretchy body that real runners have or a deep need to push myself off the cliff of my physical abilities.
Essential Kerouac: Birthday Edition
It’s Jack Kerouac’s 93rd birthday. Let's celebrate by returning to the thirty numbered “essentials” in his “Belief & Technique for Modern Prose,” subtitled “List of Essentials.”
Lucille Clifton and the African American Poetic Tradition
I had the pleasure of interviewing Lucille Clifton a long time ago when I was writing a book about her poetry. Near the end of the interview, she said something that I’ve been thinking about lately.
Jack Kerouac's Charisma
When I think of the authors I've taught who have truly fascinated students, Jack Kerouac's name is high on the list.
The Road to the Dump: A Love Story
To get to the county dump, I take Mount Sharon Road. It’s a quiet country lane lined with farmland and mountain views. In the late afternoon, the light is fantastic.
The Poetry of Loneliness, Part 1
In this era of ever-escalating communication, hardly anyone is truly alone anymore.