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Poetry, book reviews, reflections, and straight talk by Editor and Author Richard Subber.
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Poetry and insights
I’m in love with words, and I love to use the right words to create poems that have clarity and character. I think of my work as “literal poetry.” I don’t put my pen down until I’ve said exactly what I feel, exactly what I mean to say, so that you, as the reader or listener, will have no doubt about it. I want to write poems that don’t need to be explained—what you see is what it is. I want to write poems that express deep human emotions, and very thoughtful observations, and very precise meanings. I am a poet, a writer, a teacher, a moralist, a historian and an unflinching student of human nature. I think a lot. I strive to express truth and give context—both rational and emotional—to reality. I think words can be pictures, and lovely songs, and bodacious scents, and private flavors, and early morning caresses that wake each part of me, one at a time. I know some of those words, and, from time to time, I write some of them.
“in moto perpetuo,” a baby poem
she scampers
Heart of Darkness…book review
Joseph Conrad’s deep dive
“zéphyr,” music, sing…my poem
one more harmony
“…the tongue is a fire…”…James 3:6
how does it taste?
“…a siren’s song…”…a new book, my poem
a symphony of words
Book Reviews and insights
Reading is part of my life. Old books are companions—they have a palpable essence that will never be duplicated in an eBook reader. I can live with books, inter librorum copias. I don’t read too many novels, although I’m partial to 19th century American and English writers like Dickens and Hawthorne and O. Henry. I’m happy when I’m reading aloud. I wish that I may live long enough to read at least most of the books in my library.
Heart of Darkness…book review
Joseph Conrad’s deep dive
Twilight of the Elites…book review
Our elites are corrupt, they can’t stop themselves…
“…a siren’s song…”…a new book, my poem
a symphony of words
Friends Divided…off the mark, a book review
not Gordon Wood’s best
Battle of Wits…crypto in WWII…book review
surprise! personalities were important…
Historical insights
I think it’s difficult to be a sensitive and sensible human being without some knowledge of history and its enduring elements. An insufficient understanding of history is an impediment to decent participation in human society. I am particularly intrigued by the systematic methods of the French Annalistes to examine the deep structures (longues durées) of history. Awareness and understanding of history allows us to create and sustain a mindful context for our past and present adventures.
Twilight of the Elites…book review
Our elites are corrupt, they can’t stop themselves…
Friends Divided…off the mark, a book review
not Gordon Wood’s best
Eye of the Needle…desperate but human…movie review
living and dying
Battle of Wits…crypto in WWII…book review
surprise! personalities were important…
The Witches, 1692…book review
a community gone crazy…
Cave of Bones…Homo naledi…book review
there were more of us…
Origins of Modern America, 1860-1900…book review
The Gilded Age, not very pretty…
The Diary of a Lady of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania…book review
hiding in your house…
Code Girls, the life savers…book review
Liza Mundy tells it
Crazy Horse…book review
…a loner and a lone eagle, says Larry McMurtry
Politics: thoughts and insights
Yelling isn’t my style. I am a committed and, I think, well-informed liberal progressive. It’s my intention to avoid presenting any political commentaries that are doctrinaire, abusive, deliberately hateful or contrary to “…a decent respect to the opinions of mankind…” Maybe you’ll recognize those words from the Declaration of Independence. I respect the value and the necessity of dedicated support for the preservation of the public good. I’m willing to offer my considerations of what constitutes the public good.
Twilight of the Elites…book review
Our elites are corrupt, they can’t stop themselves…
Friends Divided…off the mark, a book review
not Gordon Wood’s best
the kings that sit on the ground…
Book of Sirach, 10:5, KJV
Origins of Modern America, 1860-1900…book review
The Gilded Age, not very pretty…
“…righteousness and peace have kissed each other…”
what a great idea!
Essays Toward a Historical Theory of Big Business
The Essential Alfred Chandler…book review
21 Lessons for the 21st Century…book review
Yuval Harari is a teacher
How do you lose power?…Thomas Hutchinson quote
try looking in the mirror…
The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family…book review
he wasn’t the only one…
The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business (book review)
no managers in olden times…
Tidbits
Occasional items that tickle your funny bone, or point your mind in a new direction, or invite you to stop for a moment and listen to what your heart is telling you.
Body Heat, the movie…a review
humanity in full view…
Heart of Darkness…book review
Joseph Conrad’s deep dive
Twilight of the Elites…book review
Our elites are corrupt, they can’t stop themselves…
“…the tongue is a fire…”…James 3:6
how does it taste?
“The prayer of the humble…”… Sirach, 35:17
give it a try
Eye of the Needle…desperate but human…movie review
living and dying
The Witches, 1692…book review
a community gone crazy…
“…do not interrupt the music.” Book of Sirach 32:3
music soothes…
her cherub chatter…“and more…” my poem
The elfin miss delights in play…
Scaramouche…boy gets girl…book review
Rafael Sabatini at his romantic best