The Most Important Lesson—Freshman Year 1979

The Most Important Lesson—

Freshman Year 1979

Roommates

I’m going to tell you about my freshman roommate, Lily*.  Because when I was seventeen, Lily taught me an important life skill that I am still trying to master.

Paddling With William Faulkner Through the Debris of Life

Paddling With William Faulkner Through

the Debris of Life

I had the nightmare again. 

The World Through The Hole in a Hanging Sock

The World Through the Hole in a Hanging Sock

 

UNITED STATESIAN LAUNDRY CULTURE

 

Texas, 1996, a rural location

My dad stared at our laundry line.  “We used to do that.”

The Totem

The Totem

 

I can’t say what took hold of us that Saturday.  We made a strange decision.

Writers Take Heart from Gogol!

Writers Take Heart from Gogol!

My English professor Anthony Hilfer, in the midst of teaching J.D. Salinger’s works, asked our class, “Can any of you think of any good stories that are about happy people?”  He paused only long enough for us to blink.