Betsy Pelz John Ashbery’s “East February” was first published in the March 24, 2014 issue of The New Yorker and is available here for subscribers. “East February,” by John Ashbery, compelled my interest this dark March morning. After all, when an 87-year-old poet speaks, you want to listen, you want to understand. So here goes. The whole poem … Read more
Martha Serpas’s “The Best of Us” was first published in the March 3, 2014 issue of The New Yorker and is available here for subscribers. In the poem, “The Best of Us,” by Martha Serpas, a woman looks back thirty years to a different time — a time when she was a “speechless” teenager in a … Read more
Trevor and Betsy begin their trek through Alice Munro’s Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You with the first story, “Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You.”
Trevor and Betsy discuss Alice Munro’s “Baptizing,” from Lives of Girls and Women.
Trevor and Betsy discuss Alice Munro’s “Baptizing,” from Lives of Girls and Women.
Galway Kinnell’s “Gravity” was first published in the January 20, 2014 issue of The New Yorker and is available here for subscribers. The prophetic tone of Galway Kinnell’s “Gravity” has held my attention for the past few weeks. Kinnell’s National Book Award and Pulitzer were awarded decades ago, and since then he has also won the … Read more
This week’s New Yorker fiction is Robert Coover’s modern fairy tale, “The Frog Prince.” Trevor and Betsy share their thoughts. Read the full post.
Trevor and Betsy discuss Alice Munro’s “Age of Faith,” from Lives of Girls and Women.
Dan Chiasson’s “Obituary” was first published in the January 6, 2014 issue of The New Yorker and is available here for subscribers. Dan Chiasson’s “Obituary” is interesting but difficult. I am not exactly at sea with it, but neither am I safe on shore. This is an accounting of some of the thoughts I had while … Read more
Nick Flynn’s “The Day Lou Reed Died” was first published in the November 25, 2013 issue of The New Yorker and is available here for subscribers. Nick Flynn’s “The Day Lou Reed Died” is about his father’s death, and it is terrific. This poem is unavailable except with a subscription to The New Yorker, but to me this … Read more