29
May
The one obligation of Memorial Day
It is Memorial Day in the United States, a national day of remembrance for those who have fallen in the
1 min read
Dr Essai
Essayist, photographer, walker, ciotóg.
22
May
Clade longa, vita brevis
Or, the maddening persistence of defeat
Esteemed reader, Dr Essai has been traveling, which accounts for the paucity of missives
6 min read
06
May
Dante’s nine circles of hell, updated
Dr Essai has been brooding on an update to the esteemed poet’s nine circles of hell. The result may be less than a foundation for epic verse, but at least he feels better.
2 min read
01
May
The book report for April 2023
Or, an unusually poetic and Danish list this time
April was a good month for books completed. The Olga Ravn
3 min read
28
Apr
I have known some baffling people. Then there’s Jerry Springer.
Life is a long strange trip. I have never understood the mayor-turned-sleazemeister and I never will.
3 min read
17
Apr
“Life may be the art of bridging lonelinesses”
Maria Popova:
This may be the most haunting and most transcendent discovery for any of us who seek and savor
1 min read
12
Apr
The sound of one hand packing
Artists earnestly repeat bromides like “it’s the journey, not the destination,” but an artist’s path needs a destination. Mark Strand once said, “If I knew where I was going I probably wouldn’t go there.” But eventually we do need to find that we’ve ended up somewhere, and unpack.
4 min read
06
Apr
Dr Essai’s life checklists: No. 1, Reading Strategies
Surgeons and physicians have embraced the quality assurance and error avoidance of a smart checklist. Why not the rest of us? Why not checklists for life?
4 min read
06
Apr
To write the best story, sometimes you must get out of your own head
Dr E's amanuensis, Mr K, recently published this essay on Nieman Storyboard.
7 min read
03
Apr
The book report for March 2023
I made my way through a couple of door-stoppers this month, including an American classic. Yes, I am feeling pretty good about myself.
2 min read