A complex man whose stories reflected distinct views of humanity, the world, the supernatural, and the universe (some of which are alarmingly close to coming true), Philip K. Dick was also a fascinating interview, as these transcriptions... Read More

There’s a great wave of enchantment for things Italian washing over America. Immersed deeply in it are Sanders and her husband, Walter. Sanders, an American cook and food writer lovesick for Italy, has found that “I don’t need to... Read More

Scene 1: The man with the rifle has been holding police at bay for several hours on the Los Angeles freeway. He has fired some shots but hasn’t hit anyone. Local television stations are providing live, nonstop coverage of the standoff... Read More

Once there was a golden age where knowledge and science seemed poised to save the world or destroy it. The brightest star in this world was J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant physicist renowned for his grace, his extraordinary good... Read More

With controlled rhythms and a self-reflexive sense of the poet as lyricist, Smith’s eleventh book of poems, Messenger, finds revelation in music. The book’s first section, Savor of Moss, casts lyrical moments of grace against a... Read More

Throughout literary history some authors write a single book, and they write that book over and over for the remainder of their lives. Walt Whitman, for example, wrote continuously upon his great book of America and democracy, Leaves of... Read More

Many of America’s great works of art dive headlong into the river of homegrown folklore for inspiration. Extending what Pete Seeger termed the “folk process,” Forbes appears so steeped in idioms and mythos of Blues and, by... Read More

Setting off on her journey with T.S. Eliot’s quote, “intolerable shirt of flame / Which human power cannot remove,” this author goes, and stays where the heat is hottest. Immediately, certain geographical coordinates are... Read More