Animals

A Moment With Sweeney Astray and The Stags

                                                                         "Those unharnessed runnersfrom glen to glen!Nobody tamesthat royal blood, each one aloofon its rightful summit,antlered, watchful.Imagine them, the stag of high Slieve Felim,the stag of the steep Fews,the […]

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When the Tortoise and Then the Hare Sit Down to Write

When it comes to writing novels, I am tortoise. At least with the first half, and there is something thrilling about the second half, like sliding down a long snowy hill, or as in below, leaping off the top step. I am still the tortoise right now.  For assistance, I return to a 1968 Paris Review

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To Hell With Social Distancing…Can We Celebrate How To Be Close Again?

  A few photographs of my grandfather, Pierre Menager's work, have surfaced. I am always charmed by his informal paintings…they have so much life and so little social distancing. A barn dance and a wedding…They make me happy on these dark days.  And another favorite to hell with social distancing moment from "Stray Dog" directed

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Night Time Writing

Sometimes it's the best. Almost like dreaming and surprisingly effortless. I think it's time, however, based on this lovely illustration by Italian artist Frank Matticchio, to update the alternate animal taxonomy taken from the ancient Chinese encyclopædia entitled the Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge (and offered by Jorges Borges…which presents us with all kinds of

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A Few Thoughts on The Swan Maiden Narratives

Rediscovering earlier notes for my article The Swan Maiden's Feathered Robe — I always like to circle back to these notes because they continue to offer insights. These were notes made from BF LEavy, In Search of the Swan Maiden: A Narrative on Folklore and Gender. I have long been fascinated by the "Animal Bride" stories

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Jousting Snails: A Medieval Martial Art

 Above is a curious and captivating of two nude jousters — male and female(?) — on snails. This is from the Baldus de Ubaldis. Lectura super Institutionibus. 1480-1481. The best part of this image is that it remains an utter mystery as to what sort of allagorical or rhetorical meaning they were trying to express by

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