Convivium

This June Classical Pursuits travels to Dresden, Weimar, and Berlin, all once part of the Soviet Bloc and now part of a reunified Germany. Each city has a unique story to tell about a different aspect of German history:  its triumphs and failures, and its vibrant culture in today’s flourishing country. Germany, the incubator of some of the world’s [...]

In January 2010, Classical Pursuits travelled to Key West, Florida to discuss the work of several American poets for whom Key West figured prominently in their lives and in their verse. We had the great good fortune of spending time with Rachel Hadas who was a presenter at the Key West Lilterary Seminar. Rachel has [...]

On March 17, my attention does not turn to cheap green beer. Rather, in the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day and carrying on right through Bloomsday on June 16, I turn to Irish Literary Genius. The cultural milieu of Ireland has been shaped by the dynamic interplay between the ancient Celtic traditions of [...]

  Do you text? Have you even heard  “to text’ used as a verb?  I confess that I find this emerging language both undecipherable and unpleasing. A typical text exchange: JW U ZZZ IWYWH G2G? W/E GAL Translation: “Just wondering how you are.” “ Bored and tired.” “I wonder whether you would like to get [...]

I received a blog comment from Robert Anderson of Los Angeles. To manage the hard times during his daughter’s grave illness, he created a model kit for Monticello, the extraordinary home Thomas Jefferson designed for himself in Charlottesville, Virginia. Anderson created a 1/100th scale paper model of Monticello desgned from the measured plans made made during the [...]

 Twice Shy by Seamus Heaney Her scarf a la Bardot, In suede flats for the walk, She came with me one evening For air and friendly talk. We crossed the quiet river, Took the embankment walk. Traffic holding its breath, Sky a tense diaphragm: Dusk hung like a backcloth That shook where a swan swam, [...]