Monthly Archives: September 2011

DeLillo: The White Noise of Civilization

Posted on September 28, 2011 by carto

It’s September and the year is 1984. Students are moving into college dorms. They bring with them their entertainment: stereo sets, radios, personal computers, cartons of phonograph records and cassettes. Today, of course, there would be no phonographs or cassette … Continue reading →

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Poet Whispering In the Ear of Congress

Posted on September 23, 2011 by carto

What if this flock of chickens got riled up? Imagine it. Congress, let me whisper in your ear: “The chickens are circling and blotting out the day. The sun is bright, but the chickens are in the way…” Imagine a … Continue reading →

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Georgia: An Echo of Chain Gang Justice

Posted on September 20, 2011 by carto

On Saturday, tenants and sharecroppers from local farms would come to town to swap goods and talk, but the rest of the week was pretty dull. It was a lonesome, isolated place. The nearest bus stop was 3 miles away … Continue reading →

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Bojagi: Art by the Women of Korea

Posted on September 14, 2011 by carto

Once upon a time in a far off land the rulers forbad women from many activities that women today enjoy:  visiting with neighbors, leaving the house alone, or speaking their mind… To keep their sanity, the women developed a unique … Continue reading →

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John Updike: His Novel Evokes Feelings of Sept. 11 Tragedy

Posted on September 6, 2011 by carto

As John Updike’s novel The Terrorist opens, his teen-aged protagonist is observing his classmates: Devils, Ahmad thinks. These devils seek to take away my god. … All day long, at Central High School, girls sway and sneer and expose their … Continue reading →

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The Parker Novels—A Criminal’s Life. Fiction, Of Course

Posted on September 4, 2011 by carto

As this crime thriller opens, a criminal called Parker is leaving a New Jersey flophouse. He has arranged to meet with a man who has an idea for a heist. If the idea pans out, Parker will put together a … Continue reading →

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Perry Mason—The Case of the 24th Sestina

Posted on September 1, 2011 by carto

Aimlessly browsing along a shelf in a bookcase, I had nothing special in mind as I pulled the books out one-by-one; but I stopped short when a thin volume in a black dust cover appeared: “A Poem by James Cummings” … Continue reading →

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