"Lady Macbeth Sleepwalking," Johann Heinrich Füssli I recently read Macbeth—twice—in case I ever decide to watch Joel Coen’s film version. Half way through I was surprised to find how much it mirrors Hamlet in its theme of conscience battling with action. The main difference is that, while Hamlet struggles internally--and endlessly--over the ramifications of righting … Continue reading Is “Macbeth” a Reboot of “Hamlet”? →

In response to a recent post on this blog, a friend writes, in FB Messenger: I've been reading the New York Writers Workshop MFA writing guide which tries to take the place of a 30-40,000 dollar MFA program and there's lots of focus on essay and article idea generation. I'm curious, Do these other articles … Continue reading Sit Here. Eat. →

I recently submitted a manuscript for a chapter to be published in an upcoming MLA anthology to be titled, Approaches to Teaching Writing in Prison. My article includes this description of what I call "the Great White Wall" surrounding Attica CF: Those who come into contact with it cast their own emotional, moral, and political … Continue reading On Star Wars and “Common Knowledge” →

Frank J. Oliver One of my classroom aphorisms is, "The Introduction is for the reader; the Body is for the evidence; the Conclusion is for you." If you care at all about your subject, I urge the students, the Conclusion should be your favorite part. Once, in my desperation, I even got a bit melodramatic: … Continue reading “Watch For Deer”: A Conclusion, Of Sorts →