Your Friend

You will see, on beginning to read this letter, that it is not addressed to you by name. But I address it to a woman–a very young woman still–who was born to be happy and has lived miserably; who has no prospect before her but sorrow…. Do not think that I write to you as […]

Advent

I finally cried. It was Richard Dreyfuss’ face at the end of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” that did it. And writing this. This election opened a door that will never be shut. Just as the door of slavery is open, forever, behind us, this door will stay open. Our deepest impulses to wall […]

Calm Amid Its Rage

“How are you?” “Just living the national nightmare,” I say. Everyone finds it charming. Wednesday morning, I said, “Are you okay?” to someone, and she said, “Oh, I’m fine, I would’ve been upset if Hillary won, too. I’ve followed that Benghazi stuff pretty closely.” “Oh,” I said. It’s okay to vote for a demagogue if his […]

Shielded

Voting for Hillary Clinton was nothing like voting for Obama. I was teary-eyed voting for Obama, it felt like a boil we’d had forever was getting lanced and cleaned. I was worried my students would be crushed if he lost. I was worried Sarah Palin would touch something sharp if she got any real power. […]