Hector de Crèvecoeur

Here is a good, basic piece on the fantasy of the white race. The term Caucasian was created to trace the origin of “white” people to the Golden Age of Greece and the ancient Near East. These populations were not, of course, “white,” and this “Caucasian” race is an invention. Americans were strong and vital … More Hector de Crèvecoeur

Notes for next time

When I have to give that pesky Spanish class again, I will have grades recorded all the time in a gradebook they can see electronically, with comments. Grade structure will be very easy to average at the end, because everything will be worth 10%. Four quizzes or tests taken online outside class time, that include … More Notes for next time

Vallejo first got to Paris in 1923, and I first got there in 1964. What we have in common is having seen it without the Montparnasse skyscraper. Now it is 2014 and I have celebrated the 50th anniversary of my transatlantic voyage, and more time separates me from it than does it from Vallejo’s arrival. … More

L’hiver

It was a beautiful winter day of the kind we can have here: weak sun, slight warmth, white sky. The night will be starry and cool. Axé.

How to write books

You should use section headings, I am told. Your entire manuscript is a set of five-page essays, divided into chapters that are subdivided into sections. Thinking from the ground up, that is a set of five-page essays. At one per week for 50 weeks that is five chapters of ten sections each, for example. This … More How to write books

Dreams

1. I am visiting my father. My brother is also there, with pets. He has a Dachshund in a full body harness, to carry onto the plane like a bag. The dog enjoys swooping up and down. His cat is a white china cat with blue tabby stripes. This was for transportation on the plane. … More Dreams

Nature

As a fond mother, when the day is o’er, Leads by the hand her little child to bed, Half willing, half reluctant to be led, And leave his broken playthings on the floor, Still gazing at them through the open door, Nor wholly reassured and comforted By promises of others in their stead, Which, though … More Nature

A plaçage bibliography without Aslakson or Clark

Here it is. Obviously, I must find out whether any of these people have found any actual plaçage contracts. And be re-familiarize myself with their discussions now that I have been convinced that the practice is a myth. Also, there is a 2011 book, Southscapes, that takes plaçage as real and cites references to it … More A plaçage bibliography without Aslakson or Clark

Algunos dichos

“El fin del arte es elevar la vida, acentuando su naturaleza de eterno borrador.” “El arte descubre caminos, nunca metas.” “esta esencia horizontante del arte” –C.V., “Salón del otoño,” 1924 Axé.