Month: February 2014

“Not a week goes by without my telling a lie, but I suppose that is the same for most people.”

Under what circumstances do you lie?  This book shows how our tendencies to lie can be influenced by the culture we live in.  Kyoko Mori describes situations in her home country of Japan, where it’s more important to be polite than honest, especially with people who have authority over you.  … Read More

“Maybe imagination is just a form of memory, locked deep in . . . eternity.”

wallace croppedThe poet Ron Wallace can be described as “part Emily Dickinson and part Harpo Marx” because of his dark wit, which you can see in the opening of this sonnet:

The Bad Sonnet

It stayed up late, refused to go to bed,
and when it did it sang loud songs … Read More

“To think I believed you were charming. It turns out you’re just a writer.”

bausch cropLike many of us, Richard Bausch is a worrier.  In an interview he said, “In every
circumstance, all my life, my mind shows me the possible bad outcome: someone walks down steps, and before I can do anything to head the image off, I see a fall, a catastrophe.”  Many … Read More

“Education and safety are unavoidably interrelated.”

Lake croppedShould colleges take care of students?  How? To what extent? When affordable education is a priority, is it also important to install sirens, locks on classroom doors,  and help students with mental illness?  I can’t think of anyone who can provide more interesting ideas on these issues than Peter Lake… Read More