League of Inveterate Poets

Sebastian Blanck: Would You Kill for the Empire of the Free?

Foolish Sage — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:30:35 +0000

This song, from Alibi Coast, the new album by Sebastian Blanck, raises important questions on many levels, from the political to the cosmological. I wrote a novel on the wall With every line and with every thought The ceiling fell until I was caught By an angel who wanted it all An angel who wanted [...]

BookSwim is Netflix for Books!

Foolish Sage — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:20:35 +0000

I’ve never before used a post here to promote a product or service, but I’m going to make an exception for an exciting new concept: Bookswim: Unlimited Book Rentals, Delivered to Your Door. Bookswim is like Netflix for books. You “rent” an unlimited number of books per month, delivered right to your door, for one [...]

The Parables of Dylan Brody

Foolish Sage — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:04:33 +0000

“A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters. It is a type of analogy.” (from Wikipedia) When those of us [...]

My Dream at 53

Foolish Sage — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:29:02 +0000

In the movie Inception, the wife of the main character reminds him that when he asked her to marry him, he told her that he had had a dream, “that we would grow old together.” As I mark my 53rd year today, I have no greater dream than to grow old together with my beloved [...]

I Write Like Cory Doctorow

Foolish Sage — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:18:32 +0000

I write like Cory Doctorow. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/31398c21

Podcast #5: Alan Helm’s Afternoon of Glory, Part 3

Foolish Sage — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:05:33 +0000

In Part 3 of this story, we follow our hero back into the murky recesses of the school band farm team system, where his fate is about to be decided without his knowledge, as is the wont of fates. Listen to Part 1 of this story | Listen to Part 2 of this story Listen [...]

Jerusalem, Next Year

Foolish Sage — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:26:03 +0000

Some readers may not be aware that the Foolish Sage is in a little tussle with cancer this year. Rectal cancer, to be exact. Runs in the family, and it ran into me. So far this year I've been through a period of pre-operative radiation and chemo, then major surgery to remove a good piece of my innards. Now I'm in the midst of some aggressive post-op chemo. After each infusion (every three weeks), I'm pretty sick for a week or more. This past week has been the worst so far; I've only been able to be out of bed for about four or five hours at a time. Hence the blog falling silent.

Podcast #4: Alan Helm’s Afternoon of Glory, Part 2

Foolish Sage — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:21:25 +0000

In Part 2 of this story, our hero finds marching band as a secure, if only seasonal, safe haven in the social storms of high school. His contentment only lasts until he hears of a further Promised Land just over the horizon. It’s a story of how a marching band geek became a rock star, [...]

This American Life’s Ira Glass on Storytelling

Foolish Sage — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:32:23 +0000

In the four part video series below, Ira Glass, host of public radio’s This American Life, shares his personal tips on how to create and tell a good story. Glass is a master of the art of storytelling; I’m so glad for the privilege of sitting at his feet for a bit to learn. Image [...]

Excelsior You Fathead!: The Life and Art of Jean Shepherd

Foolish Sage — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:27:53 +0000

I wrote previously about the profound influence of raconteur, radio host, author, etc. Jean Shepherd on my feckless youth (a frequent Shepherdism for “kid types”). Here’s a little sampling of his descriptive powers (VIDEO: “Life is in bad taste” 1977) Today I’m stepping out to recommend a book I haven’t even read yet (but will [...]