Oops, no contribution this time around. Must be due to the Easter bunny. Please help us.
Spring is in the air, in whatever new, climate-change form it takes, depending on your location -- from otherwise-unseasonable frost, to deadly tornadoes, and worst of all, drought. We cannot ignore the power of Mother Nature, who, in the words of Manuel García, Jr., "cycles majestically on, renewing itself at every moment and in every gesture, oblivious to our preferences." García's beautifully-written article reminds us to breathe, and to reconnect with nature for a sense of renewal. Sage advise, no matter the season. Here in America on this quiet Easter and Passover weekend, the debate du jour centers around the Augusta National Golf Club, whose membership is open to men only (black men weren't allowed until 1990...), and whose Master's tournament is sponsored by IBM -- with a female CEO -- making things a bit uncomfortable for the good ol' boys who want IBM's money but not its women. We've come a long way, baby, but as Michael Barker explains, patriarchy has served its purpose well for the ruling classes and the 1960s sexual revolution!
Turning to fiction that's no stranger than truth, Peter Byrne's short story evokes Dalton Trumbo, with a young soldier who returns from war disfigured, to live out what's left of the American Dream for a boy from the projects. On a comedic note, Gregory Elich reviews the much-anticipated DVD set entitled Female Comedy Teams featuring 1930s short films produced by Hal Roach Studios; and reaching for the book, Gilles d'Aymery reviews It Started in Wisconsin: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Labor Protest, co-edited by Mari Jo Buhle and Paul Buhle, while Paul Buhle reviews Who Killed Che? How the CIA Got Away with Murder -- a long-suspected story that can no longer be denied.
Poetry is in full bloom this spring weekend, with Peter Byrne's literary-history poem in which a would-be book writer is slowly reduced to a noble full-stop; John Marshall's creative time machine inspired by an early spring sunset; and Guido Monte's remembrance of the great poet and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini. We close with your letter on Marie Rennard's French political analysis, the "anyone but Sarkozy" sentiment in the neoliberal game, and the now-unrecognizable France.
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Manuel García, Jr.: Renewal
Self renewal begins with experiencing life as breath, heartbeats, and a mind emptied of distraction. More...
Michael Barker: A Sexual Revolution, But For Whom? (Part I of II)
Part I of a feminist critique of the so-called sexual revolution. More...
Peter Byrne: The Mirror Test
A young soldier returns from war, face burnt from an IED blast, to live out what's left of the American Dream for a boy from the projects. More...
Gregory Elich: Comedy Gems From Hal Roach Studios
The much-anticipated DVD set entitled Female Comedy Teams featuring 1930s short films produced by Hal Roach Studios does not disappoint. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Wisconsin Past And Future
A short review of It Started in Wisconsin: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Labor Protest, a book co-edited by Mari Jo Buhle and Paul Buhle. More...
Paul Buhle: Who Killed Che?
A review of Who Killed Che? How the CIA Got Away with Murder. More...
Peter Byrne: A Literary History
In this literary-history poem, the would-be book writer is slowly reduced to a noble full-stop. More...
John M. Marshall: Time Machine
A poem inspired by an early Spring sunset. More...
Guido Monte: Pasolini
Guido Monte remembers the great poet and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini. More...
On Marie Rennard's French political analysis, the "anyone but Sarkozy" sentiment in the neoliberal game, and the unrecognizable France. More...
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